Just Try!!!

Have you ever been afraid to try something & then when you did it, it was not so bad? I am a confirmed scared kitty cat! I don't deny it! I have been trying the last few year to stand up to it head on!! A motto that I keep close to me says 'I did not survive cancer to die of stress'. I find that being afraid is stressful, more stressful that trying!!

In recent years I have found that I have a passion for yarn, knitting & spinning! I find that it makes me smile. So when a new community developed online called Raverly I joined. I also found two mentors that knit & spin that I could talk about everything yarn, knitting or spinning! I have found that these relationships precious to me & found that I have found the confidence to try new things. To make a mistake because in doing so I have learned! In learning I have grown! Today I was asked though Raverly if one of the pictures of a project I did could be featured there. I am so thrilled. I just want to explode with excitement!!

If I did not try I would not have learnt, grown or have had been asked for my project to be featured as part of the web site!! Huh!

Mindlessness

I was feeling a bit stressed, overwhelmed, uneasy & I needed something to focus on. So what came to mind.... dishcloths. I love knitting. It is something that I find enjoyable & fun. I have been taking a master knitting course which has been keeping me focused on something other than my hurts. Last night though I needed something familiar, something easy that I new well. The dish cloths where a way to focus on something that I enjoyed, something that relaxes me.

Sometimes taking time to do something that is mindless can be very helpful. For me it helped me to focus on what is good on what I can do something about & not to worry about the things I cannot!!

Handling the Hard Times

So what do you do when you are struck with hard times? Do you stew about it? Or maybe you do something that is not so helpful like overeat.....I wouldn't know about that!!!!

So I have been trying a new way to handle stress, hard times, whatever that comes my way that is not pleasant! After my Mom died I started up a new hobby; Spinning! I also started experimenting more with my knitting. With these to crafts along with card making I have tried to keep myself busy. Not ignoring my problems but making sure I was not engulfed in them! I also started making friendships. One neighbor is a card maker (who actually got me started in it), another neighbor is a spinner/knitter who I talk knitting & spinning. They both encourage me to try something different! I also befriended some amazing other people; one who gets my humor, a couple who understood my past & another who experienced breast cancer.

When you let people it is amazing the 'Random Acts of Kindness' that seems to just ooze from all over the place. It is just amazing, overwhelming & joyful!

Keeping my life going with help from others has been critical in my survival! Having something to do like spinning, knitting & card making also has been critical also to know that my problems are not all of who I am. That I am not just my problems that I am a creative, funny, interesting person!! Hhhmmmm...I need to remember that on my hard days!!

Adopting a border collie that is full of beans helps also!! She belches, farts, talks & is generally a brat! What is the most important thing is she makes me laugh!! Really laugh!!