The Point of True Beginning

In another lifetime, I worked as a legal secretary. It was a good job. It paid well. The work was interesting, and I could always find a job. Experienced legal secretaries were in high demand when I worked in the field. I'm not sure how things are now since I left that world in the mid-80's. You may wonder why I'm writing about this, and I'm just about to tell you.

The first attorney I ever worked for was a real estate lawyer. It was a large firm...the largest in Arizona at that time, which meant we had some highfalutin clients and we worked on some highfalutin land deals. Big shopping malls, for example. Big hotel chains. That sort of thing. In my work, I was often typing legal descriptions, and because the legal description of a property needed to be very precise and accurate, we secretaries would get together and read them aloud to one another to be sure that all the measurements, directions, etc. were correct and contained no typographical errors. Keep in mind that during this era, most of us were still typing on IBM correcting Selectric typewriters. In fact, this one here could be the actual one I was typing on back than:

Please tell me you're old enough to remember correcting Selectric typewriters. And if you're not, then shut up.

Anyway, I always loved the precision of those legal descriptions, the words used that are no longer in common usage today. Words like "thence" and phrases like "the point of true beginning". Often distances and angles were measured in minutes. This morning I was doing a little light research about why "minutes" were used in legal descriptions. I had in mind that there was some standard speed at which one would travel for a certain length of time. As it turns out, minutes were used as an alternative to degrees. For example, 360 degrees would represent a whole hour, while 15 minutes would represent a 45 degree angle. Here is a link to an article from the American Bar Association about the standard terminology used in legal descriptions.

A leftover phrase that I've often repeated silently to myself is "the point of true beginning", and that brings me to the point of all of this. In surveying, the surveyor carries a special telescope on a tripod that gives him "the point of true beginning." That's the absolute point where everything originates. And I've reached "the point of true beginning" on the Vintage Tin block I'm working on. (You knew I'd get to there eventually, didn't you?)

You may recall that when I use the Sticky Fabri-Solvy in embroidery, sometimes I have to use multiple overlapping sheets. I always start at the point of overlap to minimize the shifting that inevitably occurs. When I have the entire area of overlap stitched, then I'll start at the far edge of the piece and work my way back to that point. It's hard to see where this one is stitched and where it's not because the unstitched lines are the same color as the floss I'm using. (Imagine how difficult it is to see my own stitching!) I've drawn that line so that you can see what I've stitched there on the right, and what is left to stitch on the left. And, yes, there is still one more area of overlap to work on. I'll do a little more stitching on the trees above the gas station, and then I'll probably move my hoop over to the next area of overlap and stitch that part next.

In the process of doing a little research about legal descriptions, I came across this op-ed article written by a man named Frosty Wooldridge. Frosty Wooldridge has bicycled around the globe 100,000 miles, on six continents and six times across the United States in the past 30 years. He has a number of books to his credit. I enjoyed reading his article entitled, "The Point Of True Beginning: Your Perfection." Since I am a person who takes spiritual comfort in nature, his article and its conclusion touched me. I'm linking to it so that you can read it if you like. I liked the way it ended:

When you give your utmost mental, physical and spiritual energy to your personal growth, you discover your own "point of true beginning" just like every other creature on this planet. Trust in the perfection of your master design. Compare yourself to no one; strive for your highest and best; and finally seek your "point of true beginning" every day of your life. It will come to you.

When I sat down here to write this, I was thinking only of "the point of true beginning". It's surprising where these little field trips into the internet can take us. Have I said lately how much I ♥ the internet? I certainly never envisioned having such a wealth of information and inspiration at my fingertips back in the late 70's and early 80's when my fingertips thought the IBM correcting Selectric typewriter was the best thing ever.