Over the weekend, I caught the crochet bug again. It comes around every once in a while, but I bet it’s been more than five years since I actually succumbed to it.

I’d been wearing a hat that I made probably seven or eight years ago, and I actually don’t really like it that much. It’s the wrong color for me, and the style isn’t my favorite. But when the Wisconsin weather starts its days in the twenties, it’s time to wear a hat to take the kids to school. So that’s what I did.

I didn’t want to go buy a hat (because there’s totally a box of yarn in my basement and a drawer full of perfectly wearable hats that the family has accumulated over the years), so I searched Pinterest for a pattern I could learn to decipher. I finished it last night, after about three days of trial and error, and I wore it this morning. It’s so warm! And it’s a color that I love! And the act of crocheting it was soothing in a very energizing way! Which probably doesn’t make much sense at all. But look at how cute it is!

I sometimes get down on myself for being a little bit scattered with my creative passions. I have a lot of them. I enjoy crochet. I like to draw and write and sew and paint. I like to figure out how I can make something if I can’t find a thing I want that fits my very precise specifications. And where many of our favorite makers and crafters have their “niche,” that’s not something I would ever think of applying to my arts and crafts. Because I know that even if I get excited and invest a lot of time into some new method of creation, I will eventually get bored of it and move onto something else. Like, even as I’m sitting here writing at this very moment, I am also longing to run back over to my hook and yarn and make another hat (in navy blue). Today, though, I want to celebrate my artistic attention aesthetic. I want to give thanks to my Creator for pouring His very own creativity into me. He, too, never niched down. And what a blessing He didn’t!

Today I want to embrace who I am and how I show up in the world. I want to share some gratitude in the spirit of the season we’re in, and I want to invite you to do the same here with me.

I am thankful for the opportunity to express myself in ways that don’t always fit into words. I’m thankful for my fingers and hands that can move in so many different ways. I’m thankful for the sight of my eyes and the visions of my mind. I’m thankful for the brain and nervous system that can communicate between my eyes and my hands and my thoughts and my emotions. I’m so grateful for the connection of myself to my self and for how much I have learned to do and be during my life to this point. 

I appreciate curling up in my favorite chair with my ball of yarn and my crochet hook and the soothing rhythm in my hands as I allow my mind to wander and my imagination to dance. This is what I mean when I say soothing and exciting. When I have a creative focus to my hands, I am able to tune out a lot of other noise. I am able to set aside my addictions to social media or any media at all, really. Though sometimes as I work, I play music or watch something, I don’t need to. My intention for this holiday week is to stay present. I am practicing being more aware of my body, my mind and my emotions and loving myself through accepting them.

I am so grateful for the growth that I have experienced this year. And as we move through this week, I am thankful that I can appreciate even the most difficult moments as gifts that offered opportunity to love, connect and experience something new. 

I am thankful for my new hat. Not just because it’s cozy and adorable, but because woven into each loop of yarn is every wandering thought I had while working on it. Woven into each loop is the rhythm of my hands and the memory of learning how to read a crochet pattern and practice learning new stitches. Woven into each loop is my own love and appreciation for myself because I decided that me wanting a new hat was enough of a reason to give myself the gift of a new hat.

There is so much to be thankful for. Not just this week. Not just on Thanksgiving. But every bountiful day. If we stop long enough to think about it, we can most certainly find a reason to smile. 

A daily gratitude practice can transform your life. When you begin to focus on all the special things you have or are, the things you may lack tend to feel like less of a big deal. Have you had trouble finding your way to true gratitude? Schedule a quick conversation with me to discuss what you’ve tried before and how my coaching program can help you not only to more deeply appreciate all that you have, but to open you up to the massive possibilities that are available for you!

What are you grateful for today?