Recovering (?) Type-A

Quick! Name something that comes back to "bite you in the butt" in life! I'll start...

PERFECTIONIST PERSONALITIES!

You know what else starts with P? That's right, Pretty starts with P, and Pretty has a perfectionist personality PLUS. As a recovering type-A (am I recovering though, or just continually backsliding?), I make mistakes then berate myself pretty hard on a fairly regular schedule. It's partly rushing (because I love a finished task), and partly doing too many things at one time (I'm doing this and this and this...might as well do that too), which is not an equation for perfection, but failure. It's like being impatient to finish a hand-knit sweater, maybe because I also want to finish the matching socks and bake some cookies, so I convince myself that a mistake isn't a mistake until I've bound off a sweater that has three arms! 

Special Note: This knitter, like most knitters, has only two arms. Thankfully, that is also true of the sweater she is currently working on...

Before you agonize at the idea of that too much, let me assure you that I do not have photo evidence of that particular mistake. But there is evidence all over my world of the mistakes I've made. Some of my blunders were bigger than others, and I am most thankful for the ones I have owned up to, shared with appropriate people, and learned from. 

I am thankful that I had another opportunity to learn to slow down again this week. Error Ahoy! Believe me when I tell you that I am not continually thankful for this mistake or any other, but in hindsight I am hopeful that I have learned from it. In this moment, what I am always thankful for is the people God has surrounded me with. The ladies in my Bible study have prayed for me as I floundered through the week, and they brought me back from the brink of feeling badly and beating myself up to admitting guilt and working through it. Ultimately, there was nothing I could do (this time) to fix the flub, so I admitted fault and apologized profusely while I prayed and knit my way through it, almost finishing sock 1 of a new pair as well as the progress on the sweater. 

All of that to say this: Everyone makes mistakes, and errors are almost always inconvenient. Nobody died, so it could be worse, and isn't that a good place to sit? As long as I can say, "It could be worse," I know it's probably going to be ok. This is true all throughout life, whether it refers to my mistakes or the consequences of another's actions, and I have been in situations that I don't think could have been worse...but most of life is somewhere between "Great!" and "Can't-Get-Worse," so that's where I live best. Could it be worse? Yes? Then it's going to be ok! Maybe not "Great!," but that's what a recovering Type-A needs to know...it doesn't have to be perfect. Sometimes ok is truly OK!

Are you like me, a straight-A student that can't let go of that one B in 7th grade, or the mistake that she made last week? Or are you gentle with yourself because not one of us is perfect? I hope you tend toward the latter, as it is a kinder and gentler way to treat both with yourself others. If you're struggling like I am, I hope you'll hop up onto the bus. When we struggle and grow together, we all get a little further down the road. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good health!

Happy for the Valentines!

I am at a stage in my life where I don't look for Valentines, I make them.

I surround myself mostly with things that bring me joy, sometimes holiday-themed and sometimes not. This year, I am finding Valentine's day joy in getting things back to normal after our big paint job! That means hanging things back on the walls and the curtain rods, now that it's been a couple of weeks,

and even reconfiguring some spaces, like adding a tiny, corner desk to the dining room. 

These are small things, for sure...but along with the colorful knitting,

they make even mundane days feel light and airy in my heart, and help to ac-cen-tuate the positive in my life, which cannot be a bad thing! After all, there are so many places in this world to find offense and negativity. Heck! Sometimes it even seems to seek me out, but ain't nobody got time for that! So I'll keep holding onto the love in my heart for those around me, and I will do my best to live with abiding joy, while I start looking for clover and leprechauns to help me celebrate the next holiday! None in here...yet!

As for Valentines, I have a few that I celebrate with all year long, whether we see each other daily or not. No need for special cards or events over here, because I know that I am loved. There is deep contentment in love that doesn't need to shout, even though it sometimes makes mistakes. 

I hope your life is surrounded by folks who see you, who get you and who love you. If it is not, it might be time to seek some new relationships...or refresh some old ones. Either way, I'm glad you are a part of my world. Happy Valentine's Day to you, my blog family!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Well Done, Me!

Last week, I talked about loving each other well, since none of us really knows how long we will have to love. So this week, I thought I'd talk a little about how we value ourselves. Do we take a moment to say, "Well done, Me!," when a task is finished well...or do we linger over the mistakes that made the task take longer than we think it should? 

When I finished the colorwork portion of the body of this sweater, I took pictures so I could step back and land the appropriate "Well done, Me!" before moving onto the monotonous, monotone of the main color. I did not seek out that place where I messed up the pattern, and had to rip back to fix it, so that place is a bit more stretched and uneven. But most knitters know that those stitches will even out in the blocking, so why kick myself now? I'm past that place, so I moved on...and I did that well.

"Well done, Me!," I said when I reached the length to start the hem ribbing, and I tried it on to be sure...

"Well done, Me, indeed!," I said, even though this pose in the powder room mirror is a little flashy and shows off my flabby arms. 🤪 It's going to fit well, and I'm going to love wearing it, so...Well done, Me!

I hope my grandson had a good "Well done, Me!" moment after his basketball game today too! Even though his team did not have the winning score, they all play better each week, and he is quite the little athlete! 

In this world, we will all have critics, and those fools* will quickly let us know how we don't measure up, because not one of us is perfect. Rather than focusing on those messages, let's be kind to ourselves by focusing on what we've done right. Let's focus on who we are striving to be and live as though that is already who we are!

Remember that you were created in the image of God. He created you and me, and He has prepared us for good works, even though he knows that all of us will make mistakes. Some of us will make bigger mistakes than others, but He continues to love us. Celebrate that as you strive to be the best you that you can be, and don't forget to pat yourself on the back just a bit when you're on track. What's something that you can celebrate about you this week? 

Well done, You!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

*Autocorrect changed whatever word I had used here to "fools," and I left it. Critcs can be fools...

Young Blood

Hard topic today, because I wasn't ready a few weeks ago...

This morning, I asked Alexa to define young blood, and she replied, "Young blood typically refers to youthful people. It can also apply to fresh, revitalizing ideas or vigor."

This answer made me curious, so I followed up with a question about the science of young blood, and I learned that there is some scientific evidence that young blood contains molecules that may have rejuvenating effects, including "specific proteins that can improve cognitive function and skin cell regeneration." Who knew? Well, I suppose the scientists did! 🤣

Before we go any further, please know that I have not fact-checked this AI response, and I'm also not researching cosmetics or fountain-of-youth products! The thing that prompted me into this rabbit hole is that my cousin passed away on Christmas day, just a few minutes after she and I had been texting holiday greetings...but I don't feel old enough for that to have happened. I still have young blood, don't I?

Teresa (DeLuca) McQuay is not the first person I've known to pass away from among my peers, but she is the first of this cousin group to pass on to the next life, and it makes me so sad for her kids, her brother...and also for me. 

Teresa was 59, and I've known her since 1968, when I was born. Neither one of us had regularly been referred to as "young" in many years (unless you count time spent with our moms!), but I would venture to guess that, like me, she wasn't feeling like she was old. I mean we're not as young as we were in 1973,

or 1982, or 1997, or even 2003,

but we're certainly not OLD!, and it feels unfair that she would have to leave so suddenly, without having the opportunity to meet any grandchildren that may come along. Wasn't 1983 just a few years ago? 

Hmmm, no. I guess not, but that cousin bond can be strong. Some even compare it to a semi-sibling-style relationship, or mention that cousins are our first (maybe forced) friends as well as family...which is not wrong. (If you can't tell from those 80s photos, Tre was a bit of a rebel. She was Sandy at the end of Grease, while I was Sandy-fresh-off-the-boat...but we were friends!) While we hadn't talked often recently, when we did, we laughed over many shared memories of our childhood and teenage years, and we celebrated the women we have become. 

Just a few years back, in 2021, almost all 8 of us cousins got together to celebrate one of our parents, Aunt Mickey, who passed away during the awful year of Covid.

We talked, and we laughed, and we remembered together, as you do...it was so very good...and the bond was still there, as she grabbed my hand for the photo. 

Memories of late-night gab sessions when she stayed at my house...

 

Memories of holiday photos taken on the front porch, or in front of the tree, with Grandpa Joe's little camera (not instant, you got one chance at the "right face"... did you choose well? We'll find out when the film is developed!)...followed by cookies in Grandma's kitchen...

Memories of running around Euclid, while Tre and I stayed at Mary's house in the summer...

Memories of board games, and sleepovers, and shocking (at the time) truths between cousins...

All these memories add up to a life, no matter how many years it lasts...so I'll keep making more, but (sadly) not with my cousin, Teresa.

Zach, Ricky & Kylie, Rich, Tony, Patti, Kim...she was amazing, wasn't she? Keep her memory alive in your hearts, and her legacy will continue to bless you, and your children and their children, for generations to come. 

Blog friends, treasure your loved ones as long as you can, for none of us knows the hour of our death. Love one another well, whether your blood is young or old, and your legacy will be love. 

Thanks for stopping by, and for listening...and Knit in Good Health. 

Kindness and Color

Before I start today, I'd like to say that I'm aware of all that is going on in our country, and in the world, and it makes my heart heavy. My personal response to all-of-the-things is to work as hard as I can to be as kind as I can to as many as I can while I move through my world. I hope that you are doing the same, even as you contact your representatives and post to your social media accounts. Kindness changes people so we can all help to make our world a better place. 

I also find it helpful to my personal mental health to take breaks from the gloom to remember what I am thankful for and to engage in activities that bring me joy...like, you know, knitting!... so I've cast on a new sweater with yarn that brings me joy

and a colorwork pattern that brings me joy

while I post joyful photos to my social media accounts!

Another thing bringing me joy today is the fact that, after living here nearly 5 years, we are finally repainting! 

Please excuse This Old House on the TV, but do check out that luscious purple on our accent walls...it is lovely in any light! 

And I'm loving the new bathroom color, in all three, as well! 

I haven't put much back on the walls, 

and two of our bedrooms are still patiently waiting for their new coats, but there is so much progress, and we are loving the house once again! 

Curious about our colors? Here's what we've used and where:

One more thing that's bringing me joy is these handsome goofballs

and these pics from my granddaughters! The oldest received a varsity letter in debate for her freshman year...so proud! Her sister is still working on her squishmallow collection while she also sings in the choir and plays soccer! 

There is much joy to be found, even though we live in a fallen world, so keep looking for it everywhere...and let me know when you find it. Shared joy is multiplied, and shared grief is divided, so find your tribe and share, share, share! (If you're in the path of the current arctic blast, maybe use the internet...)

Thanks for stopping by to share my joy today, and Knit in Good Health!