Day 19... water

“The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea.”

— Isak Dinesen

The most essential nutrient to human life. Two simple little hydrogen molecules and one oxygen. The energy needed to create these bonds is beyond human capability. We can build mass weapons of destruction, send people to outer space, and build computers with communication systems that allow us to send electronic messages to people around the world instantaneously yet the ability to create life-sustaining water remains illusive. 

Think of how many times a day we use water... drinking, cooking, bathing, washing dishes, to carry away our wastes, to grow crops, hydrate livestock, or even the water that was needed to "grow" our yarn. Each of these acts could be considered tiny miracles. We are so fortunate yet there are so many that don't have these luxuries... along the way perhaps we've lost our perspective on the extreme importance of water. We've come to expect it and that it will "arrive."

Having lived most of my life in the mountains near streams, rivers and a few lakes, I've not had the opportunity to spend much time around the ocean. On a recent visit to the Atlantic Ocean I walked for miles across the sand chasing the waves or rather being chased by waves and I began to ponder "water." 

The lull of the waves coming in and retreating quickly becomes a rhythmic constant that comforts. In and out, in and out. A guarantee that the ocean promises that it will return over and over again. 

As each wave approaches the shore one begins to wonder how long has this water been working it's way here. As the wave slips back into the ocean underneath the incoming wave, it retreats with grace into the vast depths of the sea. Will each water droplet that reaches that line where the sand and water meet, ever return to that same place again or is it a one time event? 

The waves lapping against the shore soothes the soul and has been described by many as peaceful. We become convinced that this big massive body of water is gentle and nurturing. Yet the power that can be generated by the tiniest and simplest drops of water when they work collectively can accomplish great things, both negative and positive. The same can be said for people...when we work together we can be unstoppable, in negative and positive ways.

As we near the shoreline on this current journey with peace we have the opportunity to make more choices. 'Cause after all, this is your journey and your choice. Will this be a one time visit to the shoreline? Or will you be persistent and return again and again? Will you be a water molecule that joins together with others to work collectively for something grand? Or will you allow yourself to be carried away back out into the ocean and overcome by the power of everything else going on around you? C-H-O-I-C-E.

Day #19. Peace tip.

We've talked about snow, trees, birds, and oranges as symbols of peace. Now we are adding water to the mix. Pull out a piece of paper, put on your favorite music and start to doodle. No artistic ability required just put pen to paper. Doodle peace...whatever it is to you. It might be a scene, words, or a collection of colors. It might be trees, water, snow, yarn, people...the sky is the limit. You might choose to doodle a quote or two that have been in the posts or one that hasn't. No inner critic allowed.

I'd like to ask a favor of all those that are reading this blog and knitters. Please consider knitting for peace on December 21, Worldwide Knit-in for Peace Day. We began this last year and decided to continue with this tradition. It's my goal to make this day widely known around the globe.... but it only happens if we work together. Here's my request.

Place a pin on the map for your location. If you are knitting as a group, please have all group members place a pin.

Knitters from the US: If you know anyone that knits in North Dakota or Rhode Island, tell them about WWKFP Day and have them place a pin. Then all 50 states will be recognized.

Knitters from Canada: Please take a look and see which provinces still need representation... let's get all of Canada represented.

Knitters from Europe: Take a look and see where there are places that need to be pinned, reach out to folks from countries still needing some peaceful knitters.

Knitters from Asia: ok, if anyone knows someone in Asia, please contact them...we need knitters from Asia.

The list goes on... the map is looking full but let's get this map covered!

Thank you.

Day 18... Switzerland

“Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Chocolate, fondue, Heidi, the Alps, a country with three official languages, the place my father grew up, home to one of the United Nations offices...

So many items come to mind when I think of Switzerland but perhaps the most immediate response I have is "neutrality." In middle school, I recall learning that Switzerland is the only neutral country that exists. I found that fascinating but never truly understood what that meant. Oh, yes, I understand the concept of neutral but that implies there are "sides" that one isn't taking...what are those sides?

I've said many a time when pulled into a disagreement between people "I'm Switzerland." Reflecting on that statement, perhaps it was a bit of a cop-out... I didn't want to engage in someone else's dispute and instead of working to resolve the situation, I could walk away declaring my neutrality.

On my walk the other day while pondering peace, my mind settled on a point that I've heard said or someone has said to me many a time. "I can't do peace right now; peace is passive and the world needs people to be engaged, stand up for a cause, and fight."

Peace is often interpreted as being passive and neutral; the inability to take a side. Peace is thought by many to be the easy way out so that one doesn't need to engage or to create change.

Is this true? Is peace passive? Is peace easy? Is it a cop-out?

Can't we create change through peaceful actions? What about Gandhi? He created huge social change through peaceful protests.

Might I suggest that cultivating peace is active and not passive, challenging and not easy. And maybe to choose any other option to create change that is not peace would be the cop-out.

Peace is balance. I've heard (and I've said), "I need balance in my life." As if the accomplishing "balance" was a destination to be checked off a list. Has anyone ever said "I now have balance?"

A teeter-totter goes up and down and the varying degrees of height depends on how hard the riders push off against the ground. Tiny fine movements can bring the two sides into equilibrium only when the opposing ends are equally weighted and staying in that perfect moment of balance is usually for a brief moment.

Perhaps peace is like the teeter-totter...a constant state of flux with moments of harmony when one achieves that neutral space of balance. The work to get to that spot is active, challenging and time-consuming. Peace takes work.

Peace is not passive. Finding neutrality means understanding both sides of a disagreement. Peace means despite our differences we listen to one another with respect.

Peace... it's a choice.

Day 18. Peace tip.

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic as we draw closer to the end of our 21 days. In the Northern Hemisphere our days are getting shorter and darker with freezing temperatures predicted to arrive in a few days. My morning time with all of you will shift to a few moments in the peace and quiet of my home with time carved out for reflection, writing and knitting. If you've been finding stillness with Project Peace, perhaps now is a good time to think about how to continue to bring peace into your life daily as a focus. Don't wait for 12/22 to arrive and then feel a little lost.

Create an action plan, not a to-do list, but your own personal call to action plan for peace.

What are 3 specific things you can do after Project Peace to keep peace as a on-going goal and not in your rear-view mirror?

Day 17... teach

The ripples…

Cultivating a practice of peace will extend to reach others. When I think of individuals that have lived a life with peace as their focus, famous people come to mind… Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Saint Theresa and Peace Pilgrim. At some point in their life, each one of these individuals committed their existence to peace.

To build peace we need to teach others about peace. What and how we teach comes in all shapes and sizes. It begins with your own peaceful choices as those will certainly have an impact on others. Yet how can we do more?

And since we are knitters, how can we use knitting to spread peace? Knitting for others whether as a gift or for someone in need in always an option. However, I find myself thinking there has to be more. Here’s one company that’s doing just that…

When I returned to knitting more than 20 years ago, the first yarn I bought was a skein of Peace Fleece yarn and some special wooden needles. We had very little money and this purchase felt so special. Little did I know where that one skein of yarn would lead but ultimately it's brought me here today. So, yes, this is some yarn that is near and dear to my heart, yet the bigger picture is why this yarn ever came into existence.

Peace Fleece is a yarn company that began in the 1980s during the Cold War. Peter Hagerty and his wife Marty Tracy started buying wool from the Soviet Union back in 1985 with the hopes that through trade they could help diffuse the threat of nuclear war.  He collaborated with sheep farmers in Russia, brought the fleeces to the US and spun the Russian fleece with fiber from the US to create a yarn. It was unprecedented yet the yarn symbolized the ability of people to work together leading to opportunities for mutual understanding and economic interdependence.

 Mr. Hagerty and his family continued to operate Peace Fleece for more than 30 years until recently retiring. Harrisville Designs, owner of one of the country’s oldest fiber mills purchased Peace Fleece allowing the production of this meaningful fiber to continue. The mission of Peace Fleece is to “support pastoral communities that have been historically in conflict with the US.” Today, they work with the Navajo to offer fair market prices for the Ramboulliet fiber raised by families on the Reservation.

Supporting yarn producers with a worthy mission is another example but what else can we do to “teach peace.” Here’s a few ideas:

Teach children to knit at schools, after-school programs, or for kids in the neighborhood.

Use knitting to raise awareness of social issues such as climate change. Check out The Tempestry Project created by Emily McNeil. She's using knitting to visualize climate data in a way that is accurate, tangible, and beautiful.

Host a knitting group and have conversations about how you might help those in-need in your community.

Paint “peace” on little tocks and leave them around town as a small reminder to others to choose peace.

Here's a resource for teaching peace in schools... just think if more children were actively engaged in peacebuilding.

Peace is a practice.

Peace is not passive.

Actively choosing peace in our own lives will ripple.

Day 17. Peace tip.

Pour yourself a cup of tea, find a chair, take a few moments to practice alternate nostril breathing, and then ponder this question:  How can I "teach peace?"

Day 16... yarn

Ripples on Avalanche Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana

Yarn... just think of the magic contained in this simple string.

There's a story in your yarn, actually multiple stories. Each hand that has touched the fiber infused some part of their life into the final product.

Yarn makes our senses come alive...

soft, scratchy, rough, smooth, or even a bit greasy from the lanolin of the sheep,

smells of the earth,

vibrant with color, sparkles, muted tones created by the dyes of plants.

I recently attended a marketplace filled with gorgeous yarn for sale. After perusing the vendors shops, feeling a wee bit overwhelmed, I took a seat to ponder what yarn I really needed (perhaps that should be wanted). As I sat I began observing people's reactions to all the yarn...

and I noticed three common responses:

1. verbal in the form of an ahhhhh or squeal;
2. bring the yarn in to their face either against the cheek or nose; and/or
3. clutch the yarn and pull it near the heart.

It's safe to say that we love yarn...all kinds of yarn and there are all kinds of yarn for different people. We buy yarn for lots of reasons including color, texture, fiber content, price, it came from a local shop, was sourced locally, the name of the yarn color or company, souvenir/momento, supporting a specific business, it's what was needed to make a specific project, etc.

Yet, how many times do we ponder where the yarn came from? Who made the yarn? And this is actually a very complex question because making yarn isn't a one step process. Making the yarn includes growing, cultivating/harvesting, processing, spinning, dying, and putting labels on the skeins. From there the yarn needs to be shipped to a distributor, then to the shop (online or brick and mortar) and finally you had to get yourself to the place of purchase or have a computer to access the website.

How many people are involved with the production of the yarn you are using today? How many lives have been touched in this process? Each step outlined above involves multiple folks and it keeps extending out at each phase of production.

I recently bought some American made yarn and reviewed the label. Fiber from Wyoming, milled in New Hampshire, dyed in Pennsylvania, transported back to the West Coast, mailed to the retailer, who shipped it to me.  The lives of hundreds of people were involved in the creation of my single skein of yarn. Talk about a ripple effect.

Day 16. Peace tip.

Take out a piece of paper and write down your top 3 reasons for purchasing yarn.

Flip the piece of paper over and trace the steps of your yarn beginning with your purchase. Where did you buy the yarn? Where was the yarn produced (e.g. milled, dyed)? Where did the fiber come from (e.g. where do the sheep, alpaca live, or where were the plants grown)?

Today, think of the enormous impact that your simple string of yarn has on the lives of so many. As you knit, take some time to envision the people that made your string come to life and thank them with each stitch you take.

“Every choice we make, sends out ripples.”

— Ocean Robbins. FoodRevolution.org