Knitting is so much like life...........

Well, again, my husband and I had one of our amazing "hot tub" discussions this morning. Just talking about life and the energies that we, as humans, put out there into the world. We are so proud of what we have built together, are so eager to share our life with others, but yet are so protective of our own world and the influences that we allow into it. We have such a wonderful home full of love and peace. So, how in the world does knitting figure in?

A finished object is only as strong as the materials you put into it. Every strand, every fiber, every stitch, every mistake and every manipulation all somehow impact that finished product. The possibilities for what you do with that fiber are endless. Every pattern/idea/object is a possibility just lying in wait of your own creation. Sometimes we choose to put in strong, beautiful, top of the line fiber that will last forever and be strong, and sometimes we choose to purchase the "bargain brand" that may not last as long or be as pleasureable to work with but will certainly get the job done. Not that either choice is good or bad, it is just that - a choice. Just a part of the possibilities that we put together in the fabric we are making.

Life is the same way. We get the strength out of it that we put into it. We can choose to build our lives with good, strong, top of the line materials or we can just put into it what we need to in order to get by. As in knitting, we choose how we want to handle our mistakes. We can choose to go back, re-work that mistake and make it look and feel better, or we can leave the mistake as-is and just live with the mistake we have made. Again, not that one decision is better than the other - the action simply depends on the circumstances.

Expert or experienced knitters usually love sharing their craft with beginners. We enjoy sharing what we love and what we are good at. We want to teach someone about something that we feel passionately about in hopes that it will bring someone else joy in their own life. We show them the tools, teach them about fibers, discuss techniques and open up another chapter in their endless book of possibilities. The possibilities of where that person takes their newly learned skill are limitless. Ultimately though, it is the beginners choice about how he/she uses the tools, chooses the fibers and weaves their own craft. Sometimes we will agree, and sometimes we won't. Even if we don't agree we have the ability to stand back in appreciation of someone else's creation and understand that that beginner has just created their own possibility and also, perhaps, created some kind of possibility for someone else.

I want to choose what I allow into the fabric of my life. I want to take an active role in what I allow in and what I leave out. This goes for people, things, jobs, situations, friendships, whatever. I want to know that every "ingredient" I am putting into my life is doing a part to make the "soup" of life feel better, taste better, be better. I want to be responsible for my own "life soup" and encourage others to do the same for their own "soup". I never want to rely on someone else to do "life work" for me. That is how we learn and grow - by participating in the activities that carry us along our path. Even the most mundane activities are a part of that wonderful path.

So, I guess my advice is to look at every single thing you do in your life. Determine whether that action truly helps you add to your life soup, your being. If it does, great - build on it, share it, explore it. If it does not - look at why. Look at the ways you can change your course, change your actions, change your vision so that you are positively adding to YOU and making YOU better as well as adding to the lives of those around you. Be responsible for your own life. It's all about balance. Balance with each other, balance with nature, balance with our environment, balance with our spirit. All things are here for a reason, to teach us, to guide us, to help us and to create beauty in our lives. We just have to be able to receive the teachings.

I learn more and more everyday. Thank you so much to the people, the things, the situations, the life in nature that all do so much to teach me - both how I want to be and also how I don't want to be. I am learning. My life techniques get better with learning and practice - as does my knitting!