Threads of Life

I belong in a familiarly unfamiliar home, the cookie box. Tucked away on a shelf with my eight siblings in our home, I love it when I can help people, although that shortens my lifespan by a huge amount. You may think the needle may hurt me, but what’s a thread without a needle anyway?

I get new siblings every day. Maybe being orange is an advantage as my owner, Saba, uses me infrequently. I get new siblings almost every other week. Saba tailors for her family and relatives. She considers it her passion, but I often overhear her talking to herself every day about her dream of turning tailoring into a business. She often doubts herself, wondering if she is actually skilled or if this hobby is circumstance-driven. If only I could tell her how articulate and precise she is with her tailoring. She uses us carefully. She makes sure to use just the right amount - not too little, not too much! I’ve often heard frightening bedtime stories from my siblings about threads being used without any consideration, mainly termed as loose threads – a nightmare not only for the customers but us as well.

A month ago, new homes were built near mine - ten cookie boxes! I can’t believe how many new siblings I have to play with now! I visited one of them who looked almost like me! She called herself Crimson. When I asked Crimson about how she reached our neighbourhood, she mentioned Saba joined a women led Self Help Group (SHG). Saba managed to secure some money to fuel her tailoring dreams.

I was wondering why Saba had been sleeping so soundly these days without her usual nighttime contemplating talks. Now I know why. Saba doesn’t just want to fix clothes – she wants to create them! That makes my life way more purposeful - not to mention, I have more vibrant siblings and just the perfect number to play catch the needle if you can!