Gratitude

Another meaningful meeting last evening with our theme - gratitude.  We often find it difficult to express gratitude in the little everyday things as our lives are so busy.  The group concluded, however, that it's the little things that are what's important - sunsets, full moons, warm socks.  If we wait to express our thanks for the big things, many of the little things that really make a meaningful life can go unnoticed. 

It seems that everyone gets so caught up in the Christmas season with blaring black Friday ads and even Thanksgiving evening "black Friday" sales that we whisk right past Thanksgiving without reflecting on the importance of expressing gratitude for life's bounty.  Giving Christmas its due is fine but let us all relax, breathe and enjoy Thanksgiving and not just a day we have to get through so we can start on the next "real" holiday.

As we all sit around our dinner tables tomorrow, acknowledge all there is to be thankful for because life really is about all the meaningful little moments that make up our days. 

Happiness

This was our theme last evening at THKP meeting.  The group consensus was that happiness was contentment.  Not waiting for happiness to arrive when... or if only... but choosing to be happy with what you have right now.  This change in focus can be a huge paradigm shift in thinking from the pursuit of happiness to realizing you had the power all along

But where to start with the shift of focus?  Gratitude is a great way to be thankful for all you have.   Writing down what you're grateful each day is a profound way to realize there's always something to be thankful for.  Especially at this time of year, we tend to think more about thankfulness like family, a good meal, our home or whatever and those are all wonderful things to be thankful for.  But what about the other 364 days of the year?  By keeping a gratitude journal, you begin to see the little things that make your day happier.  At first it's the same things we're grateful for but then after a while we may find it more difficult to come up with something.  It's then the paradigm shift begins as we really look for things in our day that made us happier.  These are the little things we overlook like a smile from a stranger on the street, or a compliment from the bank teller, or finding a dime while out on a walk, a green light when we're in a hurry. 

When we spend our lives looking, searching for happiness in THE big thing, we miss the journey of all the little things that really are what makes a life.  So instead of working so hard on the pursuit, choose to be happy in all the little things that make up your day.  You will be amazed at how content you begin to feel and it will only be then that happiness settles in like a warm quilt.

Tonight's Meeting

After a brief guided mediation, we had a great evening discussing Viktor Frankl's Theory of Meaning.  The three basic concepts that all humans share are:  life purpose, attitude, and suffering.  He believes that all humans suffer but it's the attitude we choose to apply to that suffering and finding meaning in it that leads us to our life purpose.  Dr. Frankl had developed his theory some time before being interred in Nazi Concentration Camps where he lost his entire family except for one sibling.  It was here that he tested his theory and found those that found meaning in their unbelievable suffering were the ones to literally survive.  Helping another in any small way to alleviate their suffering gave his fellow prisoners purpose. 

Discovering your own life purpose can be found in the meaning in the little things in life.  When you suffer in any way, do you say "whoa is me?" or do you choose to learn from it?  As Dr. Frankl discovered in the concentration camps where he was stripped of every indignity, the only thing they couldn't take away from him was his attitude and how he chose to see the meaning in the situation.  Hopefully none of us will ever know such suffering, but still we all suffer.  It's the way we chose to attach meaning and move forward that one's life can flourish. 

Self-transcendence comes when we choose to find a way to help others in some small way alleviate their suffering.  To find some meaning in life that's bigger than us.  A larger purpose.

What is your life purpose? 

Meeting Tonight

On a lighter note, we will continue our weekly meetings at Nikki's Knots at 6 tonight.  I'm very excited and have invited a couple more ladies who I hope can join us.  It's a free evening out to learn ways to decrease stress with mindful knitting.  Please feel free to join us and by all means bring a friend.  We'll continue to teach people who are new to knitting to get them started but then I'd like the group to consider doing a project that can be donated to someone in need like comfort shawls for patients in the hospital or something similar.  We can talk about that as we go along. 

I made my first comfort shawl in June for a friend and it felt good to think about her and send healing thoughts into each stitch as I knitted it.  These are great first projects too and the sky's the limit in terms of design and yarn selection.

Although these two lovely ladies are decades older than all the knitters I know and certainly those attending The Happiness Knitting Project, they looked like such fun, I'd love to be friends with them.  :)

See you tonight at Nikki's
http://nikkisknots.com/

Casting On Disaster

So, it's 6am and I've measured out my 555.5 inches of delicious Malabrigo Belgium Chocolate chunky so I'll be ready to start the Knit Swirl club at Nikki's today and what happens....one of my interchangeable Knit Picks needles comes apart from where it's glued together.  Needless to say I'm fuming!!!! This is the second pair I've had trouble with.  I bought the entire set and got another DPNs set as a gift last year.  In their defense I will say they were very good about replacing the first set right away.  But really!!! Now a second pair.  AND it's always at the most inopportune moment, like when you're ready to start a class/project/gift with a deadline in minutes :)

So I sent them a scathing email already this morning and have employed gorilla glue so we'll see if that works at least until the new pair comes.  I love the look and feel of the wood of these needles but if I can't count on them to be durable, well then what's the point?  I know, lots of people are into the metal interchangeables but I don't like metal.  Want THESE to work, gosh darn it!!!!  Will keep you posted.

Documentary

As some of you may already know, I'm planning on a documentary for The Happiness Knitting Project with breast cancer patients.  This is in conjunction with my final doctoral capstone.  I'm in the very early conceptual phase but I've found a videographer so am VERY excited about it.  She's worked for many years in LA so knows what to do & who to contact whereas I have no clue.  But I'm sure going to figure it out.

I've gotten so much support from everyone I've talked to about this project that I can't wait to get started!!!! Now I just have to begin to look for funding.  Apparantly this doesn't come cheap!

Our First Session

Last night we had our first of weekly sessions for the Happiness Knitting Project.  It went well and what fun we had.  Laughter, chatting, and of course knitting.  We talked about mindfulness and how knitting can help us achieve that by being in the present moment while working on a project.  Our special spot at Nikki's Knots was perfect, quiet, cozy, and private like someone's living room.  Look forward to the group continuing to grow as word spreads.

Meetings Continue

A thank you to all the attendees at the kick off event on Tuesday.  I for one had a swell time.  We will continue "spreading happiness; reducing stress one ball of yarn at a time" on Tuesdays beginning this week on the 5th at 6pm at Nikki's Knots, 301 1/2 Hwy 24, Woodland Park, CO.

Come, join this group as we learn mindfulness, stress reduction, and knit!