My husband tried shearing a sheep. Only once. He claimed, “It looked like the sheep’s fleece went through the blender.”  Now each spring our sheep are sheared by a professional; it’s an entertaining event.

The shearer hoists the ewe on her bottom so she’s vertical and rendered helpless, then removes her wool in minutes. A great shearer can shear without nicking the skin, keeping the fleece in one piece, taking pride in the craft and artistry.

If I ever dare to attempt shearing, I’ll want a great mentor to guide my hands through the process. Someone with experience, a unique and genuine love for sheep, and the art of shearing.

I think we all have a skill, talent, craft, knowledge that makes us little money, but about which we feel that same passion. The question is, can we teach it to someone? Can we hand it down to the next generation, share with our friends, or even up to our parents and grandparents?

When my then 82-year-old mother visited, she brought multiple copies of our English muffin recipe and invited my friends over to learn to learn how to make them. Not only did her “class” appreciate picking up a new skill, we loved the warm fellowship, and enjoyed eating the hot muffins just off the griddle, spread with butter and Mom’s homemade raspberry jam.

I’ve baked bread, but literally learned new twists when volunteering in a church kitchen. I imitated what I saw. Dumping ten cups of flour into a huge bowl, I formed a deep well in the middle which I filled with yeast, sugar, salt and warm water.

I waited as the yeasty center bubbled, then stirred the mixture with my bare hands. I folded and kneaded the dough, turning it out onto the counter, all the while chattering with the other women in the church kitchen. The morning turned out to be a satisfying connection with women of all ages.

Perhaps instead of a book group, form a club where each member teaches a skill: quilting, spinning wool, crocheting, knitting, gardening, cooking, candy making, the ukulele, cake decorating, quilting, drawing, or painting.

Reach out and teach; reach out and ask to be taught. Connect by sharing and giving; it’s richer than watching DIY on the internet by yourself. And the collective talents will be a cut above!

What would I love to learn? Drawing. I look forward to learning how to sketch a stick figure that doesn’t even pass in Pictionary. How about you? What could you teach or learn?

C 2020 Ann Marie Stewart
All rights reserved
Author of award-winning STARS IN THE GRASS