Monday, August 27, 2007

COMMON TIME

It is common time. The last leg of the journey that lasted one year is finished. The legs of the journey that lasted the 5 years previous have settled in and life is common. It is ordinary again. It is what I have been searching for since that day it all changed… How could it have changed so much and yet stayed the same?

It was like we were sailing in the ocean and a large gust of wind took us off course. The whole time we traveled we could see the right path, we were not in harms way, but the sailing path was not calm, not flat, not settled into any form of current that would allow for some rhythm to pulse through each day, each set of days, each set of weeks, months or years. And yet we survived and thrived and loved abundantly.

The days were full of newness. The learning was extremely intense. There were structures to build and angles to correct. Land had to rise above the water and water to dig below the ground. The windows were exciting to install and crosses marked the panes. People came and went through our lives. Friends were made and lost in the journey. Mostly happy conversations were held and mostly good humor was kept. In he end the change made life different and yet so much the same that you were not sure you blinked an eye.

I cannot say that tears were not a part of the journey. There were plenty of tears to keep the dirt and grime from the eyes, to clear the pain from the heart, to water the dreams that needed to stay alive. We shifted seats at the great table of life. Our parents are all resting in the arms of the Lord. I can feel them about on some days and I can hear their glee at some of the events that have taken place since the chairs have shifted. I have mourned the loss of gardens and flowers and I have cried at the beauty in a new blossom that I have never seen. The tears were an imporant part of the journey... as was the silence.

Some things are more important than ever and others not so much. Loving is important. Being kind and understanding to all that you encounter. Enabling is not so important any more. We each need to develop the skills necessary to traverse our own ocean. Thinking is critical and making the right choices is more important than before.

Working each day is important and for once the focus of the day’s activity makes a difference to me. I am not sure that I am using what I have 100% of the time. I am not sure the waters are calm enough in the 9-5. I am not certain at all, but I know I have the skills to survive and thrive because at the end of the day I can tell I have done what is right and good. Most days I am happy where I am and yet there is that little niggle of wanting something different in the 9-5. I will listen and I will talk and explore at the right time to see what the universe has in store for me. Right now I feel I am in the right sector of the sea. Most days!

So let the common time begin in earnest. The walking of dogs; the cooking of food; the finishing of the garden; the starting of the next season; the adventures of watching all the birds in the nest fly on their own and the love that knows no bounds continue. Let the commonest of times begin. I am ready for the ordinary part of life. It will prepare me for the next leg of the journey.

Slowly I will traverse these common days. Enjoying each moment immensely.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello, Mark here. Someone sent your blog address to me about your posting about the bronze sock machine on one of the blog lists. It says you live in Cincinnati, so do I, Bridgetown. If you are interested in sock machines, I have them, boy do I have them. I fix them, I make parts, I make them. If you are interested in knowing more, email address to contact me is:

miller1843@yahoo.com

Where fibers meet mud said...

Thanks for the response about the sock machines. I was wondering if you have a website or a vending store for the machines.

I could plan a field trip with the husband for the weekend to see some of the machines. Sounds like fun for me and I will locate a woodworking shop along the way for him.

Just in the researching part of the journey...

Anonymous said...

Hello, Mark here. Thank you for your response. I'm working on a website, but it's not up yet. No store, I work on these machines at my home. There are several people in the greater Cincy area that have machines now, along with people in Dayton, Franklin, Bellbrooke, Germantown, etc. If you live in Cincy, I do too, Bridgetown, the west, the best side.

I will give you some websites to look at for more info.
www.countryrain.com
www.oldtymestockings.com
www.angoravalley.com

If you go to angoravalley and search in the knitting machine section, in the files titled TRY-ON Tuttle, you can find a copy of the 1870's sales flyer she has. It was printed for my grt grndfhtr. On the oltyme site, the picture of the Bickford machine in her museum is a picture of one of my machines.

These machines go all the way back to the 1850's. The Bickford is circa 1869.

There is a good yahoo group you can join too. sockknittingmachines

There are people all over the country, world actually, that have these machines and you would not believe how many there are now within 150 miles of Cincy. We just had our convention in Maryland, the end of July, and there is a gathering in New Harmony, IN in a few weeks. Next year the convention is going to be in Brown County, IN.

Check things out and see what you think. If you want to contact me, an email address was in my last posting. I'll be watching your blog too.

If you are into knitting, I warn you right now, when you see one of these machines working and making a sock, you are going to get hooked on them. A pair of wool socks in under two hours, how does that sound?