Just Because Follows Fifty

Sooo, last week I turned 50...here, there and everywhere! This morning, I was having a little trouble figuring out how exactly to follow that! I asked the cats for help, and they agreed to brainstorm with me...but then they saw a bird.

I thought back on chocolate covered fruit, sent from the clan in Colorado (THANK YOU!!! Super yummm!!!)...but then I was sad, because it is all eaten up!

I even thought about Barbie...all the Barbies, and all their new clothes, which were so fun to knit! (Photo courtesy of the Colorado girls.)

By the way, as I turned fifty, Peanut was turning 7, and Sweet Pea has managed 3 years and a  couple months...time, she sure does fly!

Anyhoo, I finally settled on the giant pile of yarn at my feet. Even the knitting has been a little uninspired lately. But, as I was getting ready to ship another box of Barbie goodies, it dawned on me that I have not knit a doll in a while...and we all know that I love to knit toys!

So, even though there is no occasion (Christmas is long gone, birthdays are finished, and Easter has passed), I am knitting some just-because-I-want-to dolls!

After all, there are many things in this life that I do because I have to (eat, shower, pay taxes, drive slow), and there are even more that I do because I should (eat less, wear pants, keep from strangling annoying people - yes, you're welcome)...once in awhile, it is good to do something just because it is something I want to do. Today, I want to knit dolls, and knitting dolls does not hurt anyone, so that is what I will do.

I remember thinking, when I was less than 50 years old, that it would be a glorious thing to be all grown up and be able to do whatever I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to do it, just because that is what I wanted to do. As it turns out (spoiler alert!) life rarely works that way for adults. Bills have to be paid, so jobs must be attended. Houses have to be cleaned and families need to eat, so mom naps are often forsaken. Cats must be petted, so even the knitting  sometimes takes a back seat to other things!

However, dull and sad is the life that is void of simple pleasures. I know that I have mentioned abundant life here before, but it bears repeating. Jesus came and died and rose again so that his followers would have life in abundance, including simple and extravagant pleasures! (John 10) Big birthdays and holidays, expensive toys and hobbies, elaborate outings and gatherings are a part of that abundance, for sure. The bigger part, though, is comprised of the smaller things: the perfect strawberry, plump and sweet and juicy, to finish out a simple snack; a really good parking spot, found by chance, in a really bad rainstorm; a word of encouragement, spoken at the right time, and a smile. For me, the little things sometimes include the frivolous knitting of unneeded toys, just because. 

The extravagant is often here and gone quickly. But pay attention. The little things add up, day by day. When they do, they create an overflow of the heart that brings personal and shared joy that can barely be contained! 

Regardless of the big things that you wish you had, can you find some of those little things in your life today? I would bet my eye teeth that they are there, hidden among the have-tos and shoulds, just waiting to be discovered so they can bring more abundance to your life. Keep your heart and your eyes open, and see what you find. Oh, and along the way, do a little something "just because" today. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (what you love) in Good Health!