Earlier this year, I was looking through my dresser for clothes to donate. My search eventually led me to the very back of the drawer, where I pulled out an old dress … and the sight of the purple fabric caused my stomach to drop into my slippers.

Despite my reaction in the moment, this used to be my favorite dress. But then, seven years ago, I was in an accident while wearing it, and the dress now carried that single memory rather than the countless wonderful things I’d experienced in it beforehand.

But this story isn’t a tragedy, it’s a tale about growth. In the last two years, I’ve discovered the concept of mindfulness and the tools it can lend me. With some reflection, my old purple dress, and the aid of my sewing — a hobby that gives me endless fulfillment — I found ways to transform the painful associations into something wonderful. It’s very possible that whatever gives you fulfilment can provide you the same gift.

Mindfulness is about three things: Presence, which is your ability to accept the past and the future and truly live in the now; Awareness, which is identifying and observing your thoughts and feelings; and Acceptance, which is letting those thoughts and feelings go without judging them as “good” or “bad”.

Awareness: Stitching together mindfulness and sewing

As much as I wanted to forget the accident and the long road to recovery, this was the moment to put my money where my mouth was and change the emotional associations I had with that dress.

I set my mind on turning this reminder of the past into something that represented who I was now without judgement. So, I got out my tracing paper, cutting mat, scissors, and needles, and I started designing.  

I love how clothing can express things, proudly stating “This is me” at a glance. The potential for creativity when completing a garment is just as challenging as it is satisfying, and I wanted to use that creativity to turn my mindfulness growth into something tangible.

The longer I worked, the more I understood that shoving that dress in the back of the drawer had only helped me to distract myself, meaning that I wasn’t properly exercising Awareness and the ability to sit with my emotions.

Presence: Living in the now

I used the opportunity to think about what exactly made me who I am — not who I had been and quietly feared becoming again. I considered ways to communicate who I was with the help of the old dress’s fabric.

With all these thoughts, I sought to capture the Presence facet of mindfulness and truly live in the moment. Sewing has always made me feel grounded, and when I got out the scissors and started cutting into the old dress, the past began falling away like a weight.

True, seven years ago, bad things had happened, but I had survived. I had grown.

Acceptance: And the journey continues

Two weeks later, I put the new dress on: a completely original garment made from the remnants of my old dress and scraps from other sewing projects. Looking in the mirror, I took a deep breath and allowed the dress to be a symbol of something bigger.

I tried Acceptance: of who I’d been, that I’d continue to change, and that here in this moment, I was proud of who I was.

My journey with Presence, Awareness, and Acceptance is one that is ongoing, but this moment of reflection gave me the chance to prove to myself how far I’d come. Strangers may just see a well-tailored dress, but I’ll see a reminder of my mindfulness journey.

The activity that brings you fulfilment is likely different than mine, but it can positively influence your perspectives and your growth in similar ways. And if you’re curious where you stand in your own mindfulness journey, TerraYou offers a mindfulness test that can help you gauge where you are.