Secure your own oxygen mask

You've heard it a million times.  Every time you fly, the friendly attendant tells you about how a change in cabin pressure will cause the oxygen mask to drop.  She explains how even though the bag doesn't inflate, oxygen is still flowing.  And she reminds us that if we are travelling with someone who needs assistance, that we should first secure our own mask.  First secure our own oxygen mask. We all understand.  We know that we need to get oxygen to ourselves or we'll pass out while we're trying to help our kids or our aging parent, or whoever.  We know this.  Makes perfect sense.  Seems utterly practical and not selfish in the least.  If we're not breathing, we're absolutely no help to anyone else. 

Why is a concept that is so clear at 50,000 feet so difficult to comprehend here near sea level?  Think about it a minute.  It's so hard for us to take time for ourselves?  We feel guilty about every moment spent sitting and knitting.  In the back of our mind is all the stuff we "should be doing." The time we spend sitting and knitting, on the other hand, is about us and about self care.  Knitting is about taking a moment to live in the moment.  It's about spending time on something that calms your spirit and feeds your soul -- something that makes you happy.  It's about securing your own oxygen mask so that you can approach life and the people you love with delight and a grateful heart. 

As you look at your day, please try to find a pocket of time to sit quietly with your knitting and let yourself soak it in.  

I look forward to seeing you in the shop and around the table.  You are always welcome here.

~Ellen

Back to 15 August 2017 Newsletter