The Joy and the Journey

I search the Internet for the perfect yarn, soft to the touch, the perfect color.  I find a gorgeous coral colored yarn, soft merino wool. Filatura di Crosa Zara, the name sounds exotic and beautiful and I haven’t even seen the yarn yet.  It is made in Italy, far from my home. 

The sweater I have chosen requires 8 balls, at $7.50 per ball that is $60.00.  There will also be shipping and handling, contrasting colors for the neckline and cuffs, and pretty little buttons.  This sweater will cost much more than I would normally spend for a sweater for a three year old who will wear it for a short time and grow out of it quickly.  It’s not practical for a child either.  The yarn is not washable but requires hand washing.  It will not be an everyday sweater. 

The yarn arrives and it is even more beautiful than I imagined.  A bright, pinkish coral reminiscent of red Skittles, the perfect candy color. It will become a charming little sweater for my child. A sweater that I will love to see her wear and love to keep as a treasure after she has grown. 

My daughter does not need a new sweater.  If she did I could easily run down to any variety of department stores in my town and buy her a nice sweater.  It would be easier.  It would be faster.  It would be cheaper. 

But in this case, it is very clear to me that it’s not about the sweater.  It’s about the process, the journey.  The quiet contemplative and meditative time I will spend knitting the sweater.  The satisfaction of knowing that I created this beautiful garment from these gorgeous Italian balls of yarn that arrived in my mailbox. 

I don’t want a sweater.  I want the process. 

Many times as humans we get caught up in wanting the “end result”.  And in this wanting of the end result we forget that we are on an amazing journey.  Once we arrive at the end result, there will always be another goal, another dream, another aspiration to strive for; another sweater if you will.

But everyday life is the journey. Everyday life is what is happening now.  Our dreams will come true but when we are so focused upon just the end we can lose the satisfaction of the process. The laughter, the fun, the excitement of the creation is part of the joy of the end result.  If you could have the end result without the journey, without the creation but just at will, the end result would lose much of its enchantment.  Much of the magic comes from the striving, the creating, the fun of being the architect, contractor and builder of your dream, from starting with nothing but the idea and building something extraordinary.

We are here to create.  The creation takes place in the journey.  Don’t lose the joy of the journey by being so intensely focused upon only the end result.  A life well lived remembers the passage. Real life is in the journey.  Don’t miss out on your real life.  

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This article is included on the The Personal Development Carnival  February 4 edition located at Creating a Better Life
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You know this is one of my favorite articles, of course there are many sweet reasons why!
This article is included with many other wonderful creators at The Carnival of the Creators located at layersuponlayers.com
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This article is included in the Carnival of the Storytellers 3rd edition from February 12, 2007 located at Digital Rich.
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This article is included in the Craft Carnival #1 located at Anastacia Knits. It made me laugh when they mistakenly called it was a “fiction” piece. All those hours I spent knitting that sweater does not feel like fiction. No it’s the truth. I really did knit the sweater! LOL!
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March 15, 2007-This article is included on Yarnival. This carnival is located at NotScarlett.com
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Again I submitted this article to another knitting carnival. It’s one of my favorite articles, how can I resist? Today on April 23, 2007, it appears on the Seventh Carnival of Knitting located at The Knitting Fiend.