Success is a stuffed animal

It all started with a kids' library book. My preschooler is into a series that matches animals up into fantastical fights, or in this week's edition, "the ultimate jungle rumble." Not surprisingly, the gorilla was the champion when pitted against a snake, hyena, bongo, and leopard. This lead to my son requesting, "Let's make our own gorilla stuffie." ("Stuffie" being a term of endearment for stuffed animals.)

Challenge accepted.

I'd like to think I'm creative, but I don't have a sewing machine and I've certainly never made a stuffed animal from scratch. We've done kids' sewing projects from a kit, so I had stuffing. A quick Google search yielded some Pinterest options. I stumbled across a 45 second video, without narration or accompanying instructions, on how to make a stuffed gorilla from some socks. Once my son saw the video, his mind was made up: that was going to be our gorilla. And we were going to finish it that day.

While he and my husband went to soccer practice, I ran to the store to pick up long black and gray socks for the project. Immediately after practice, he asked: "Did you get what we needed?" (I guess laser focus on goals doesn't fall far from the tree.) We got home and immediately got to work. We watched the video bit-by-bit. I wrote down instructions so we had a plan. He helped cut the socks and stuff them before observing, during the sewing: "Hmm. This seems more like a grown-up project than a kids' project. I'm going to play with Dad. I'll come back."

What ensued was nothing less than at least five cumulative hours of sewing. My assistant did come back to help along the way, from picking the thread color (of course I didn't have any black thread!) to weighing in on whether the gorilla was shaping up to be snuggly. I worked fast and furious, knowing that the stitching left much to be desired... but that perfection wasn't the point.

You see, only five years ago if you asked me if I was productive on a Sunday, I would have said ,"Yes!" That would have been because I spent anywhere from two to five+ hours working. I would have chased away the "Sunday scaries" by spending personal time to "get ahead." If you would have told me that one day my "weekend work" would be a self-imposed art project while household chores went unfinished, I would have called you crazy.

Click here to see the gorilla stuffie when he was hot off the press. My preschooler calls him "Gorilla Grumbler," but I call him "Success Redefined." He's far from perfect; in fact, he's perfectly imperfect. Perfect doesn't exist, and that's what makes Gorilla Grumbler a triumph. He reminds me of what's important in life. He reminds me how we get to define and decide what success is -- in each season of our lives. I don't regret the time I spent focused on my career goals; instead, I choose to be grateful for the path that led me where I am today. I believe I'm more appreciative and intentional now.

To boot, my #1 fan dropped his jaw and announced: "Mommy, you must be the best sewer ever." <Insert heart-exploding emoji here.> Thanks, Gorilla Grumbler. You may be the champion in the jungle, but I feel like the true winner.

Did you enjoy this blog? For more of my content, sign up for my weekly newsletter, follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn, and use the social sharing buttons to share this blog!