Repetition or Variety

By Connie S. Hall

There are only a couple of things that I enjoy when it comes to repetition, both of which are church related. First, I love seeing the same thing occur over and over at the temple. It is the only movie I’ve watched hundreds of times and I can hardly wait until I can see it again.

Second, during the church services on Sunday, I’m grateful for the duplication of lessons. I know this is the only way I’m going to remember all the details that are necessary for my salvation. Don’t get me wrong – I like the lessons given in an interesting way, not just someone standing in front reading from a manual, or repeating scriptures the entire hour.

Normally, I hate repetition. If I’ve been there, I would rather not go again because I’ve already seen it. I’m not a traditional person. I don’t like us to do the holidays the same way every year – I prefer they are different. I like variety and decorate differently every year.

After I’ve learned to make something, I already can do it so what is the point in doing it again? Once I taught myself to knit basic booties, I had to learn a different stitch each time I made a new bootie. I had so many booties, not pairs, that a friend often told me, “Maybe you’ll have a one-footed baby Connie.”

I would like to learn to do something myself instead of having someone teach me. First, I pull out the directions and read as I do each step. After quitting my job to be a stay-at-home mom, I agreed to sell Creative Circle items at home shows. I taught myself to do counted cross-stitch, needlepoint, latch hook, and every new thing sent my way. You can probably guess I don’t do this any longer because I already know how to do it all.

In the kitchen, I have a blast. I love cooking new and different things to eat. Not all of them turn out edible, but most the time I’m successful in creating delicious new dishes. With only two of us, it is more difficult and I find myself doing the boring everyday cooking that I hate.

I only read a book once, and watch a movie one time. Because of this unusual quirk, I have a hard time deciding what stories to write. I don’t want to choose a genre because I want my stories to be different—so I sit wondering what unusual twist I can think of each time.