Mothers, Fitted Sheets, and Perseverance.

My mother died of cancer before she could teach me how to properly fold a fitted (or bottom) bed sheet.

I don't know how she did it; but I remember seeing them lined up with military precision in the hallway linen closet, sharp edges, crisply folded.  My sheets were rolled up bundles, the result of the frustration of having to deal with them.

Those sheets taunted me week in and week out as each set was washed, dried and sat ready to be folded.  Only to be rolled up and shoved out of sight.

In desperation I Googled techniques for folding those dastardly fitted bed sheets.  I paid careful attention as Part A was fitted into Part B.  And then ended up rolling it all into a big ball and shoving same into the closet slamming the door for good measure.   

As do so many folks who lose a guiding light early in life, you eventually learn to figure out things for yourself.  My mom loved perseverance.  She had affection for those who fell down 7 and got up 8. 

Juries and other decision-makers often decide a matter on the strength of what something means to them.  You can hear an example of this at a wake.  First, there is the list of all the achievements, a stack of facts if you will, of the deceased.  Where the room and the people really come to life is when we hear and talk about all the persons, places and things for which the deceased had affection.  Those are the moments we will miss and struggle to keep alive even as we miss them.

When you are writing the story that you want another to conclude with a decision or a verdict, pay attention to what is emotionally meaningful about the project, client, vision, and the like.   Sell them on that. 

To succeed we need beauty and imagination as much as we need knowledge.  As the poet David Ignatow wrote: "I wish I knew the beauty of leaves falling. To whom, to whom  are we beautiful as we go. To whom are we beautiful as we go."

In the grand scheme of life it's a small thing; but I did learn how to figure it out on my own.  The fitted bed sheet while not perfectly folded is square; it fits nicely on the shelf in the cupboard; and, even if no one else sees it to me it matters that I persevered.