The 23rd Psalm rug  is two thirds completed and staying fully connected to the process is becoming difficult.  The tedium of hooking a large meadow of grass, blade by blade, is a meditative lesson- just like breathing in and breathing out. When I focus on it fully, it is a deeply relaxing experience. Time flies. The blades of grass look right. The unity of the project stays cohesive.  Then  my mind wanders away to possible new projects, or to some difficulty in my life that I would like to see resolved.  As that happens the hooking begins to lose it’s pattern and rhythm.  So I break up the meditation with games.

This week I challenged myself to learn to use the fleece carders, lent to me by one of my adventurous students, Elizabeth Elliot.  I had been painstakingly pulling apart the fleece by hand for each of the sheep. I didn’t have a clue how to use the carders, but after a few lurching attempts and some laughter, it was amazingly simple.  I wonder why I resist trying new experiences.  They add so much to my knowledge and joy.