making mistakes

I don't know whether anyone reads this blog. I don't know whether it is helpful or informative to anyone. As my daughter reminded me, it at least helps me to put down my thoughts on occasion. So, that's what I'm doing.
I have recently spent many hours cutting out what must be at least a thousand squares (actually, more accurately, diamond shapes) of fabric. My intention is to make quilt tops which can some day be made into quilts. The quilt tops are a way to recycle fabric and they take up less room than the bins full of miscellaneous scraps of fabric. As I prepared to sew some of them together, I realized a major design flaw. Now I have the choice of simply discarding the piles of little pieces I spent all those hours cutting out, or figuring out how to make them work. I can't help but wonder whether the time I have spent pondering different design possibilities matter. Am I wasting time that would be better utilized in some other way? If I throw them out, am I a quitter? My biggest problem is lack of spatial orientation comprehension. That is also why I get lost easily. So, I have decided that maybe I can learn something by struggling with these shapes until I can get them to come together.
As I have considered this whole problem, I realize that making mistakes is a part, even a necessary element, of our growth and development. A baby learns by trial and error. It certainly wouldn't get him very far if he quit trying to walk when he fell down. I recently had the opportunity to sing with a group performing an incredible piece of music. The composer/lyricist spoke to us before one of our performances and we were all amazed to find out he has no musical training. When asked how he managed to write such beautiful music, he said basically "trial and error". I have always thought learning by trial and error was the hard way. I prefer being taught by someone who has already worked things out- whether in a classroom or through reading a book. It should save time and heartache. However, I am slowly comprehending that ultimately, most of our learning is trial and error through our own personal experience. You can grasp basic concepts from the teachings of others, but you still have to incorporate the principle into your own thoughts and actions. Making mistakes is not necessarily a thing to be desperately avoided. I'm not advocating careless, riotous living! But I think that we can be a little easier on ourselves when things don't work out the way we intend them to. Roll with the punches.... No use crying over spilt milk....Experience is a great teacher. So, I may be spending a few more days with scattered bits of fabric spread out on the floor. But I'm not going to give up and I hope maybe I'll learn............something.