Little boxes everywhere

When I am stressed and have too much on my plate I organize through mental boxes. If my personal and/or emotional life is running heavy and hard and I have a deadline or just a heavy work load I have adopted this strategy that usually works really well for me. I give myself a little pep talk and if I can (carpooling does not fit in a box believe me I tried) I put it in a box for dealing with later.  Kind of like a project bag.
Up until now this has proven to be a great tool for me.  I either open them later when I have the time and space to deal or the lid pops of and the screaming gets my attention or (and this is my favorite one) I open the box and it is empty. Oh look it just needed a time out to right itself. How nice.
Lately there has been so much so fast and it just keeps coming, that I am a little concerned about the number of boxes accumulating.
A bit overwhelming.
This was vividly brought to my attention last night when my daughter Rabia walked by my desk on her way to the laundry room. She over heard me mutter to myself (we all talk to ourselves-no judging) something like “ just walk away… put it in a box and focus” assuredly accompanied by a few choice words.
I sensed that she had stopped and I looked up.  She was watching me and shaking her head.  I waited. She easily shares what’s on her mind with me usually only a matter of time. Time I obviously don’t have but hey what’s new?
Finally she said , “ Hey mom it seems that there is a lot of putting “stuff” in boxes lately and I am wondering if maybe you should be marking them.  Do you mark them? Seriously how do you know what is what?  What if one really should not be next to the other? I think it would be pretty awful if discord among the boxes was added to this mix. Also I am sure some of them are time sensitive right? What if one goes rogue?  You love colour you could colour code them. That would work.  Oh and by the way, I’m not in there anywhere am I? “
I have to admit for a brief moment after the hysterical laughter subsided I considered her suggestions. She’s a smart, funny young woman and very astute. She has built her own internal coping systems as we all do. So...she has a point .
I do love the colour coding idea.
Mostly though… I have decided that I might need to take a little time this weekend to clean out the closet.

ps Also have considered breaking out my therapist badge and marketing this as a colour coded stress coping system.

Welcome 2010

Happy New Year and thank you to everyone that celebrated in some way with us yesterday.
Reflecting on yesterday and last year I realized that we said goodbye to 2009 in pretty grand style with our blue moon celebration. I think this was pretty appropriate 2009 was a big year with really high peaks and some pretty low swampy places.
In all honesty there were some times and places this year where I was not sure I was going to make it. I learned a whole lot and sitting here in this place am grateful for every single moment, every lesson,every joy and sorrow and every person. I would not trade one second of it all. Growth is often painful and that is certainly what this year has been about. Lots and lots of growing...all about the growth . Lots of movement, sometimes slow and gentle and at other so fast and furious it felt like being in the eye of the great storm of chaos.
Looking back on all of it especially the Sock Summit I am a seriously stunned and supremely grateful.
One of the more touching moments yesterday was when a lovely knitter ( I suck at the name memory thing ,so sorry I do remember your face and spirit) thanked me and shared how SS09 changed her life. I was really moved by her and her story. When she was done I took a deep breathe to steady my emotions and told her that it changed my life to.
Changed my life in ways I am not even sure I know all about yet.  A small blessing I will gladly take because I really would like a little more processing time if at all possible.

John Henry Newman wrote that, “Growth is the only evidence of life”. I keep this written on a little slip of paper in my wallet as a gentle reminder to look around at all that is growing, cycling and changing in the world. The reminder of this natural order I find comforting like knitting.

Yesterday was a beautiful day, one of those peaks and so much fun. I am sorry I was so engrossed that I have no pictures.  I got to see and talk to knitters I love. We knit and spun, told stories and laughed ourselves silly, shared food and touched a whole lot of yarn.  Our lovely blue moon peaked out of the clouds,fog and rain enough to bless us with light and gives us the chance to howl her glory.

Our rarefied blue moon sale was a huge success. The server did not crash ( wavered a bit), the system worked and a lot of knitters got rare gem mill ends. I promise we will do more often.  We had it up for what about 2 hours and I think there were over 500 orders come through.  Not bad eh?
And even though irishgirlie and I could not get to Stonehenge for our big blue moon “knit the rocks socks” party the blue cast on around the planet was pretty awesome. What I saw here and on twitter and by emails and phone calls was pretty great.

So 2009 I think we have honored and said good bye in grand style. Our knit caps off to you.
My girls and I finished the day and year off by dancing in the New Year with Cyndi Lauper reminding us that girls just want to have fun and Mika just Love, love, loving today.

I think a very good start for a new year.

Happy New Year Everyone!