“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”
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