As a child, many of my winter nights were spent watching television and hearing the accompanying Click-Clack-Click! of my mom's needles as she knit her way through whatever shows we were watching.
One of my tasks was to take the wool from the skein and wind it into a tight ball, ready for her to make everything and anything - mittens, socks, sweaters, afghans and even Barbie doll clothing.
Some time ago, Holly, our busy adolescent dog, managed to grab hold of the ball of in-waiting wool. Off she went, trailing the quickly unraveling ball of wool.
As I started winding the wool back up, I was thinking of how similar this is to the hurtful events in our life. We wind them up, tighter and tighter, and there they stay, until we're ready to let them go by knitting them into something new.
Your emotional pain can cripple you. It can also make you stronger, provided you learn to let it go. Holding on to past hurts is akin to trying to knit from a knotted ball of wool. The more you pull, the tighter the knots and the greater the frustration.
When you come back at a later time, in a calmer state, you are able to gently pull apart the knots and begin to create a work of art.
Learn to balance your autonomic nervous system, become calmer and more creative. What would it be like to untie those knots and effortlessly find the "purls" in your life?
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I remember standing for hours as a child with a skein of wool over my outstretched arms as Granny wound it into a ball. It was a quiet time with her and she always had a story to tell to keep us going. Happy calming memories.
I sold Patons and Baldwins knitting wool for years and this never occurred to me! Nice metaphor.
GM,
Those “happy, calming memories” are powerful stress undressers. I’d love to have heard your grand-mother’s stories.
Ramana,
Thank you.
That’s interesting. Did any of that wool make its way to North America?