Day 1... peace in Action

And so we begin…

Prairie Horizons Farm, Minnesota

For those of you who are new or just want a little reminder of how Project Peace came to be, I thought it might be nice to take a very quick trip down memory lane.

Project Peace was an idea that surfaced during a coffee date in the fall of 2015 with a dear friend… we were chatting, or most likely I was chatting and she was listening, when I stated outloud, “what if I were to create a knitting pattern that was about peace and people all over the world were knnitting it at the same time, that would be my version of world peace.” We chuckled at the silly idea.

But that little idea persisted... a whisper of an idea until it was a full on roar.

So, I wrote a pattern and published it on Ravelry just days after the US Presidential election… I’d hoped that 100 people would take up the offer to join me for 21 days in that month of December 2016. They say timing is everything and it was a very unsettling time for many people … over 20,000 people downloaded that pattern with 1000s joining from around the world on the blog for the 21 days.

Was it world peace? Now I suppose that depends on your definition… and that becomes a very important part of this conversation.

And then we just kept going… for 5 years, gathering each December in this little corner of the internet, knitting and sharing ideas of peace.

The enthusiasm and receptivity for talking about peace, knitting for peace, finding creative ways to name and create peace in our days has been incredible. We really do need to have more of these conversations.

I can also add that the resistance to these conversations is real. I’ve encountered push-back in multiple places out in the “world,” the specifics not needed… yet my take-aways have strengthened my resolve to continue to talk about peace in creative and innovative ways.

Here we are on this first morning of December in 2023 and there’s a lot to process if you think about all that has happened around the globe since that first morning of December 2016. Conflict, violence, oppression, wars, genocide, hunger, famine, pandemic, illness, the list goes on and some of it keeps repeating. It’s horrific, daunting, and can be overwhelming if one is inclined to want to put an end to this way of being.

“Ours is not the task of fixing the world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach...”

— Clarissa Pinkola Estes

We must stretch ourselves to mend what is within our reach. What is within your reach? Substituting “create peace” for the word “mend” is thought-provoking. We must create peace for the part of the world that is within our reach.

What does peace mean?

To you?

What does it look like to put peace in action?

What does it mean to move this simple 5 letter word from a feeling to

actionable?

Take a moment.

Close your eyes.

What does peace look like?

What does peace sound like?

What does peace feel like?

In the past year, I learned to be intentional with defining peace. I had to. You see, this simple little word means so many different things to people. And if you want to have an effective conversation about peace … you better be clear about what peace means. Otherwise, people will use their definition and I’ve found you might not be on the same page.

To me, peace is relationships with

self

others

and the Earth.

This is my condensed definition from the Earth Charter.

Peace nugget #1

Today, I leave you with two suggestions.

1. Make space in your day to be intentional about pausing. You pick the amount of time… and maybe you want to start small and increase over the next 21 days. Time to allow stillness to be part of your day…. maybe it’s time seated in a chair, feet firmly planted on the ground with your eyes closed. Or maybe it’s wrapping your hands around your cup of tea or coffee, looking outside, and watching the trees, birds, or ocean depending on your landscape. This is your time to go slow.

2. Grab a piece of paper (or a notebook/journal), set a timer and write for 5 minutes without stopping to the following prompt:

   What is peace in action?

   Other things:

   Leave a comment about what peace means to you… in a way that is actionable. For example, using my definition that focuses on relationships, I can hone in relationships that need mending, nurturing, enrichment… whether it’s with myself, others, or the Earth.

   As a reminder, leave a comment every day and I’ll send you a little something at the end of Project Peace. Plus, I’ll do a random drawing for some yarn to use in a shawl.

   peace with each stitch and step

   Christina xx

Project peace 2.0: walking the path...

“Remember... do this, don’t let you and your expectations stand in the way. Don’t let you and your fear of being wrong, making mistakes stop you. SURRENDER TO YOUR MEDIOCRITY”

— Cheryl Strayed

Hello… it’s been a long while.

Where has the time gone?

Here…that’s where I have been.

How is the here of where you are?

Time has a way of slipping through our fingers like fine sand on a beach…

Here we are on the last day of November, a special day in my books as it is the day my first born came into this world. Today he turns that age he can no longer be on my health insurance… and so it begins, a(nother) new chapter in our lives.

It’s also the day before what has been the beginning of Project Peace… an annual offering I began in 2016 to bring a little bit of positivity to the world.

A time to

knit for peace…

reflect on peace…

embrace peace…

embody peace.

And then, life seemed to catch up with me… wearing the multiple hats that so many of us do… for me that’s mother, wife, daughter, employee, friend, creative, wanderer, an empty-nester, and a woman carrying a lot of grief over the loss of her father plus a list of friends that seems to get longer each year.

Something had to give… and in the last two years, a lot has been released into the compost pile. Some to give back to the Earth, others to be reimagined. I truly had to turn inward and finally, after two years of a lot of reading, writing, time in Shetland, lots of walks in the woods, and a few key friends, it’s time to emerge.

Project Peace was one of those things that had to be set aside. Although Project Peace was shelved, my work in the sphere of peace continued. Inspired by so many of you and your engagement in what peace means in today’s world, I’ve taken my work with peace to my day job… I now actively study and explore the intersection of food and peace. Presentations, a manuscript, a “peace educator” award, and a book… all inspired by our time together during Project Peace.

Yet that little voice in my head keeps whispering … rekindle Project Peace… let it have new life. As this voice got louder, so did my fears of “what do I have to say?” “what if I am out of ideas?” “what if it’s no good?” And then an email with a nudge from one of you… please, can we try this again?

And then I found this quote by Cheryl Strayed

Oh, Cheryl … you called my bluff.

You saw my need for perfectionism…

You reminded me that silence is not the answer…

The fear of saying the wrong thing

at the wrong time is not what

this world needs right now…

“surrender to mediocrity”

So, here we go…

Project Peace 2.0… reimagined… at a time when the words don’t come easy but I’m going to dig deep.

Our theme… pathways of peace.

What can you expect?

Each morning I’ll post on the blog by 7 am (central time). You will receive an email that will link you to the website.

There is no Project Peace knitting pattern this year… I will leave it to you to decide what project you want to knit (if that’s for you). I will, however, suggest a couple patterns… first, there are former Project Peace patterns that might be suit your needs, search “Project Peace” on Ravelry). A pattern I discovered last year is at the top of my list to knit during this month… it’s a straight forward knit that doesn’t require a lot of attention plus the final product is easy to wear. It’s the Anica shawl. Take a look on Ravelry.

A couple of years ago, I encouraged everyone to leave a comment following each daily post. This seemed to work well and created a sense of community. I would love to promote this again… and for every person who posts each day for the 21 days, I’ll do a random drawing and send you some yarn to use for an Anica shawl. Plus, I’ll do something (to be determined) for every person who posts daily.

My intention is to create a little place of refuge for you during the next 21 days. A way to slow down, bring some stillness into your day regardless of whether it’s winter or summer for you. I’ll provide some musings about peace, a practical tip for the day, perhaps a prompt, a recipe, a link to some music…

I’ve definitely learned that carving out a little time in the day whether it’s early morning before the break of dawn, an intentional step away from the computer if you’re at work, or in the evening when the dark descends… that I must make the time. It doesn’t just happen. You pick the length of time… 15 minutes? 30 minutes? 60 minutes? Maybe it’s time you spend with your knitting, or reading the post and then writing, or even sitting in the quiet with your feet firmly planted on the ground allowing the stillness to envelope you.

Please, join me for the next 21 days as we explore pathways of peace…

I hope to see you “here” tomorrow…

peace xx

Winter's rest...

“I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.”

— John O'Donohue

the dark of winter

a hidden moon

a frozen river

And beneath the surface,

not visible to the eye is a process vital to all

rest, reset, renew.

Winter… a season to embrace the opportunity to retreat and restore.

New moon… a moment to pause and gather the energy to grow yet again.

January 1… a day on a calendar to mark the beginning of something new.

Whether you identify with the season, the moon, or the calendar, we are at an intersection with the gift of a fresh start… a shift in perspective perhaps.

A chance to pause, reflect on where we’ve been, where we are, and perhaps where we might want to go. And like the river, perhaps it’s to “go with the flow” and meet life’s surprises as we encounter them…

and let life unfold.

Winter river…

“You have to pick the places you don’t walk away from.”

— Joan Didion

Thank you to all who posted a comment on the December 1st blog post, sent an email, or a card. Without the attention of Project Peace, December was definitely a different experience. The bright spot was spending each morning in stillness watching the dark night give way to the light of the day. For those of you who also lit a candle each morning, I hope you enjoyed the practice.

Yet with this practice also came the need to confront some bigger questions…

As I rested from the intense semester and pondered the direction of the upcoming year,

I made a list

then I read a book about time management

which prompted me to remove most items from said list.

In the discomfort of my awareness on the finitude of time, I also found solace…

To identify what is so valuable that I won’t walk away from it, yet allowing life to unfold like the river described by John O’Donahue.

I realized this: Project Peace will continue with a new format… it needs to unfurl in new ways that have yet to be realized.

I’ll also be doing this: spending 5 weeks this summer in Shetland and Fair Isle for creative explorations and an immersion in the study of peace and the food system (provided the pandemic allows such an adventure).

I’m allowing the rest of the year to wax and wane like the moon and meander like a river. Of course, I’ll be stitching it all together with knitting and taking photos everywhere I go.

Cultivating peace in our lives whether it be through knitting, food, relationships, and care for the Earth is that river to me… my journey with peace continues to unfold in surprising ways. Peace to all during this season, the presence of the new moon, and the beginning of a new year.

A few things:

• the book I mentioned above is called “Four thousand weeks: Time management for mortals” by Oliver Burkeman. I’m halfway through and it’s been a valuable read thus far.

• I also recently read “Small Things Like These” by Claire Keegan. A quick read about speaking up when it means possibly losing all that matters to you. Set in Ireland in the mid-80’s.

• You might enjoy listening to a conversation with Krista Tippett from Onbeing, Vivek Murthy, and Richard Davidson on the Future of Well-being. I loved this… So inspiring.

peace from the trees in deep winter… grounded, resting, and wise

Letting go...

“Just as one candle lights another
and can light thousands of other candles,
so one heart illuminates another heart
and can illuminate thousands of other hearts. ”

— Leo Tolstoy

And here we are on December 1.

A day filled with so much meaning.

Today would have been the 1st day of Project Peace 2021, the 6th annual.

Yet, I’ve been quiet. Wanting to say “yes.” I’ve created a pattern, identified a theme, had the artwork designed, and yet, the ability to pull off this huge endeavor has not arisen. It’s not that my heart isn’t in it…

I don’t write much about my day job as a professor at a large university. I teach nutrition to seniors and graduate students who aspire to become future dietitians. Last year, the shift to online teaching took a huge amount of effort and was taxing on students and faculty.

As the pandemic lingers, the toll this is taking on our educational system is immense. We hear a lot about the impact of the pandemic on the health care system and the food system but the long-lasting ramifications to the educational system feels like the elephant in the room.

My energy and attention this fall has been almost entirely on adapting my teaching approach. The transition from online, back into the classroom was not as easy a shift as most of us anticipated. We have not returned to normal.

And so, my wonderful, inspiring, peaceful friends, I had to chose.

We need peace

for ourselves,

for each other,

for the Earth.

We need each other.

I’m hopeful that the seeds we’ve planted over the last 5 years of Project Peace will now be able to grow. There are over 100 Project Peace blog posts from the past 5 years filled with suggestions and ideas. I’ve created a little list of some ideas (see below) in case you have reserved the month of December to intentionally focus on peace.

Please know that this is not a decision that was easy to make. I kept hoping the day would come when I’d say “yes, I can muster the energy to do this.” Yet with each passing day, I knew that it would not have been the right choice. I needed to let go…

Yesterday, I found the Leo Tolstoy quote which spoke to me quite deeply. Perhaps Project Peace, thus far has been a candle that lit many other candles. And now, I ask all of you to be that one candle that lights the candles of peace for others.

This is not the end of Project Peace. Perhaps this time of resting, reflecting, and recharging will lead me to the next chapter of Project Peace.

Some peace tips:

• Create a peace ritual… mine involves making my morning coffee, lighting a candle, and sitting in the dark as night gives way to the light of day. I’ll be lighting a candle each morning from now until 12/21. Will you join me?

• What 5 things do you want to accomplish today? After I finish my peace ritual, I write down 5 priorities for the day. If a priority is not completed I can then reflect on why. I’ve found this to be a very peaceful activity.

• Invite some friends to share a meal or afternoon coffee/tea (pandemic appropriate). Peace is all about sharing food.

• Write a hand-written letter to a friend or family member. I recently returned some handwritten comments to my college seniors and many of them said “I can’t read cursive.” Let’s keep penmanship alive!

• Watch the moon each morning/night. While I didn’t do a great job this year posting with each new or full moon, I was still attentive to her daily presence and changes. I’ve found a lot of comfort in connecting my day with the ebb and flow of the moon.

• I know that several people from previous years have started their own peace group. Some groups send a daily message to participants whereas others meet weekly, some face-to-face, others via “zoom.” Why not create your own peace tips to share with others… music suggestions, quotes that inspire, books that you’ve read and enjoyed, etc.

• My delightful and inspiring friend, Dotty from The Net Loft has been leading free watercolor journaling zoom meetings all year. She even offers a free workshop on how to get started. There’s one happening this Saturday. Learn more here.

• Also a friend, Anna Brones, is now on her 5th year of writing a daily note during Advent. It’s called the “24 days of making, doing, and being” digital advent calendar. It’s filled with inspiration and delivered to your inbox each morning from December 1-24. It’s $5 and you can sign up here.

• A podcast that I very much enjoy is OnBeing. You can find more details here.

• Make time to be kind to yourself.

• Take a walk or sit outside and say hi to all who dwell outside… the birds, the flowers, trees, etc. Why not start up a conversation?

• I just love this version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Listen here.

Please use this space to share peace tips with one another if you wish.

May you have a December filled with presence, intention, and kindness.

I’ll be sitting by my candle each morning at 6:30 am for anyone who wants to join me in spirit. I welcome the positive, peaceful, collective energy.

Peace be with you.

Peace… one breath, one stitch, and one step at a time.

~Christina