When I was 20, young and single, I had the privilege of being a student in France. I learned many things about running a household from my host mother, Mme Ingold. One of my favorite lessons popped into my head today as I was untangling thread that had twisted as I was hand sewing.
Mme Ingold had quoted a phrase which translates as “long thread, lazy girl”. She warned me that a suitor judges a potential wife through several observations: If the young girl threads her needle with a very long thread, it indicates that she is not willing to apply adequate effort to a task. If she pares potatoes with a thick peel instead of a very thin one, she is not frugal. If her shoes are not new, spotlessly clean and polished, she lacks wealth and care about her appearance.
I have learned to use a short thread, because it ultimately takes less time and effort to re-thread the needle frequently than to untangle twisted thread. I’ve always been frugal and peeled my vegetables with the thinnest possible peel. But I have rarely lived up to the pretty shoes criterion…and I’m happily married in spite of that.
Terry Ann Hartzell - Insights 