Having a very active mind, I never thought I could mediate. A still mind seemed impossible since I was so easily distracted.  And in today’s crazy world, it would seem even more unlikely.

A Still Mind Despite It All

A friend once told me that we all meditate. Some of us just call it “worrying” instead of meditation.

It made me realize that I do “meditate” all the time…it’s just a matter of what I meditate on.

If I lay awake at night worrying about paying a bill, or a sick family member, it can be quite amazing the focus I can have in my meditation.

A second piece of advice has gotten me to a place where I can reach a still mind almost anytime I want to.  He told me to take each distraction as a gentle reminder to come back.  When I recognize I’m not “present”, use it as a tool to come back. To come back to focus on my breathing, or registering that I have a body or to find a place of serenity and harmony.

For years, I honestly never thought I’d ever be able to meditate.  But as any of you who meditate regularly know, it does take practice.  But more importantly for me, I’ve found that the tiny stretches of time I could find stillness seemed to create a residue that would build.  And arriving at stillness seemed to become more and more accessible.

Do I Really Care?

Some folks might believe there is no reason to meditate.  That it’s a waste of time.  For you, I apologize for wasting your time reading this blog entry about meditation and hope you enjoy the knitting section below. I don’t mean to proselytize in any way.

There are also tons of resources, apps and people who can provide much better tips and methods for meditation.  I’ve used many of them in my quest for a still mind.

But I am most grateful for the two main ideas my friends provided to get me to a place where it was possible.

I can only hope they’re also useful in the direction you’re headed.

Current Knitting

Two new projects on the needles and a little bit of sock darning.  First off, I decided to start a linen stitch scarf.

Of course, it’s being knit lengthwise.  I’ll also be incorporating some bright accent colors and other muted, darker stripes.  If it comes out anywhere near as well as I’m envisioning, it will be a spectacular scarf.

I also started a new Chevron Scarf.

So far, it’s a bit more Christmas colored than I’d expected, but I still think it will look fantastic.

Finally, I did my regular “sock wash” of all my hand-knit and hand-cranked socks.

I realized a few of the socks needed a bit of repair.

The pile on the left are those that required minor fixes and are finished and ready to be worn again.  The two pairs on the right have major issues that may be fixed, redone completely or thrown out depending how I feel.