A day in the life: Graduation
Saturday was a special day, filled with lots of emotions and exactly zero knitting.
My advice that I am always giving to people to knit a little every day? Well, heaven knows I tried. I took two projects with me to graduation, and since I was there early, you would have thought that would have been the perfect time to knit, right? Too excited. Too nervous. Too many people that kept finding me to give me a hug and say congratulations or hang in there or do you have enough tissues.
And really, what made me need tissues the most, was all that support I kept getting from people. It is difficult at best, close to impossible even, to remain stoic with all that love coming at me. Mind you, I'm not complaining. As much as it would have been nice to shed only very controlled, very minimal tears at my daughter's graduation, it was worth the messy cry to feel the embrace of community.
When my kids were small I gave literally no thought whatsoever to graduation. As they grew, the only aspect of graduation I focused on was getting the credits on the transcript so graduation could happen. Eventually. One day. No hurry.
So now this one has come and gone.
I gave in to the temptation to ask her yesterday on our way to Monday Morning Knitters, after a weekend packed full of celebration, parties and family gatherings, what she was going to do with her life NOW. Despite the fact that she and I both still have goals and projects and deadlines (just not high school related as it pertains to her) I think we both feel a little adrift at the moment. To have focused for several months on this one day, to have the day behind us seems strange. I suppose this is a little like the day after a large holiday, except this doesn't happen every year (thank goodness). It's also very much like finishing a large, engrossing, enjoyable knitting project. You have bound off, woven in the ends, blocked the thing and now what? Sometimes it's hard to switch gears to other things, other speeds, other directions.
It's hard, but necessary, and with the continued embrace of community....well, we got this.
In the aftermath of the weekend, and despite the fact that I did knit a little on Sunday, I spent extra time on Monday knitting (including time that was assisted by an adorable 3 year old).
Today? Today after posting this I hope to put together this month's newsletter, plan more blog topics for the coming weeks, do laundry, cook dinner for the family and head off to have dinner with friends (hellooooo, Mom's Night Out!). And knit! Honestly, I feel a bit guilty for my lack of knitting on graduation day. I can't remember the last time I missed a day. My only consolation (positive spin time) is that maybe it made the day even more momentous. The guilt spurs me on to make progress on my goal of knitting 49 charity afghan blocks this year (I'm at 17.5 now), to finish the test knit of a new wrap pattern, to swatch an exciting new sock pattern and to finish the bag pattern I've been working on.
The more we knit, the more we hone our skills and drape everyone around us in handknits. Whatever spurs you on to knit more, use it to your advantage and remember to get up and stretch your back and arms and hands frequently. We're in this for the long haul and we won't let setbacks stop us. Feel the embrace of the knitting community, rallying round, declaring, we got this.
