Stravaiging

How you live your days...

...is how you live your life.

I don't know when I first heard/read this, but it has always stuck. 

It pops into my head in the good and precious moments, the glimmers, the snatches of time to be savoured. Of which I have many.

I could do to remember it in the frustrating, irritating, demoralising, flat and sad periods too in order to remind myself how outweighed these are by the upbeat ones. 

Here's one - Bruce has chosen to grace me with his presence just now and is snoozing in the sun on the workroom floor. That makes me happy. This gentle big lad is almost always well behaved; the bad bits (poor recall if there is the least distraction, barking at spaniels, occasional bin theft...) are minimal in comparison.

When I consider how the majority of my days are currently spent, it's a wonderful life. Surrounded by and working with textiles, planning and leading textile tours, meeting new people, showing off Scotland, building and maintaining friendships, stretching my horizons, always learning. Time to cook, to read, to spend quality hours with man and dog. It hasn't always been like this, of course, and it will inevitably change but now is where we live, neither in the past nor in the future. 

It's not so saccharine sweet in reality. I have a list of worries like anyone else and they can crowd in and squeeze me into corners, but I really do try to focus on my good fortune and keep them in perspective.

And I've learned to grasp opportunities and challenges that appeal to me. From successfully applying for a residency in India to working with resourceful women running textile-based tours, I've enabled myself to see and do more. Life is so short. I don't want to waste it.

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I gather others' words, writing them down or taking a screenshot. I find them again and if they still resonate I bring them out for an airing. I follow John Mark Green on Instagram and find some of his words really hit home.

As winter turns to spring I will begin this year's travels and tours. I'll meet new people, renew acquaintanceships, experience much that is good and creative.

I will soak it up, and I will try to share the glimmers of joy with you.