Out of your control

Sometimes life throws us a curve ball.  We're ready to hit a fast ball, and hit it well, so when that curve ball smacks us in the face, we go down hard.  You probably remember the curve ball that hit my son, Johnny four years or so ago when a traumatic elbow injury and surgery derailed his plans for a career as a Marine Corps officer.  It was devastating for him.  Looking over the smoking ruins of his plans he had to plot a new course to keep him on track to graduation and a successful future.  He had some missteps and false starts, but here he is now, graduated, interviewing for jobs, and excited about his new path.  In life there are no guarantees, and the only thing you can be sure of is that you can't really be sure of anything.  You can only be ready and try to find the positive in whatever life presents you. 

That's a hard concept for most of us.  We like things the way we like them; we want things to go as planned, and when they don't we get irritated.  Even little things.  I am reminded that the unpredictability of Noro is one of the things its detractors mention and point to as justification for their dislike of it.  "There's a knot in the yarn in the middle of the skein at a different color!"  True.  There often is, and it can be frustrating. But that's life.   I don't mean in any way to sound cavalier, but the more vibrant a thing is, the more impossible it is to control.  And the more exciting it is.  The unexpected can turn out wonderfully, and we have to embrace it.  While that idea is hard for many westerners, most eastern philosophies are perfectly comfortable with it.  The Tao - that concept of the nameless, unknowable, ever-changing force of the universe - is, I believe, part of what makes Noro so addictive for those of us who love it.  Noro yarn is a flowing river, a fading sunset, an ephemeral blossom.  If you can, for a moment, relax into the yarn.  Let the beauty of the colors wash over your knitting and go where they will.  Enjoy the morphing colors and textures.  They might take, at some point, a random turn, and lead you to a new place.  Different from what you expected, but joyful and every bit as nice. 

Even if you're not a Noro lover (yet!) join us Sunday for an amazing trunk show - the largest collection of Noro garments outside of their US headquarters in New York.  It's a rare and special treat.  I look forward to seeing you then.  You are always welcome here.