One thing I have grown more sure of as I age through the years, is that there are two kinds of situations in life…those that we have control over and those that we do not. Learning to discern the difference is an ongoing process, but I am getting better and better at it.
Take for instance where we find ourselves as we step into 2022. HOLY SMOKES! Where do I even start?
I had been churning the idea of ditching Amazon and Instagram (and its “META world”) around in my head and heart for months. There are more reasons for this than you probably have the patience for today. What it boiled down to for me is the immoral amassing of wealth of J.B. and M.Z. (Make yourself a pot of tea and sit down with a piece of paper and make a list of all the good that could be done in the world with that kind of money!) I feel so much better now that I am no longer entangled in what had felt to me like a moral dilemma…spending time and money where it no longer had integrity for me. I took control of the situation, because I could.
I’m looking for ways to take back more control. Like continuing to reject the 24/7 cycle of news. Like making intentional choices about what I read. Like practicing the art of saying “no” and saying “yes” to things with honesty and firmness.
I’ve come to think about all of this as “curating” my life…deciding what is most important and then honoring that. I look forward to moving into the uncertainty of 2022 while concentrating on what I can control and setting aside what I cannot.
We spent New Year’s weekend working on a puzzle of Gee’s Bend quilts, by Galison puzzles. It was a really great puzzle to work on!
The beginning of 2022 seems to be really subdued, doesn’t it? How can we not guard our hope and excitement as we stare down more uncertainty?
Yet there are folks who are stepping into 2022 with inspired ideas and intentions.
Like my friend Kim, who has stayed in touch with a group of friends from her elementary school days. Despite years and miles and life circumstances, they remain close in spirit. They have a tradition of making lists of things they want to do in the upcoming year. Since this is 2022, their lists include 22 things that they want to do or experience or try. They offer one another some accountability, and celebrate as folks accomplish things on their lists.
Other people choose a “word of the year”, a word that brings them back to center throughout the year.
Some folks make two lists, one with the heading “more of” and the other “less of” in the upcoming year.
I have a friend who shared that she has a fresh new journal and she began writing in it with a prompt, “things that make me feel like my most authentic self”. Imagine walking into 2022 with that question in mind!
I’m so curious! How do you, dearest readers, navigate the beginning of a new year? I invite you to share your thoughts below, in the comments section of this post.
Forcing bulbs to bloom indoors in the middle of winter continues to be one of our traditions for honoring the light in the darkness.
As I shared my planned departure from Instagram, I let folks know they could keep in touch with me via email, snail mail or here, by checking out my blog. If any of you have found your way to sewandsowlife here on my website, welcome! If you would like to know when I write a new post, just leave me a note on the “contact us” page and I will add you to my email list. I will never share the info you give to me with anyone else. Pinky promise. Also, please feel free to unsubscribe at any time. You have control of what comes into your in box!!!
One of my favorite images of rural winters…stubs left after the corn harvest, lined up in undulating patterns, waiting to be plowed under when the soil softens in the spring.
Corita Kent believed that “doing and making are acts of hope”. Her words inspire me nearly every day. A wedding quilt, a car quilt and a baby doll quilt are next up in my blogging queue, but they will need to wait for another day.
Until then, dearest readers…stay well, flex your hope muscle and carry on. I am right here with you.
xo