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Remaking – a Life Lesson in Good

    I started to knit a cowl for myself not too long ago.  I wasn’t 100% certain about the yarn though.  It’s yarn that I picked up at a fiber festival last year.  I bought it because we were researching sheep breeds and this one was on (very long) list of potential breeds to (someday) keep for ourselves.  I wanted to knit with yarn from the breed to see if I liked it before committing to an actual live sheep to give me fiber.

    The cowl pattern, Adama, was one I picked specifically for the amount of yarn I had, and while I like the pattern, I had all sorts of trouble keeping track of my rows, and ended up having to undo and reknit a few rows several times.  It was definitely giving me a bit of trouble, but I was determined to keep going.

    And then the other night, when I had yet another error and needed to remove three rows for the fourth time, I took a good look at my cowl.  It was a very pretty pattern. But the reality is that the yarn was just not something I wanted to wear around my neck.  It was just too scratchy.  So I took a deep breath, and a picture so I could remember the pattern and also prove to myself that I almost finished it, and I frogged it.  Yes, indeed! I took the whole thing apart and wrapped my yarn back into a neat little ball.  And I was relieved.

    The whole process made me think about how many things we accept as “good enough” that really aren’t good enough.  The finished cowl would have been good enough to wear, but surely not good enough to wear often and enjoy.  Shouldn’t we enjoy not just the making, but the wearing, eating, using, viewing of what we make?

    With the start of a new year, I’ve started a new re-reading of the Bible.  (I’m loving the audio app – Daily Audio Bible which allows me to listen every day while I’m doing more mundane tasks with my hands and eyes.)  I love beginning a new year reading about the beginning of Creation, the two go together pretty well, and once again I was struck that when God created the world, He declared it to be good.

    Not perfect.
    Not good enough.
    Good.

    One of the definitions of good in Webster’s 1828 dictionary  is “Complete or sufficiently perfect in its kind”.  Not perfect, but sufficiently perfect.

    With all those thoughts rambling around in my head, and now rambling around on my blog, I’m choosing to focus more this year on good.  Not perfect, but not just good enough.  Good. It’s the perfect balance of something to work towards and still achievable.

    All that from a couple of hanks of yarn and a cowl.  Life lessons from simple objects.

    2 thoughts on “Remaking – a Life Lesson in Good”

    1. Oh I love it! Good. Yes, I think I’d like to declare all the things I make/eat/wear, etc. as Good. And I often need the reminder that things in this world will never be perfect, so I really love the definition you shared. Thanks for this, and Happy New Year to you and yours! xx
      -Jaime

    2. Pingback: January Mittens for Mama - Ever After Cottage

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