The 16 year-old cocker spaniel, Quinn, was starting her morning whine at the stairs.
Hmph.
I turned over. I did not want to get up.
I had just had an irritatingly bad dream.
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| Cup o' morning sunshine |
I had company coming.
The house needed picking up.
A lot.
Then I remembered.
Madeline Tosh.
DK weight merino yarn.
Waiting on the hassock.
Where I left it.
Half knit into a Mara shawl.
The morning owl hooted.
"Whoo, whoo."
The birds twittered.
"Witchedy, witchedy, witchedy witch."
Quinny whined again.
Grmph.
I let Quinn out.
There was the Madeline Tosh DK. Right where I left it.
I reached out and touched it.
Soft. Sproingy. Enough hand to thoroughly enjoy knitting with it.
Sigh.
I let Quinn in.
I sat down.
And I knit.
At 6-something-something in the morning.
I knit because the house needed picking up.
I knit because I was nursing a headache.
I knit because the bad dream lingered.
I knit... because I could.
No, because I would. In the quiet of the early morning.
Needles clicking softly.
Wool against my hand, lightly warm, inviting me in.
I would allow myself to knit... to 7.
Then I would get on with the day.
But for now, knit.
Thinking of nothing and everything.
Void into quiet and solitude.
Yet full of companionship.
Dawn of a new day.
Colors soothing. Soft gray fading into light swaths of misty red, the color of sunrise and india ink. "Calligraphy." Aptly named.
It seems to me that everyone should have a place, a thing, an activity to retreat to, to think, dream, plan. For comfort, peace, companionship. With or without others. Something to fall into, when you need to.
On an island or in a city. On a plane or in a car. In the park or at the pool. Lunchtime at your desk. Dinnertime with a movie. In the middle of the night when you can't sleep. Or daytime when you are too tired to listen. A pause that refreshes. A zen habit.
Plan for it.
Respect it.
And guard it as if your life depended on it.
Because really, it does.
Have a good one. :)
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| Zen Circle - Enso - the Absolute, Enlightenment, Strength, Elegance, the Universe and the Void |
PS - To help get you started, try:
Zen Habits or the book: Focus, A Simplicity Manifesto in the Age of Distraction, by Leo Babauta
Your post painted a peaceful, calm picture for me. Knitting offers the same kind of meditative state for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lynda, for commenting. I often wonder how one could not help but knit to find the peace the entire process offers. For me, it allows me to take happiness in a simple moment. I think we've fallen away from that as a culture, and are suffering as a result. Here's to finding a moment of peace for all. :)
ReplyDeleteZen habit, enough said!
ReplyDeleteI too am awakened by the yarns in baskets near my bed. They have voices melodious and sweet, they promise release from stress, cares and worries, they dangle the image of completed projects before me, enticing me to wake up only enough to sit and knit and dream.
I am working with Madelinetosh in the Baltic colorway and have become mesmerized by the way the hues string along into pleasing rifts of undulating color.
I can't believe I'm admitting this on the open airwaves, but it's like a siren's song, isn't it??? The Calligraphy colorway was the same way - how do they color it that way?? I inspected and inspected... it's like it was painted that way by magic or something.
ReplyDelete