Meet OSCA/ACOSO’s Board of Directors and Contract Workers

Welcome to the first of OSCA/ACOSO's "Meet Your Board of Directors and Contract Workers" series! 

Reclaiming My Joy - Angela Ventrice, AQ Instructor, OSCA/ACOSO

When I was younger, I loved doing crafts. I would lose myself in a project and have no sense of the hours I would spend in pure contentment and joy. As I got older, the craft box slowly got pushed to the corner of a room, then to the closet and then out of sight into the basement. Every so often I would come across something I made or crafted and smile and think how much free time I must have had when I was younger to be able to create these things and how much more important the work I am doing now must be to not find the time to craft. Once the pandemic started and we began to be in lockdown, the slowdown and exhortations to remain at home gave me and many others the gift of time to try something new, or return to something lost. That box in the basement brought out my old crochet needle and to Michael’s I went. 

 

 For me, something like crocheting is therapeutic. I find that as I am sitting down focusing on each stitch and the yarn in my hand, my breathing slows, becomes deeper and more restful. But the real reason I love crafting – the thing that never ceases to thrill me about my now daily hobby of choice – is the feeling that when I'm making something, I'm tapping into some sort of magic. It's the idea that I can take raw materials – cloth, thread, yarn – and, with the perfect mix of time, effort and imagination, turn it into something special. The idea that a tiny, ordinary action, repeated ten-thousandfold, can produce a scarf, a sweater, something that wraps you up, keeps you warm, makes you feel loved. It's the most ordinary thing – but it's also the most magical. You might find it in crafting. You might find it in cooking. You might find it in writing, in taking care of your kids or your pet, or in your daily walk, a routine that involves a thousand steps, each one a tiny bit different than the one before. Wherever it is for you – I hope there's a bit of magic waiting for you this weekend.

My current project - a blanket for my bed or maybe the cat….

Our Spring Session for our Guidance and Career Education Additional Qualifications Course begins April 6, 2021 to June 7, 2921