Life

Life is very interesting, to say the least. We start out with very simple needs – food, warmth, safety. And it just gets more complicated from there.

As we grow, we need more, use more, give more, interact more. Simplicity becomes complexity and we adapt to the changes as they slowly or rapidly occur. Each decision, each experience, leads us down a unique path, which we have never seen before. Each moment will be different and will have a significance all its own.

It is hard to be prepared for such unknown events. They will always be surprising. Sometimes in a joyful way. Sometimes in a sad way. But good or bad, happy or sad, cheerful or sorrowful, life is always a gift. A gift to be treasured, shared and learned from. It is certainly not to be abused, wasted or hoarded.

Life constantly speaks to hope for the future. It is forever producing young to encourage growth and evolution in the world. Adaptation is equal to survival and so life goes on. It is an ever-changing new way to begin again, try a different idea, explore a unique concept for existence, see what might work. And if that fails, try again.

Life is a teacher of perseverance, strength and love. Ask any elder in your family and they will tell you how they have learned and played by the rules of life. They will also be glad to explain to you what they have learned about winning, losing, laughing, crying, loving, hating, living, dying. They know because life teaches everything. It is up to us to pay attention.

We also transmit life to others. We teach what we know and pass it on to the younger ones. We do this mostly by living our best life and being the best example we can to those who watch us. Whether we know it or not, life flows through us in everything we do, usually in the most simple things.

Life is a conundrum. It can often be at odds with our dreams and hopes. It is often difficult, hard, seemingly unlivable even.

We can be confused as to the purpose of our life – what is it all about anyway? Is our whole destiny simply to live out our years as best we can and then die?

Should it not be that we act today in such a way that tomorrow we are a much better person? I certainly hope I can do that every day of my life. Life gets messy, which makes it hard, but that is my hope.

Looking Forward

Everyone has a past. We learn a great deal from the past – positive and negative. In other words, there are things that definitely need to be repeated and there are things that everyone agrees should never be done again. Good lessons all!

Everyone has a present – the right now that we are all living. I’m a strong believer of enjoying the present, taking the joy from each moment and living life as it presents itself to you.

Everyone has a future – the life not yet lived, the life on the horizon, the life dreamed about. The future can be very compelling and enticing. I want to have things to look forward to, plans that promise to be exciting and fun.

In the near future, I have two quilting retreats that I am so excited about attending. Having them on my calendar not only brings me joy, it also keeps me organized.

I have been busy gathering together what I will be working on for the two retreats. That means getting projects started, finding the right fabrics, packing projects together, finding notions I haven’t seen in my sewing room for awhile, planning food, etc. Retreats don’t occur by chance. They require organization and that is good for me.

Thinking about future activities sets me to thinking about past activities too. I’m reminiscing about other quilting retreats and remembering good times, good people, good food and good quilts. Recalling previous fine memories is good for me.

Planning for the future also keeps me active. I cannot sit still all day and get ready for two quilt retreats. I must do something every day to prepare for being on retreat and also for being away from home all those days. Being a doer everyday is good for me.

Looking forward to my retreats keeps me excited about my hobby of quilting. I know I will be seeing new patterns, new skills, new fabrics and new notions. I will be with women who will challenge me, inspire me and uplift me. I will come back with more ideas than I can ever use, more enthusiasm than I can ever channel and more fabric than I can ever process. Looking forward is good for me.

How great it is to have all those wonderful reminders of coming events on my calendar. Those events that keep me so happy, so organized and so active. They are like little carrots always dangling in front of me, keeping me heading in the right direction.

As I said – looking forward is so good for me!