Embrace simple pleasure

These last winter weeks have been very challenging and exciting as I have produced a new winter hat design that will surely bring many new smiles to my customers. My best design work has always been created in the season to which the hat is best worn. Recently my new design "The Nadia" was perfected. The construction of this hat requires a lot patience because I create the band design with hand sewing. Over the years I have grown to enjoy hand sewing. When I stitch I become one with time, I become grounded in the present, and do not feel the need, to hurry. My concentration is rewarded by the beauty of the furs butting up against each other.

Akin to hand sewing is knitting. Twenty years ago I worked in Romi Wools, a yarn shop here in Toronto. If you ever have a chance to visit, I truly recommend you to go there one day. Romni Wools is a knitters paradise here in Toronto. When I worked there, it was my Moms generation that kept the craft alive. Today with the renewed interest, a whole new generation of knitting is becoming established. Knitting collectives are popping up all over our city. I am thrilled to see this movement.

My friend Carolyn Barnett has made her passion of knitting a very big part of her life. She inspired me to begin this blog last August. Here we are last summer at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition.

In life and business today the drive for quick solutions, and short cuts are celebrated and awarded by our contemporaries. There is a higher financial return for this sped up pace. I believe we carry this mentality into our lives. We validate how good the day is by how much we accomplished. Are these ideas sinking into our consciousness? Are we aware of the residual thinking patterns we create when we incorporate those thoughts into our lives on a regular basis? Is this torch being passed onto our children? In the Thesaurus some synonyms for consciousness are: sensibility, carefulness, mindfulness, recognition, and regard. These words best describe the experience I have when I hand stitch. They also describe for me a way of life that would allow our lives to be filled with great joy and gratefulness.

It is a good to embrace the simple pleasures of life, to slow down, and absorb the unfolding nature our life is directing us by. Our minds will get filled with a greater positive feeling to carry us throughout the day with the recognition of our abundance. I will add that when I place myself in this awareness, I experience a greater physical, emotional and spiritual sensation throughout my body.

I highly recommend the book You can heal your life by author/healer Louise L. Hays.
I recieved a copy for my birthday this year from a dear friend. I read a chapter once every morning till I finished the book. Her words were so positive and insightful about our thinking patterns. The book lifted my spirits even higher and gave me new tools to use for personal growth. Like the hats I make for people, this book is a keeper to use and read many times over. Instead of passing it along, I intend to cherish this book gift and inspire others to get a copy.