November 3, 2014

Did you ever do something you really enjoyed and then thought…wow..that was so much fun, I never wanna do that again.

No? Me either.

So, a couple months ago, some of my Dharma friends and I got together and decided we’d knit hats and scarves for the Little Lamas. It was so much fun! It was fun getting together to knit, fun shopping for the yarn, and fun thinking of someone in Nepal wearing something made by yours truly, the ultimate city girl. I admit it. I had to look at a map to see exactly where Nepal is.

Anyway, with winter fast approaching, the project was winding down, and we had to commit to sending off what we’d done so far. As we started getting together the logistics of mailing off our creations, (I’m here to tell you, Fed Ex does not do monasteries in the mountains of Nepal), I realized I didn’t want the project to end.

My thinking went something like this. For weeks, I’d looked forward to coming home after a long day in the corporate grind and working on a scarf or a hat, or maybe just thinking through a pattern. At work on my breaks, I’d add finishing touches, so I’d go to work with nearly finished hats or scarves, and come home with finished pieces for the stack. Then of course, there were the yarn store trips, not to mention the E-Bay browsing, and all the great Michaels and Jo Ann Fabrics coupons.

But underlying all of that, there was this really good feeling. I wish I could do a better job describing it, but I can’t. It’s just a sort of glow that happens in the center of your chest where your heart is. Maybe it’s the feeling you get when you know someone you love has had a hard day, and you go out of your way to make their favorite dinner, just the way you know they’ll like it.

I didn’t want that feeling to end. Then it suddenly occurred to me…it didn’t have to!

To that end, I’ve taken this vow:

By November 1, 2015, I will provide at least 125 hats or scarves for the Little Lamas, that they may be comfortable and warm, as they prepare to sustain and proclaim the Jonang Lineage.

I’m sure friends will be joining me on this year long journey.

And the Vow-O-Meter will be updated as we go!