UNTANGLING THE THREAD OF YOUR LIFE

  Recently, I began knitting a Reiki shawl for my husband as a belated Christmas present. The yarn is this astonishing, hand-dyed Bad Sheep yarn in a multitude of bright colors. I finished the first ball and prepared to stretch out the next skein and roll it into a ball. Somehow, something went badly wrong. Satanically wrong. As in, throw the skein out the window and begin again, except at $30 a pop, I just couldn't do it.

 

  So I set about unraveling this unholy mess. It took over three days of dire intention and sweaty will. Each day I would set my Apple watch timer for 15 min. so I would not get crazy untangling the skein. 

Finally, it was done! I literally had to go change my clothes into something dry. But I had that damn ball all wrapped up and ready to go. What a feeling of accomplishment!

   As I untangled and wrapped, I found a few things in my brain which might apply to something in your life which is all balled up, and you cannot figure out how to unravel it, be it: a relationship, job problems, a parent's worries, house repairs gone wrong, kids in trouble, and more. As someone who had recently been without central heating for nine days, I sympathize with you.

   When I sat on the couch with the tangled skein in my lap, feeling defeated and angry, these words came sharply into my soul: "Follow the thread." Just follow the thread. 

 God works that way, kind of snarky, using few words, along with a kick in the pants. Get busy, woman, go back to the beginning. Words unsaid were: And you will be all right. You will figure it out.

   If you are finding yourself in a knotty tangle, here are some thoughts which could be useful to you.

  --Go back to the beginning.  Find the starting point of the problem and then slide your fingers along how it developed. You may gain insights. You could come to the end of it all with a sense of purpose and understanding.

  --Don't try to unwrap it all in one go.  Set a timer for no more than 15 min. at a time, because, ya' know, we are only human and get sweaty, frustrated, and inclined to heave the problem out the window.

  --Pray. Even if you are unsure about God's existence, that God listens to you, or is even able to help, pray anyway. It is one of the most effective things I know for untangling a problem.

 I prayed to Mary, Undoer of Knots in the midst of my awfulness, and also said many Hail Mary's to help. And the answer came to me, "Follow the thread."

   Keep a journal.  Write down any thoughts and insights which come to you while praying and fingering the tangled problem.

   Ask for help.  I am terrible at this, as I am meant to be the helper, not the help-ee. You could talk to a prayer partner, a pastor or priest, or you could go on the internet for help.

 What would I have done during cancer without my internet sites? Or what would I have done without my Dysautonomia groups on FB? You may have a friend whose wisdom you trust whom you can go to. Just do not be afraid to ask!

   Go for a walk.  How many of us have found that getting out in nature, breathing deeply, watching pines sway in the wind, and seeing birds take flight have settled the turmoil within? You may find an answer to your knotty problems as you walk back into your house.

     Those are just a few things you could do as you search for the beginning to a tangled thread in your life. I have tried all of these at one time or another in my many years. Follow the thread where it leads you. I am betting a solution will appear, and you will mutter to yourself, "Why didn't I think of that before?"