Carpe Diem (Seize the Day)

As I should imagine many of you do, I lead quite a routine and busy life, divided between the shop and managing home, trying to spend time in the garden and, of course, knitting. And sometimes I feel that if I were to break out of the regular rhythm of my life, everything would fall apart. But this week, I have stepped out of my routines a couple of times, and amazingly things are still working. On Monday, my daughter took me to see the new Superman movie, which I enjoyed immensely. I have always had a fondness for super hero movies, perhaps because the plots are predictable and the outcomes soothingly positive. On Wednesday, we accidentally started watching the football – the quarter finals of the women’s Euros – and got completely caught up. So much so that I stayed up way past my bedtime to watch the nail biting penalty shoot-out. Last night, knowing that the weather was going to break today, I took my daughter to Wells-next-the-Sea for a lovely evening walk on its magnificent beach. Yes, we ate dinner much later than we are used to, and yes, maybe my ironing pile is a bit bigger than I would like, but I had fun and, best of all, I got to spend time with my daughter, who may well not want to come home and hang out with me for very much longer.

So, the message for my blog this week is two-fold. Firstly, it is ok sometimes to take time out of routines and have fun. Life carries on regardless and it is very likely that no one else will particularly notice if you are taking time for yourself. Just doing those three different things last week make me feel as though I have had (another) holiday. In addition, that break from the everyday has allowed me to think more clearly about some issues which can sometimes become blurry if too much thought is given them. There is some evidence, I believe, that we can sometimes solve problems by putting them to one side and doing something completely different. Our brains carry on working anyway. This works best for me when I am gardening or when I am knitting. Both tasks require focus and I love the mindfulness of weeding, or deadheading, or knitting fair isle patterns. I find these tasks need attention to the exclusion of anything else and yet allow for later clarity of thought on other matters. There is something too about the creative nature of both my hobbies that I feel lifts my life above the ordinary. But I suppose I may also be using that fact to justify the time I spend on them rather than on housework!

Secondly, and perhaps more seriously, I believe it is important to sometimes stop and ground oneself in the present instead of worrying about the past and the future. As I said, my daughter is home from university, but next year is her final year and who knows what she will be doing next summer? I enjoy spending time with her and I am grabbing all the moments offered without (I hope) being too overbearing. In addition we received some sad, unexpected news about the death of an old and dear friend this morning, which only drives my message home. Better to seize the day, drop the ironing, and go for a walk in the warm evening sunshine on a Norfolk beach if you can, because the next day may bring sad news, storms and cooler weather.

I wonder if any of you feel the same way about your knitting or crochet? Is it an opportunity (or an excuse) to take time out for yourselves, to stop worrying about anything else and just enjoy creating and focusing on your wellbeing? Or do you feel the need to complete projects or get through stash as a burden on a par with other chores? I have to say that sometimes that second sock feels more of a chore than a treat! I would be really interested to hear your thoughts.