things on Thursday

Both Donna's newest post and a 2005 post from BigHappyBuddha have me thinking about Things. Literally. Things.

Amy's post is about enjoying the gifts that one gives and receives, from handmade socks to fine china. The Buddha says, "An ignorant man ages like an ox. His flesh may increase, but not his understanding."

The common thread is mindfulness, of course, and what it means to be mindful. I'm sure that many people who hoard their fine china believe that being mindful of the cups and plates means ensuring that they do not break, in the same way that Amy's husband doesn't wear his hand-knitted socks because they are "special."

This weekend, I was looking through my hoarded stashed yarns. I have finished three pairs of socks in 6 months. At that rate, even if I don't acquire another ounce of sock yarn, it might take... years... before all of the yarn is knitted up. I began to panic. Each ball of yarn was accusing me of greed and waste and hubris...

But really, each ball, each skein can teach me something. The sheep or the silkworm or the alpaca live in an ancient continuum that always has provided materials for clothing and art and always will. I chose each skein for its texture and color, and imagined myself knitting a piece of clothing, as women have knitted for millennia.

The problem isn't the stuff, it's the awareness. That's the difference between big, fat, jolly Buddha and big, fat, Jabba the Hutt, yes?

Take a deep breath, teabird, cast on, and knit...