EVENTS... and everyday (and yarn, lots of yarn...)

It's a brand new year, y'all. I know this because I'm currently nursing a hangover. Three vodka drinks isn't much for most partygoers, but New Year's is about the only time I ever go all out with the drinkin' thing these days. (Oh, and at office holiday parties were the boss shells out a boat-load of cash for top-shelf hooch, and where I decide that since the beer list really sucks and the boss DID shell out all that cash that it would be okay to drink tequila even though the last time I drank tequila back in '01 I woke up trapped under my bed still drunk and crying and praying to God to let me survive being trapped under my bed while promising to never, never, NEVER drink the evil tequila drink again and making good on that promise for many years after and making many, many people laugh at the why-Colleen-doesn't-drink-tequila-anymore story while dodging offers of free shots and being perfectly happy to drink beer instead since it is my drink of choice but damn, that tequila sure goes down smooth even after a nearly 9 year break especially when it is top-notch stuff and then the next day waking up not under my bed but properly in my bed but too hungover to move much or even knit and yet still not regretting hopping off the no-tequila wagon and realizing that God is often very good at forgiving us our drunken promises....)

Oh, yeah, where was I? New. Year. Right.

So it's a new year, which is ripe for reflection and resolution. About this time, we watch the news and see all the Big Events that took place in our world. Events like:

-the inauguration of a new president

-the impeachment of a governor

-the deterioration of our economy

-the bravery of a pilot

-the loss of the Olympics

-the death of a music star

-the death of a movie star

-the death of a Senator

-the deaths of servicemen/women

-the health care debate

-H1N1

-Octomom, Jon & Kate, Balloon Boy's parents, and the hundreds of other losers who pathologically crave attention, even negative attention. And, sadly, they get it.

And then there is the reflection of the smaller events that shape our lives, like:

-the adopting of new pets

-taking a break from school

-changing jobs (full-time ones)

-paying off debt

-quitting jobs (part-time ones)

-the deaths of pets

-taking a writing workshop

-the deaths of friends

-starting back at school

-the birth of a niece

-online dating

-learning a hobby

Last year, I took up yarn. I decided that I needed a hobby, a constructive way to relax, and chose to learn crochet. First, I learned how to make a slip knot:

"Hold the end of the yarn in your left hand, then use your right hand to make a loop of yarn about 6" aways from the end of the yarn. Pass the top strand of yarn under the loop, then pull a new loop up through the first loop."

Then, a chain stitch:

"Make a slip knot and place it on the crochet hook. Loop the working yarn around the hook and slide the hook through the slip knot, pulling the wrapped yarn through the slip knot."

The single crochet stitch. The double crochet. The half-double crochet. The oft-ignored triple crochet. Increasing, decreasing, fastening off. I made big messes, I had to tear things out & start over. And with each stitch, each task performed well and each mistake, I learned more and more, and soon and sure enough I was pumping out projects. Dishcloths, scarves, baby blankets. A kicky beret (why don't we use the word "kicky" more often?). A coin purse, a pencil case, a cozy for my Ipod.

It occurred to me, as I was thinking about the new year while punching out another scarf for a friend, that all of the projects that I've worked on, they start off with a Big Idea, but are then created one loop at a time. Kind of like how our lives aren't defined, truly defined, by the Big Events of the news, or even by the not-as-big events of our lives, but by the everyday. The little things, the mundane things. How we act at the bus stop, the grocery store, at our jobs and in our homes. These are the things that make up the fabric of our lives. The loops and stitches that build them. Like:

-performing a task well for its own sake, not because someone is watching us

-sharing a moment with your co-workers, all of you working towards a common goal

-enjoying a good movie

-enjoying a good book

-hearing that song on the radio that always puts you in a better mood

-laughing with a friend

-eating a good meal

-drinking that really great cup of coffee

-listening to the purr of a contented cat, or the happy bark of a playful dog

-engaging in a flirtatious glance across the proverbial crowded room

-hearing "Thank you", "Please", and "Excuse me". And saying them.

-a smile, a giggle, a hug, a kiss. Moments, just moments, but they are what build our lives. For me, for the new year, I want to master the art of living every day, instead of just focusing on "events".

Here's to wishing everyone here a blessed, kicky 2010, filled to the brim with a million fabulous little moments. See you at the yarn sale.

-C.