Here's day 6...

This past summer I had an opportunity to read a few books and I found myself completely engrossed in books about walking. I know it sounds odd to read about walking but as an individual that LOVES to walk I was surprised to learn how much walking has influenced our world. Classic literature wouldn't be where it is today if it wasn't for walking. Nietzsche, Rousseau, Thoreau, and Whitman used walking as a means to clear their minds or to ponder great thoughts. 

Now you might think I'm headed in the direction of suggesting a walk today (which is always a great idea) but that would be too obvious. Instead I'm turning to an idea that really grabbed me this summer in one of those many books I read. 

“We must really mange one day to do without ‘news’. Reading the newspapers in fact only tells us what we didn’t yet know. And that is exactly what we are looking for: something new. But what we didn’t yet know is exactly what we forget immediately. Because as soon as we know it, we have to leave room for what we don’t yet know, which will come tomorrow...

When you walk, news becomes unimportant. Soon you have lost all knowledge of the world and its gymnastics, the most recent own goal, the latest scandal. You no longer await the surprise development, or want to hear how it really all began, or what happened in the end...

After walking far and long, you can even come to wonder in surprise how you could ever have been interested in it. The slow respiration of things makes everyday huffing and puffing appear vain, unhealthy agitation.”

— A Philosophy of Walking by Frederic Gros

I spent the summer at a cabin without a t.v., no newspaper, and very little internet. That constant need to know feeling disappears rather quickly. It's funny how little time it takes to adapt to a life without the news. Without the distraction of the t.v. it seems as if you've been given the gift of time.

Upon returning to our home this fall, we decided to disconnect the t.v. I knew that as soon as I had access to a t.v. I would be back to watching the news every night. Have you ever noticed that the news captures all the bad things happening in the world. Can you think of one time recently that the news began with a wonderful thing that happened today? 

Yet we feel compelled to be "connected" and "to know what's going on in the world." Why? Why must we be connected to all that negativity. Are we going to change it by knowing it's happening? Will it continue if you opt out of listening to it? Why can't we be connected to a positive community? One that represents the good in people? 

Peace tip #6.

Unplug today. You choose to what degree. Perhaps it's the news (t.v., radio, internet, print), Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. You may find that unplugging from the constant negative and angry messages presented in the media brings you a great sense of peace. And don't worry that you'll miss anything because the news will be there tomorrow. Having given yourself the gift of time you might even find that you want to go for a walk.

May your stitches and steps be filled with peace and quiet...

Christina

On the fifth day...

...we are going to take a moment to slow things down. It seems there is a lot of talk these days about mindfulness and meditation. Not that meditation is new by any means but it's becoming a topic that is garnering a lot more attention. I am by no means an expert on this topic but I know a few tiny things that might be helpful on our path of peace. 

Some people may shy away from the topic of meditation because it's too "new-age" or "how can that possibly be of any benefit" or "I've tried and I'm no good." But I'm not proposing we become zenful and master the art of meditation. Nope we're just going to work on one small part. Breathing.

“What I have to say about meditation boils down to this: it never hurts. It always helps. It costs nothing, and it improves everything. There are so few things on earth of which this can be said. ...yet many are still intimidated by sitting still and focusing on the moment. Not because they don’t want to, but because they are convinced they’re bad at it.”

— Rebecca Pacheco from "Do Your OM Thing"

Without breath our life on earth ends within a matter of minutes. It's so vital to life that it's an involuntary action. We breathe in and out 100's of times each day without ever stopping to think about this life-sustaining function. So today we are going to turn our attention to our breath, to recharge our bodies and our minds and focus on the moment at hand.

Peace tip #5.
First, read through these directions. Otherwise you'll be closing your eyes before you read the rest of the directions.

• Find a quiet place where you won’t be distracted.
• Locate a chair like a dining room or kitchen chair; it should be firm.
• Sit down, feet placed on the floor, hands in your lap.
• Now close your eyes and start to relax.
• Breathe in through your nose slowly and count in your head 1-2-3-4, now pause holding it for just a second and then slowly release to the count of 5 (1-2-3-4-5) and then briefly pause before repeating the cycle.
• Repeat this 10 times or more.
• Start to notice how your body relaxes and feels more complete. Focus on the breath and let any thoughts that enter your mind go with each exhale.

Feel free to use this technique anytime during the day to bring you peace and tranquility. You can change the counting rhythm (such as 5 counts in and 6 counts out). Once you have this mastered you can use letters to words instead of the numbers.  Try L-O-V-E for the inhale and P-E-A-C-E for the exhale.

Before you began this activity did you encounter any feelings of resistance?

How did you feel after taking a few moments to slow down your breathing and focus?

How might you incorporate this technique to infuse more peace into your day?

A peaceful mountain stream in Gallatin National Forest near Big Sky, MT

Peace be with you today…

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.