I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today with a decent bit done on the blue hat redux and some bonus sparkles.
Both of these have provided enjoyable knitting time when I feel the need to withdraw from the world for a while. The cable crossings in the hat are different every other row and this provides just enough for me to concentrate on without being overwhelming. Working on a Hitchhiker and knitting meditative garter stitch is good for what ails me, and the sparkles (even if you can't see them in the photo) make it even better.
I haven't been able to concentrate enough to read much but I did manage Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. I have previously enjoyed two of Burkeman's books, The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking and Four Thousand Weeks, so when I saw this one, I immediately placed a hold at my library. It seemed to take forever because they only had one copy, but I'd like to think that The Universe had a little something to do with me getting this book the week that guy was re-elected. While not specifically about that guy, Burkeman does offer ways for me to think about things that may make it easier to accept.
What is true is already so. Owning up to it doesn't make it worse. Not being open about it doesn't make it go away. And because it's true, it is what is there to be interacted with. Anything untrue isn't there to be lived. People can stand what is true, for they are already enduring it. - Eugene Gendlin
The author has arranged the book in short chapters and the reader is advised to read one each day. The first week is Being Finite; week two is Taking Action; the third week is Letting Go, and the last week is Showing Up. Burkeman suggests that peace comes not from adding more tasks and trying to accomplish them efficiently, but by accepting what we cannot do or control, a theme he discusses with honesty and humor. Unlike conventional self-help books, Burkeman’s work feels less prescriptive and more reflective, encouraging readers to confront uncomfortable truths about time, imperfection, and deciding whether you want to face the consequences of the choices you might be considering.
I've done a poor job of reviewing this book, but I think that almost anyone and everyone could benefit from reading it. Each of us has to decide what we care about and how we spend our time, and while these short chapters might be simple, that does not necessarily translate into easy or simplistic. As soon as I finished the book, I bought a copy because I knew this is a book I wanted to read, re-read, and truly absorb. I don't have four thousand weeks left, but I'd like to make the best use of and enjoy the approximately (hopefully) four hundred weeks left to me. Four and a half stars rounded up.
Just a note about the quotes Burkeman chose to include: I thought they were some of the most enjoyable things about the book, and they illustrate his ideas well. They are almost like fortune cookies in that they can apply to many situations and they are wonderfully entertaining at the same time.
If you find yourself lost in the woods, fuck it, build a house. "Well, I was lost, but now I live here! I have severely improved my predicament!" - Mitch Hedberg
What are you making and reading this week?
lovely hat and as always a soothing shawl knit to ease our worries!!
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing like a few sparkles to add some joy to our days! (And why is it that sparkles never show up in photos? I'm sure there is a very specific explanation that has to do with light, and probably even a way to make it so . . . but I'm too lazy to look into it.) I definitely need a copy of Oliver Burkeman's new book!
ReplyDeleteMeditative knitting, FTW!! And I am with Kym, I am off to find that Burkeman book right now! Thank you for those timely quotes as well!
ReplyDeleteImmediately ordering Oliver Burkeman's new book! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised in the least that you pulled out a Hitchhiker to work on! The Oliver Burkeman book sounds perfect for these disheartening times -- helpful without being preachy. I still haven't read Four Thousand Weeks (though I have it in my Kindle library), but maybe this one needs to jump the line.
ReplyDeleteOh, Bonny, I think you did a fabulous review of the book! I felt exactly the same way when I read it. I am trying so hard to build a house in these woods that I have found myself lost in these last few months. Oliver Burkeman's book speaks to me on so many levels. I know I need to live in my new reality, but it's so painful in so many ways. And yet that is what living is about, dealing with what we have instead of what we want. That will be a work in progress until the day I die. I don't expect that I will ever actually get there, but maybe I can improve with effort. I have actually found a couple of knitting patterns that I am considering that meet your criteria and mine, meditative and yet varied enough that I have to pay attention without being overwhelmed. I love your hat and your HH. Knit on, sweetpea.
ReplyDelete"Accepting what we cannot do or control" is key. I also LOVE that last quote from Mitch Hedberg. It made me laugh out loud and it has so much TRUTH in it. I am glad you are able to knit and are finding it meditative. HH's are great for that. Your blue hat is gorgeous too.
ReplyDeleteThat Mitch Hedberg quote... PERFECT!! I've been trying to knit a new pattern. Garter stitch - CHECK! Counting/concentrating - not so great. I think I need something WAY simpler on the needles right now.
ReplyDeleteI love your blue knitting projects. A hitchhiker is good for the soul - if you ask me. Burkeman's book sounds like one for the moment. The universe was definitely holding you in it's palm when it showed up. In addition to reading notes from my blog I'm also listening to part V of Clarissa Pinkola Estes' audiobook on The Dangerous Old Woman. Mostly because her voice is soothing and she tells stories.
ReplyDeleteI see a lot of progress on your projects and I understand why. My oldest son is Navy. He’s in IT for the nuclear submarine program and my other son is DOJ. The worries just keep getting bigger with every news update.
ReplyDeleteI can hardly read even five minutes of the news anymore. I'm sorry to hear about your sons' jobs and will keep good thoughts for them. My husband is retired but does consulting for regulatory agencies (EPA and FDA). All the projects are on hold because nobody know what will happen. Really, none of us do, so I'm just going to keep my head down and keep knitting.
DeleteI'm so excited to see your review of the new Burkeman book - adding it to my holiday wish list!
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