Tag Archives: gratitude
teaching this old dog new tricks…
I’ve been wanting to learn how to knit socks for years. I’ve always had trouble with the heel and I’ve tried following many a pattern off and on but was never able to figure it out.
I admit I’m not one that learns easily from a book when it comes to knitting or crocheting. I’m much better if someone shows me and then the lightbulb goes off.
Since having three rounds of chemo it’s difficult for me to understand things, so trying to learn again how to do the dreaded heel in socks is even more exasperating.
However in the last couple of months I’ve been wanting to push myself a little in strengthening the ole noggin.
Granted reading books and news is an on going daily routine even if I forget half of what I read or get a bit confused by it all.
(I’ve also been pushing myself with books that once would have been fine for me to read but now requires heavy concentration
and keeping my dictionary app at the ready but I’ll save that story for another post).
However I thought in the spirit of trying to exercise my brain
(and in the hopes of getting it to what once was) I decide to try my hand yet again at knitting socks.
I was able to find a very easy step by step pattern online that also included pictures. I’m happy to say that I’ve finished my first pair of socks!
I’m very happy with myself and I understand this may seem like a trivial thing (certainly not like reading Ulysses) yet for me,
it was a small step in overcoming a long held intimidation of sock knitting and a small step in hopefully trying to get my brain working better.
My hope is that the more I push myself, even slightly, it will grow stronger.
Ever Changing Skies…
Today finds me feeling better then I have been, both mentally and physically. I’ve been getting over being sick yet again and I gotta tell you.. I was feeling last night that it’s really starting to get old and feeling pretty down. However this morning’s beautiful skies put me right again.
I woke up just before the sun was starting to rise so I was lucky to be able to witness the most amazing show mother nature had put on for this Thursday.
First the sky was full of slate gray clouds that looked as if they were boiling and ready to spill over. I witnessed this as I let me dogs out and immediately grabbed my camera and went out and did my best to try to immortalize it.
It was a beautiful site to behold. After a couple of minutes I went back in and for the time it took for me to make a cup of coffee and sit down at my computer, (which I’m lucky enough faces this beautiful sky that is over the Kennebec River) the sky had changed yet again. The slate clouds transformed into more relaxed blues and pinks from the rising sun.
As I watched this happening I noticed to my left a glow in the woods that reminding me of burning trees when in fact it was the rising dawn casting the most luscious reds mixed with warm yellows and oranges. They looked liked they were ablaze. The image here really doesn’t do it justice but hopefully you get the gist.
I was surrounded by these unspeakable colors that only mother nature could produce and I only wish I that I was able to capture as perfectly.
But as I sit and and write, I think about it, maybe it’s best not to capture it perfectly, for if we could, then we might lose our wonder and awe at being able to witness such beauty.
Needless to say, seeing the magical transformations in the skies this morning allowed me to shift my thoughts and my emotions to a better place. I will hopefully remember these skies though out the day and know that when I do they will take me to that place of awe and gratitude that has been restored thankfully once again.
~ peace ~