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Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Day 1

Yes, it's cold out this New Year's Day, but Roy and I took a long walk anyway.  I love the new hat I made for myself.  It's actually the second one I made, but youngest daughter really, really coveted the first one I made from the handspun that blogging buddy Shiralyn sent me.
And you know I couldn't refuse her.
It is a  really easy hat to knit, and quick.  It looks somewhat like a helmet.  It is long in the back, which covers my neck, and my ears.  I really love it.  I am going to make more.

 And yes, my nose is red.  IT'S COLD.

We are 9 followers away from a giveaway.  But what to give away?  What kind of a giveaway should it be?

Don't you love "Day ONE"?  Doesn't it make you hopeful?  doesn't it make you feel that anything is possible.

I've been asking myself some questions.  Here are my questions, and answers, and you can comment with your own answers, if you want.

1. What am I going to do for myself this year?  JUST FOR ME.

 I'm going to make a date with ME every single week, to spend in the great outdoors, kayaking, hiking, just sitting on a rock somewhere with a book.  Because when I was a kid, I knew then something that I have tended to forget as an adult........being out in the serenity of nature makes me happy.
 Here is an old picture I found.  This is a place where I spent a lot of time growing up.....see the X?  That's where I used to lay on my back and look at the clouds.
One time, in the winter, I rode a toboggan down that hill.......and looked up too soon.  It is hard to see, but there was a barbed wire fence close to the top, and I have the scar on my temple to prove it.


2.  What do I feel the urge to get done this year?

I want to be more minimalist.  I have started already, down sizing clothes, and books, and cleaning closets.  I want to extend this throughout my home, and my life.  I want to live simpler.   It isn't a resolution, I've already started to do it, I just want to do more.  I want it be become part of who I am.
For instance, yes, all the coats drastically reduced in the Land's End flyer are marvelous, but I don't need a coat.  Not really.  Need vs want.   I am going to pay more attention to that.

3. What would I like to learn this year??

I want to weave more complicated patterns this year, and be a better weaver.  I want to spend less time "producing", and more time "creating".

4. What is the ONE thing I want to do this year, NO MATTER WHAT.

Spend some time on a pond in Maine.  Listening to loons, being still.

5. What was the smartest decision I made last year?

The smartest decision I made last year was to trust my gut feeling, and also to trust my doctors,  and have the surgery that gave me hope for the future.


And don't forget, I need giveaway ideas.


18 comments:

  1. Just about anything you make would be great as a give away . Sounds like you have a good idea of what you want to do this new year . I am the same need verses wants and to live simple and enjoy the little things in life and dream always have dreams . Happy New Year !

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  2. I wish I could enlarge the picture, but the screen goes translucent dark gray and no photo appears. I'd love to see where you spent time looking at the clouds!
    A friend of mine grew a permanent center part from a trip down a snowy hill under a barbed wire fence.

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  3. Love your plans! I would love anything you choose to give away! I am an optimist and I tend to view each day as Day 1. Love your hat.

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  4. Just found your wonderful blog. As soon as I saw Mary Oliver's quote on the top of your page I knew I'd love it . . . she's a favorite of mind and that line is one I use all the time to remind myself to stay on track with my life.

    I too am thrilled to be here, at Day 1, with the whole year just waiting to be filled.

    Happy 2013!

    Kindly,
    Jenny

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  5. Would you consider posting your hat pattern? I have some lovely alpaca that would love to sit on my head.

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  6. I love your outlook--always move forward! XOXO

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  7. Oh, and giveaway idea ... how about one of your lovely tea towels? Once a person uses a handwoven towel, he/she will know why the inexpensive ones are inexpensive.

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  8. I plan to get rid of all that I don't need or use this year too...and be creative as I used to be...
    Would you consider sharing your hat pattern? It is a beauty!

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  9. I always enjoy reading your blog. There is something to think about and enjoy almost all the time. I suppose I am in a similar place about what to do next. Is it partially an age thing? We are hope to make the move this summer to our lake house. Of course this means lots of sorting, downsizing, simplifying. I also want to be more creative...guess time will tell.

    BTW, I also would like to meet you!

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  10. Not sure what i will do on those fronts, but i agree that simplifying by going through closets and such is an absolute necessity around here.

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  11. another monkey giveaway

    we are going to pare down .. clean out the closets and the drawers .. lots of things no one wears .. donate .. the people effected by Sandy are still in need

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  12. I think you're already giving away good sound advice! ;-) Your answers for 1-5 could directly or indirectly apply to everyone here reading your blog. Being centered in nature, simplifying, creating rather than producing, being still and trusting your gut. It's all good!

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  13. As a giveaway--a towel sounds delightful and quite useful this time of year.

    Yesterday seeing Mary Engelbreit's "Don't Look Back" reminded me how helpful that path is when taken.
    I have two framed prints of ME's on my walls- "Snap Out of It!" and the one of a young girl with portfolio and brushes in hand leaning against a tree watching a bluebird on a bush singing merrily away (observing nature)-the caption is by Marcel Proust - "The Real Voyage of Discovery Consists Not in Seeking New Landscapes but in Having New Eyes."

    There is something peaceful about recapturing those important quiet moments in nature of our youth while moving forward;somehow I believe we revert back to it in being, eventually.

    This year Mary has done another fork in the road--much the same with only a which way ??? and her answer is
    CHOOSE HAPPINESS!
    Your choices are right on!!

    A Safe, Healthy, Prosperous and Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

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  14. I got your mug rugs last year, and they get used every day so I think those are a great give away treat. A handtowel would be good. A potholder or two made from your potholder loom sounds good as well.

    I don't make resolutions any more. Mostly I just don't want to set myself up to be disappointed at the end of the year haha

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  15. I think you have a nice forward-looking approach for all of the many positive possibilities that come with a New Year! Thanks also for visiting my site, and Happy New Year!! :)

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  16. Great plans. And I too have been downsizing. Amazing what we accumulate thru the years!

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  17. Hey I am glad you got the fun knitting the yarn and of course you can't say no to those darling daughters. They are precious. I only have two sons, and sons are not like daughters. Glad she liked it. The pattern looks so warm.

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  18. I don't know what my plans are yet, Hilary. The year started out quite dismally and I'll write you about it at some point. Anything in your beautiful shop would make a wonderful item for a giveaway. Don't you think? And hey - even your hat!

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