It’s February. The month of love. Say what you will about
the commercialism, about the actual roots of Valentine’s Day, etc. Here’s the
thing. Winter is long. Life is difficult. Let’s go crazy for love for one
month.
Now, I do approach it a bit differently when it comes to the
how I want to celebrate love. You can
have your dozen roses and dinner reservations with every other couple in town.
I want the little pleasures. I want to think of love in a bigger way (or maybe
it’s smaller, really). I want to pay attention and acknowledge all the little
comforts of the day, the ways in which I show myself (and others) some tender
love. I want to be conscious of the day and how I’m treating or neglecting
myself and the people around me. You want love in the world, put it there. That’s
my plan.
So, of course, I’ve been keeping a list. It’s a rough list
of the stolen moments and pleasures that I notice in a day, ways to cultivate love of self and others. I plan to keep it
going and I hope you’ll start your own.
*A ten minute nap before I pick up my kids from school
*A glass of wine in the early evening before the dinner
making is in full swing
*Time spent looking at old photos
*Those first few minutes in bed, when the sheets and
blankets are cool, and I get all buried in them and know the day is done.
*Checking mail when I know a package will be coming any day
now
*Putting my phone out of sight and out of reach when it’s
time to be with my kids—playing games, doing homework, watching a movie, etc.
*New yarn, beautiful and fresh, full of possibilities—I
either wind it into a happy cake straight away and look at it all firm and
upright, reporting for duty…or leave it a while, in the bag, like a little
secret, waiting for me. I love all the energy it holds—the animal, the
shepherd/farmer, the people and machines that cleaned and spun energy into the
fiber. The creative energy of the colors chosen and infused into it. All up
until this moment when it just waits for me to make a choice and our energies
collide to make something new!
*A text sent with just one thing you love about that person
(friend or lover!)
*Podcasts: some are utilitarian for me, with solid
interviews of knitters and crocheters in the industry. Some are for learning
new techniques or some science or history. Then there are the more indulgent
ones, where, yes, I will probably learn something, but I mainly listen for a
certain soothing quality they contain. Knitsonik is the best example at the
moment.
*The heel of the French bread that doesn’t look so beautiful
on the platter, but slathered with butter, kosher salt, and a slice of radish
or dipped into the sauce and followed by a sip of the aforementioned wine is
such a treat. A moment of pleasure.
*A macaroon from RylieCakes—the color, the smooth outside
cracking and breaking when you bite into it
* A few extra seconds added to that goodbye hug or kiss
*A favorite coffee mug, comforting every morning (and
afternoon)
* My slippers, made especially cozy when I’m wearing
handknit socks, after the chill of our hardwood floor In February
*A pretty bag to organize my knitting, with a spot for
everything
*A handknit shawl, wrapped around my shoulders
*The heat pack my friend made me when she learned I’d been
having some aches and pains (she sewed it that
day! Soft cozy cotton, filled with rice,
heated 3 minutes in the microwave—it feels amazing!)
My list will go on and on. I’m good at cozy, and comforts
take precedence in my life. Life is too short to not soothe ourselves and those
we love—and to take the time to notice how good it feels. So, that’s what I’m
doing this February, the “love” month. I’m noticing the little things and adding
some new ones. Life is hard; let’s take good care of ourselves and each other.
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