Well this is going to be harder than I thought…

There are only so many things on my list that I can do during the winter months. Many of my quests need to be done when it’s warmer outside (I’m not sailing in 30 degree weather) or at a specific time of the year (I’m going to go ahead and guess that people might look at me funny if I start wearing my Halloween costume to the grocery store… because man, is it good!). So that leaves me with a few options that I can do without scheduling conflicts or weather hurdles.

So that leads me to today’s endeavor.

Do you know how long it took me to purchase these five items, having absolutely NO idea what I was doing?

A long time.

I’ve officially spent a solid hour – a good old college try if you ask me (what does that mean anyway?) – and I have casted 12 stitches (is that even proper knitting terminology?).  What do you think I could use this for?  An earplug?  Because at this rate, I’m going to have to get awfully creative to count this as a success.

 

Why did I put this on my list anyways?

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

I’m confused – I see people ALL THE TIME looking so content and relaxed, knitting once, purling twice (not pearl – wait, I did learn something!) for hours on end, creating beautiful scarves, mittens, and slippers the correct size for someone’s foot (remember Yard Sale Goddess?  Yeah, her mom is a knitting Queen… some may even call her the Queen B =).  So far, I’m not relaxed.  Quite the opposite actually.  Luckily I was watching the first episode of American Idol so I was being soothed by some amazing voices (who are we kidding – I was laughing, which was keeping me sane).  But no worries… I am NOT giving up until I create something that I can somehow use/display/hide in a drawer somewhere in my house to show that I did indeed complete #7 on my list.  I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time and now I have the motivation.  I’m currently not good at it.  And I hate not being good at things.

 

I’m good at the things I was born knowing how to do… I can definitely learn some other stuff.

 

This whole knitting experience – the hour in AC Moore, the hour I spent trying to figure out which way the %$&*^@! yarn is supposed to wrap around my finger and NOT figuring out how to get one measly little stitch from one of my size 10 bamboo needles to the other – has been very eye opening for me.  I’ve realized that I didn’t put things on my list that were going to be easy to just cross off left and right.  This list is really there to push me to my limits, engage some different brain cells than I normally use (you like that, Dad?) and challenge myself to try new things.  No one said I had to be good at them.  Ok… that’s probably going to be the hardest lesson I have to learn.  I hate not being good at things (I might have mentioned that already).  But even if I try something and find out that I’m not, it doesn’t mean that I didn’t DO it!  I’m not going to admit defeat.  I recognize that my grand dream of a beautiful scarf that I made and wear proudly while telling the story of 30 little things that pushed me to live life in a way that I can be proud of might not become a reality.

 

I’ve been needing some new potholders anyway.

 

Plus, I’ve already got an awesome friend offering to teach me and we’ve been meaning to schedule a date for a long time (I’m not sure she knows exactly what she’s getting herself into).  This list isn’t just about me but strengthening some friendships through new-found interests too.  Who would have thought?

I just hope the friendship is stronger than my knit stitch.

 

I’m not going to get anywhere by sitting here complaining which I was born knowing how to do… well.

 

 

“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”  ~Albert Einstein