Knitting

I have been knitting this sweater for a while. I've got the back done. Yahoo! But I haven't knitted for weeks so I hardly know what size I am knitting or where I am in the second piece. I need to knit a little every day but don't and then it's frustrating to begin again. That's the same with everything - if you want to be good at something you have to do at least a little every day.

The last few sweaters I've made haven't turned out as well as expected .......... I keep on trying to find the masterpiece :))

Wrinkly spottedness

There is such beauty in being used up. The yellow, golden leaves have lived their moments and are ready to fall and nourish the earth. Fresh and new follow this parade of colour and wrinkly spottedness. What is there to do but watch and marvel?

Home

Home is where the heart is.

Anthony Lawlor writes about A Home for the Soul and says that "The primary ingredient in creating a home for the soul is our conscious attention. By bringing care and positive regard to the daily actions of living, we can deepen and foster soulfulness in ourselves and our surroundings." He writes about connecting soul to matter, that there is no separation between any of our experiences and that there is wholeness.

When I was little I used to take my mom's rag balls and unravel them to make rooms on the lawn, like architectural drawings. Rag balls are fabric cut into long strips and wound into a ball. My mom cut old clothes into these strips and when she had enough she brought them to some woman to make into colourful woven rag rugs. I remember looking at them when ready made and seeing my dad's pyjamas and my old t-shirts and my brothers sweaters. They were my favourite to play with. I made bedrooms for all my dolls. Maybe because I didn't have my own room until I was 14 years old so I had these huge houses with rooms for everyone of my "children". I have always loved making a "home". A place that feels good to be in. My favourite kind of day is a home day where I get to stay at home all day and organize or putz with something or just sit and read. I will have to make that happen more often. It is my way to relieving stress.

Thanks Deborah for the book!

Buying a coat

Okay, today I was excited to go out to look for a winter coat. The excitement didn't last long. There is a big difference between what I would like to wear and what I can find (or fit into). I love soft comfy clothes. That doesn't seem to be a winter coat. The coats that fit well were stiff and black. The loveliest coats were skinny at the hips and big at the chest and had sleeves down to my knees. I am shaped more the other way. One saleswoman even said it is difficult to find coats for pear shaped bodies. Me? Pear shaped? It wasn't helpful to be compared to a fruit. I began having an identity crisis. I wanted to be different. I wanted to remember what it was like to be young and just know what was stylish and also to be the size I was when I was 21 years old.

I did end up finding a coat. It's almost perfect. I can see my hands. It has a real fur ruff around the hood. It is a most beautiful blue colour. And I had to skype my daughter and ask her if it was too old lady-like. She said it was beautiful.

Tesla

This is Brittany. She is amazing! She came to yoga class tonight with part of her Hallowe'en costume. Her purple goggles......you have to watch Warehouse 13, a sci fi show to know what the purple colour is all about. And she made a Tesla! What a lot of detailed and fun work. I think I am going to check out Nikola Tesla inventions. I bet that Brittany will have inventions too!

Happy Hallowe'en!

If you feel scared - just take a breath and relax.

Hugs

I talked with an old acquaintance today. He has a lot going on his life right now that is stressing him out to the max. I listened carefully to see if I could help in some way. I heard him say he needs caring for and he needs a hug. Awwwww, it is the hug, the love that we all need. And of course we shared a super big HUG. I wish I could start some kind of Hugging Group. That people could call for their friends and say this person needs a hug and this hugging group would send someone to hug, maybe different people many times a day, depending on the situation. Just hug. And hug. And hug. So that we know we are not alone. And that we don't always have to talk about it. Connection. Love. Hugs. One hug can make you feel good all day.

I've heard that 8 hugs are necessary for each person, every day.

I've tried this with my partner and it works wonderfully for connection: 6 hugs a day for 6 seconds each.

My daughter bought me this book. It warms my heart.

The benefits of hugging:
Eases tension
Fights insomnia
Keeps arm and shoulder muscles in condition
Provides stretching exercise if you are short
Provides stooping exercise if you are tall
Feels good
Overcomes fears
Opens doors to feelings
Helps curb appetite; we eat less when we are nourished by hugs - and when our arms are busy wrapped around others
Dispels loneliness

Hugging is also portable, is ecologically sound (does not upset the environment), saves heat, requires no special equipment, keeps on working to dispense benefits even after the hug's release, and demands no special setting (anyplace is fine for a hug).

Keep on hugging! Yahoo!