There has been an extreme lack of knitting at chez Needles lately. I’ve been a bit, um, preoccupied with other things. There was this little three day exam that I took way back in February, and the results are finally going to be posted next Friday night. One week and one day from today, I’ll know for sure whether my summer will be spent knitting and sewing with abandon, with weekend bike rides and camping trips, or spent locked in a dark room studying for a re-take in July.

Unfortunately, the release of test results coincides with my “official” law school graduation ceremony, which is next Saturday. (Technically, I already have my diploma, the ceremony is just that - a ceremony.) To celebrate my graduation, various family members are planning visits, starting with my brother and his wife, who arrive on Saturday, followed by my mom in the middle of next week. I’m anticipating no crafty time while the fam is here, and probably few, if any posts.

For the next week, while my stomach is doing flips, I’ll be repeating my new mantra: “There are worse things in life than failing the bar… there are worse things in life than failing the bar…” I know in my heart it is true, yet failure is the thing I fear most in life. Regardless of the outcome of the exam, I am still extremely fortunate in all aspects of my life. And I am writing this down now, so I can remind myself over the next week, and next Friday night, if need be.

No need for words of encouragement - the reality of it is that only about 40% of the people who took the exam will pass, and a lot of really smart, dedicated people will fail. I’ve seen it happen to my friends. And it could happen to me. And I will be able to deal with it, no matter what the outcome. Because there are worse things in life than failing the bar. Really.