Day 4...

Today we have the first guest for the peace-along. I'm happy to introduce you to my extremely talented and wonderful friend, Lisa Orgler. When I think of people that capture the characteristics of peace, Lisa comes to mind. She's kind, compassionate, strong, confident, and grounded. It's funny that I think of her as being grounded because she is a gardener. Additionally she's an illustrator and teaches landscape design at the local university. Lisa creates the Healthy Knitter cover pages including Project Peace. Here's Lisa...

I’ve always been drawn to the landscape, whether it was the woods a block from my childhood home or our empty yard covered with a simple layer of lawn. I’m not sure why that attraction occurred (and still does). Maybe it’s the opportunity to explore and manipulate my environment or maybe the opportunity to be close to something more powerful than ourselves...or both.  Either way that connection provided an opportunity for creativity and peace. Today I still feel most peaceful in our garden. It’s the place that still fosters creativity, nurturing and tranquility.

Peaceful Tip #4. To extend that peaceful feeling I also enjoy drawing and coloring gardens. I’d love to share this tranquil activity with you, so I’ve included one of my garden coloring sheets in this post. Just click on the image to download a .pdf, print and enjoy.  For a bonus coloring sheet, you’re invited to visit my website to download another.

Thank you Lisa for sharing your time and talents with all of us. It's genuinely appreciated. I hope everyone is able to enjoy their day in a peaceful way. Taking a little time to unwind, drink a wee cuppa tea and knit a few rounds. I know I will as you'll never guess what happened last night? IT SNOWED! 

Day 3 of peace...

I absolutely LOVE snow. Not ice, not drifting snow as a result of wind. Just snow. Big fluffy snowbanks that blanket the earth for a long winter’s nap.

Snow is tangible peace; peace in action. It carries great strength but does so in a soft and gentle way. It's quiet yet powerful with the ability to change the world. Yet each individual snowflake is unique and collectively accomplishes something magnificent. It miraculously arrives from the sky, gently falls to the ground to protect the earth, to renew and restore the water supply, to nourish the plants and trees, to provide a playground for the young and old alike.

Peace tip #3.

Sit back today and listen to my favorite piece from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker “Waltz of the Snowflakes”.  Imagine that you too are a beautiful snowflake…not a ballerina but truly a snowflake.

What does it feel like to be a snowflake? Jot down any thoughts that come to mind.

If you feel like it take a little time today to make yourself a paper snowflake. Remember when you were a child and you took a piece of paper and folded it in half, in half again and again (maybe even again)? Then started cutting holes in the folded edge? Play around with it. Maybe invite someone you live with, or a friend to join you to make a paper snowflake or two.

Place your paper snowflake some place special as a reminder of your uniqueness in this world yet the ability to create powerful lasting change.

Peace-along Day 2...

What an overwhelming response to the start of our journey. Comments are pouring in via email, on this blog, and Ravelry. It is truly an honor to read what others consider peace means to them. As I reflected on yesterday's questions I learned a few new things about peace. I've certainly spent many a walk contemplating the concept of process vs. product as it pertains to walking, knitting and life but my big a-ha realization was that peace is a process...it's never over. The minute our relationship with peace becomes static it vanishes. 

I mentioned to someone that I have a  "peace journal." The title of it is actually "My Journey with Peace." I started it several weeks ago shortly after I launched Project Peace. As Project Peace grew by leaps and bounds every day I wanted to capture my thoughts so I could one day remember this peace movement that is spreading throughout the world. I'd encourage anyone that's interested to consider starting a small journal to capture your thoughts even if it's just words here and there. 

Quick update: almost 19,000 people involved.

Peace Tip #2. 

Speaking of words. Now that you've had an opportunity to contemplate what peace means to you, I've created a simple sheet that you can download (just hover over the document and click on it to get the downloadable pdf). Or if you are using a journal you can create your own doodled version of the word peace. 

Take a few minutes for you, grab a cup of _____ (fill in the blank with your favorite beverage) and write down words, a phrase, expression or even a sentence that reflects your meaning of peace beginning with the letter "p," and then "e," etc. For example "P" might be purity, proactive, people. 

May your day be filled with peace...

Christina

Peace begins here...

Welcome to Day 1 of the 2016 Peace-along. I'm humbled by the magnitude of the peace movement that is literally spreading world-wide throughout the knitting community. We have exceeded 16,000 downloads of Project Peace on Ravelry. I suspect the numbers will continue to grow as the message reaches more and more knitters.

What can you expect from this peace-along?

I truly believe that peace begins with each and everyone of us. We can't expect to live in a peaceful world if we ourselves are not living a peaceful life. So, my focus is to provide you with simple acts of peace over the next 21 days. I'll certainly provide you with information on how you can conduct peaceful acts for others but I really want this to be a gift you give yourself. Throughout the next 21 days, there will be a few guest posts from some people I've met along the way that I've found inspirational.

Peace tips will be posted daily on this blog by 8 am central US time. I'll send out an email on December 1 (today), and every 7 days thereafter. On the other days you won't receive an email from me, you'll just need to stop by and read the tip for the day.

Many of you are knitting Project Peace to coincide with the peace-along. I ask that you really take the time to savor this process. Each day, knit a little bit (4 rounds are recommended) so that you can ponder the peace tip, take time to breathe, or create some space for random thoughts to pop into your head. While the finished product is certainly a treat, let's focus on being present with each stitch, each repeat, and each round.

Mark your calendars for December 21st, a day that we've decided to call "World-wide knit-in for peace." We chose this day, solstice, to represent the balance between light and dark in the two hemispheres. This will be the culmination of the peace-along... knitters around the world knitting with the intention of peace. Host your own gathering, talk to your local yarn store about holding a knit-in; whatever you do, make it special.

Peace Tip. Day 1.

I think it's important that you know the path that led me here today...the reason that Project Peace came to be.

Twelve years ago I went to a Leadership Institute, probably one of the best conferences I've ever attended. One of the speakers said "everyone wants world peace but how many of us are living peaceful lives?" That simple yet loaded statement was a life-changer. She was talking to me...my life was anything but peaceful with 3 young children, an intense full-time job with tenure on the horizon, and a husband that worked nights. I knew I wanted world peace but I suppose I thought someone else, like Gandhi or the Dalai Lama or Saint Teresa would solve this problem allowing me to live a peaceful life.

Later that afternoon while meandering in and out of stores, I found a silver bracelet with the following words embedded deep into the metal:

“Peace...this we choose each day.”

— Anonymous

And there it was. To live peacefully was my choice; my circumstances might not change but how I reacted to them could. Now, certainly there are many life circumstances where this becomes extremely challenging and I'm not dismissing those situations. For me, it became about choosing to have peace in my life. My choice...sometimes I choose wisely, other days I don't.

Project Peace is about choosing to have peace. I questioned "is it possible to spread peace around the world?" Can others choose peace as well? So, with no help from Ghandi, the Dalai Lama or St. Theresa... here we are with over 16,000 people collectively thinking about peace. This has certainly taught me the power of how each and everyone of us has the ability to make a difference in this world.

So, here's your "tip". You can ponder these questions while you sit in a chair quietly, you can knit, or you can write down your answers. Your choice...

• Define peace...what is it? what does it look like? what does it smell like? what does it feel like?
• How can you choose peace?
• Name one thing that you would like to make happen during the next 21 days.

A path to peace...

I'm so excited to be on this path for peace with all of you. May each stitch bring you peace and joy.

Christina