‘Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.’ Buddha
Remember those skies dappled with white rows of fleecy, fluffy clouds like the markings on a mackerel’s back? They’re Mackerel Skies. Our lives have become so jam-packed with meetings and appointments and deadlines and pressure – it’s time to take a step back, take a deep breath and remember childhood cloud-watching those captivating Mackerel Skies.
What on earth has this to do with stitching or embroidery, you may well ask? Well, a lot really. Memories are powerful. Those memories of watching clouds drift across a magnificent sky stay with us for a lifetime. The work we do creates memories, and while we’re making those memories, we’re in our very own, real-world utopia – our ideal place. Sometimes, I think it’s pure and simple, self-love.
‘The quieter you become, the more you can hear.’ Ram Dass
Images are memories frozen in time. Isn’t our work just the same? Here’s a captured moment too. It’s a great pleasure to look back over work, to remember the journey, its inception, and its completion. – plus all the angst in between. But, more importantly, certainly to me, is the sense of up-lifting anticipation and pleasure beginning something new, a new memory. I remember the energy and dynamism – the bounce in my step.
‘It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.’ Lena Horne
So, while I encourage and promote planning and looking ahead, to attain our dreams and outcomes, I believe it’s essential to also factor into our daily lives a time to breathe, be quiet and be in-the-moment – to not think beyond the intake, exhalation, and rhythm of each breath. De-stress, regenerate and reinvigorate our minds as we are born again each day.
‘What a smashing way to begin each day, and hopefully put that bounce back into anyone’s step.’
Next week…
