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A yarn lesson

Writer's picture: Rebecca (a yarn enthusiast)Rebecca (a yarn enthusiast)

One of the most troubling aspects of the advances in technology that have brought phone and face-times to our back pockets is that they have also promoted a (false) narrative of how life works.

Social media (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) is a platform for bragging. The perfectly-placed photos of vacations, of grand meals and other moments in time often leave the impression that the person is living a lifestyle that is approaching one of the rich and famous. Rarely do they show the back stories of the hard work that led up to the triumph, or the small piece of life that the star-studded moment represents in the bigger picture of their experience.


While I am NOT suggesting that people should be posting all their life messes online, I am suggesting that there can be a tendency to believe that life is easier (or should be easier) than is the reality. This artifact of 21st century technology plays into the already-hard-wired tendency in humans to seek out (or at least be tempted by) the path of least resistance and the ability to get something for nothing.


I’ve written about the something-for-nothing challenge a few times, on another site, notably: this blog about Law of Attraction scams.


When I’m not writing in my spare time, I am often playing with yarn. Lately I’ve been making baby blankets for my own little ones, as well as for friends and an experience with some of that yarn made me think about this larger life issue. It’s not a complex spiritual lesson, and does not require someone with a lofty title or years of classes to explain; but it’s a deep truth that unfolded in lengths of pink variegated yarn.


Yarn hanks (commercially acquired ones, anyway) are wound so that the end of the yarn comes out from the center of the skein. I get the end out and get started by placing my skein(s) into a special yarn bag that has a small hole that the strand(s) can feed out of while keeping the rest of the skein contained. A few days ago, as I worked away on my latest baby blanket, the yarn got stuck. Toward the end of a skein, this is not unusual, but it is always a little annoying.


If I were to YANK on the yarn at this point, I would pull the knot(s) even tighter and would end up spending more time untangling it. I could also create such a mess by pulling hard on the yarn that I would end up needing to CUT it and throw out the knotted middle portion.


After years of being an avid fiber artist, I know that the only way to approach tangled yarn is with patience and peace. Some knots are quickly untangled, while others are much more involved, but the approach is the same. I have to be patient while in the midst of the process, accepting that this is what it is, and allowing myself to be in that present moment – not looking ahead to returning to the project work, or to the finished piece; but patiently and gently following each single strand through to find its freedom.


This is how life works. There are times when life flows easily and effortlessly and we create beautiful things with our knowledge, skills and abilities. Other times we encounter a snag, tangle or knot that stops our progress. The way we choose to react or respond to those setbacks sets the tone for the outcome.


If we accept that it’s normal to experience snags, tangles or knots and we allow ourselves time and mental bandwidth to address the ones that come our way, we’ll have a more peaceful life journey. It doesn’t mean we won’t encounter troublesome periods, or even that we’ll ALWAYS be able to untangle them without incident. It DOES mean that we’ll manage our expectations and experience more peace as we’re dealing with them. It also helps us keep our heads in the right place to problem-solve with ease.


As someone who knits and crochets, I know that regardless of how fancy or plain a hank of yarn might be, there is the chance of encountering a snag, knot or tangle. I also know that the ONLY way to move through them – whether they be large or small – is with patience and a knowing that eventually, it will be worked out. And yes, there will also be those (hopefully rare) times when I end up needing to cut the yarn to resolve the knot or tangle; but this happens less often when I stay in peace and avoid being angry or hasty.


That’s just life with yarn. And it’s a powerful lesson for life in general.

We will encounter frustrating times when things that we once felt were GOOD and FUN and POSITIVE suddenly become tangled messes. The character of our lives is NOT determined by how many of these good times we have, but by the way we learn to untangle the snags, knots and tangles that come our way.


 

(C) 2023 Stitch 'n Dish

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