Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Peace amidst the hustle and bustle

           Every year along about early October, I start praying that the month of December will be a month of peace for my family.  That the enormous, never-ending list of to-do’s will somehow be accomplished before the turn of the November calendar page.  Every year I harbor deep-rooted fantasies of simply floating through the month of December, slowly savoring Christmas activities with my family and friends, free from the pressing demands of the the hard work of the holidays.  Some years I feel closer to this than others. 

          This year has been no different in my wishes for a stress-free December.  I have organized, pre-planned, and multi-tasked my way through November, but my list is still there – and I’m not sure it’s getting any shorter!   However, what has been different, is my conscience effort to really think about each task as I’m doing it - trying to find the peace in the “doing.”   I know this isn’t a new concept, but it has given me a new way of thinking about peace.   I easily get overwhelmed, and I have to truly work to center myself in the moment.  But the gift that I experience when I truly do let go and allow myself to be fully engrossed in the task at hand, has taken me a little bit by surprise.  It’s such a common sense type of conclusion, yet it’s one of those things that just doesn’t quite “click” until it happens to you.  

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I have found one of the easier activities for me to find my center, has been sewing or knitting/crocheting.  So…instead of trying to reduce my number of handmade items this year, I have actually raised it!  And incredibly, this is working for me!  Maybe this won’t always be the case, but for the here and now, I am thankful.   This quilt has been in my ufo pile for a few months, and as I looked at it with new eyes, I decided it would be perfect for my sister’s Christmas present.  The top had been finished,  so now I’m quilting it up and hope to put the binding on this weekend.

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  I’ve also knit up a good-sized pile of washcloths for various gifts - I am going to bundle two of them together.  I’ve used various patterns found mostly on-line, but the most popular one has been the easy, diagonal knit pattern of the cast on 4 and increase each row until you have 45 stitches, then decrease each row until you have 4 stitches left, and then finish with a bind off.  Super, super easy and fast.  I may be making more, but I am still keeping it simple!  (btw, the red and green afghan in the background is a favorite thrift store find from a few years ago)

More to share soon.

Sending wishes of peace,

Elizabeth

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