Knitting Fair Isle; Making Peace with the day

My fair isle cowl was horribly neglected this past week. I was able to knit some on Friday at Starbucks, but that was the total amount of my knitting accomplished this week. Why is it so challenging to find time to sit and be still?

While talking to a friend on Sunday, I revealed that the only time I really felt calm was when I was a student  on the islands in Greece. There was no media, no billboards, only the sound of Aegean Sea rolling in and out and the smell of gyros from the local kebab shop.

This week at school, the students had to read a fable called the Fisherman and the Businessman. It describes a Mexican fisherman and an American businessman, their meeting on an island, and a look at what each person finds important in life. http://john.onolan.org/fables-fortune-hunters/

I am trying to be like the fisherman, but it is an ongoing challenge in our ever complicated and media driven society to pull away and find the voice within. This week I will try harder to slow down, breathe and make peace with what each day brings.

Learning to Slow Down

Well, it is quite cold here on the east coast. In some respects, I have to say that that is a bit of a comfort to me. All the warm weather has left me a bit disoriented and troubled, questioning what exactly is going on with the planet at this point in time.

I am still in the process of knitting my fair isle cowl. It is a stop and start process. Since sitting still and knitting seems like such a luxury for my over active mind, it often gets set aside while I think about cleaning my apartment, looking for ways to increase my income, and sewing buttons on coats and sweaters.

My goal for this week is to slow down. I always seem to be thinking that I should be further ahead, more successful, and getting more done, but when I get so hung up on these things, then nothing gets done. Or as Jean Valjean said in the musical version of Les Miserables, "Another day, another destiny."

Paying attention to the details

This week I found myself doing knit repair work. And as I sat doing this, I fantasized that I was travel around Africa on a safari, or sailing across the ocean to Hong Kong, or traveling to Antarctica. I often find myself in this place, where I am restless for adventure in spite of my daily activities.

I often forget that these day to day activities are what eventually build the foundation of big adventures and dreams. While doing repairs may not directly lead to traveling to exotic places, the ability to be still and mend things helps to focus energy and see the steps needed to build goals and dreams.

So this week I am paying attention to the details and seeing what insights I come up with.