Looking Forward

January!  Mother Nature is napping.  We are too thanks to the long dark nights and the effects of recent festivities.  This is a time for quiet walks in the woods, rejoycing in the past and looking forward.  It is also a time when we tend to turn inward and do some stock taking which often leads to the conclusion that changes could be beneficial or so we think.

 

The photo of this spinning wheel reminds me that January is both the end and the beginning of a cycle.  We owe it to the Romans for selecting January 1st as the start of the year.  More ancient cultures used the vernal equinox to mark the change.  On January 1st, we are encouraged to look back and forward at the same time like the two headed god Janus.  We are also encouraged to make resolutions for the coming year.  This tradition is thought to have started with the Babylonians.

Many of us openly or secretly make New Year's resolutions.  Usually they involve improving something, improving our health, our finances, our education or just being a better person.  The vast majority of us are never able to keep our resolutions.

I've given up on resolutions for self improvement because, in most cases they are not much fun or I wouldn't need to make a resolution about it and because I've decided to accept my current state as the finished product.  So, I won't be making a resolution to "stop bringing junk home from the beach".

If you feel the need to keep up the tradition of New Year's resolutions consider one related to your particular fiber art and don't forget that it should involve fun.  The list that comes to mind includes

• Do that major project you've been dreaming about
• Master that technique you learned at your last workshop
• Learn a related skill
• Work with colours you have never tried
• Finish something you started in 2011
• Start a fiber art journal

You get the idea.  But wait!  If you want to beat the odds and keep your resolution then consider the following.  You are more likely to be successful if you make the goal specific and if you share the goal with a friend who will support you in achieving the goal.  Talk to your guild members and study group buddies.  They probably have resolutions of their own and they too would like some company on the journey during 2012.

Oh, and I forgot to say that if you didn't get around to making that resolution on January 1st then you might want to consider using the Babylonian calendar.  That will give you a few more months to work on your resolution.


My resolution involves this yardage and card woven band but I am waiting for the vernal equinox to make a specific goal.