Attitude of Gratitude

 

seen in the 'wild'

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada.  I am working on Gratitude.

There are so many things 'wrong' in this world it is sometimes understandable that we forget to be grateful for what we have, while we work towards making things better.  For others as well as ourselves.

It's been a rough while for me - as for many others.  And while I try every day to remember the good things in my life, there are times when that becomes difficult.

So today is a reminder to be more conscious about being thankful for what I have.

As I struggle to remain positive and forward looking, I have been carefully removing things from my life.  While I am primarily an introvert who enjoys interactions with others, the past 3.5 years has been challenging.  And it is NOT over.  Covid is not gone, people have mostly just given up trying to reduce it.  They want 'normal' and they want it now.  I, and others like me, do not have that luxury.  

However, I want to focus on gratitude, not loss, today.

First and foremost, I have the privilege of living in a relatively 'safe' country, wearing a white skin.  I am currently relatively secure with a roof over my head and food in the pantry.  I have friends who care for me, and about my safety from things like an air borne virus.  

I have heard from students that I am leaving a legacy.  Which warms the cockles of my heart.  Believe me when I say that travelling thousands of miles to teach in multiple locations has been rewarding but also extremely challenging at times.  And yes, I have stories, just like every other travelling instructor has travel stories.  But I have been places, met people, I would never have done if I had never set foot on this journey.

My classes online will continue for as long as people want them, I suppose.  When I review the video there are moments I cringe, but my friends tell me I'm far too harsh on myself.  So I will try to find acceptance for the fact I am still here, still trying to learn.  Still weaving.  As I learn more, I will continue to share what I learn.  And accept that I am a 'woman of substance'.  Or as my nurse friend said, I have 'resources'.  

Last week I had a conversation with a weaver who wondered why some of their yarns were 'different'.  After talking about that for a while they were inspired to dig out all the different yarns labelled the same 'size' and do a deeper than surface look at them.  And to my delight they shared their findings with me.  It was validation of what I had observed, but so few people follow through and then share that exploration with me.  I cherish those interactions.  We both came out of that conversation knowing more, having a deeper understanding of yarn and how it behaves.

I try to remain mindful that 'my' way is NOT the 'only' way.  I try to encourage folk to find the way that works 'best' for them.  Whether any of my books remains in the weaving community beyond my lifetime is not something I will ever know.  So I appreciate when people let me know that they have found my writing, articles/books, useful.  Helpful.  Some have let me know that having The Intentional Weaver beside them is like having me beside them.

All of this is to say that I am well aware that there are a lot of things 'wrong' in this world.  It will take more effort than any one person to fix them.  I hope that we can.  

Sitting in my studio making hand woven tea towels seems frivolous.  But using my creativity and bringing beauty (one hopes) into the world seems like a good thing to do, when so much darkness is out there.  I am not unaware of all of the horrible things happening but since I cannot prevent or fix them, I do what I *can* do, and that is to focus on positivity and light and knowledge.

With just the two of us we don't bother with a big turkey dinner.  That doesn't make us any the less grateful that we have food.  And while we can't fix 'everyone' and their problems, we try to help as many people as we can.

When you have enough, build a bigger table.  Light someone else's candle.