The Quiet Work That Saves Us

Some days, my mind feels like a crowded workbench. Yarn in three colors, a half-finished blanket draped over the arm of the chair, a stack of washcloths waiting to be bound off, placemats that keep whispering at me from the basket, a wind chime for my dogs that needs a little love, and a book draft blinking at me from the corner of my laptop. I swear I get tired just writing all of that out.

But the truth is, this is how I breathe. Working with my hands is my meditation. My little pocket of quiet. The place where my spirit remembers that it has edges and softness and agency.

I learned that in 2011, during one of the hardest years of my life. My body was giving out under the stress, my spirit was fraying, and I stumbled onto yarn work almost by accident. Hats and scarves were the first things I ever made, and to this day, they are still what I pick up when my mind needs settling. Those early stitches became my lifeline, one loop after another, pulling me back into myself.

Years later, when I was working in the jail, I taught the women there to make hats and scarves on the simple plastic looms we were allowed to use. Nothing fancy, just yarn, patience, and human hands learning how to make something soft in a place that was anything but. Watching those women create warmth in a cold environment still moves me. It reminded me that healing does not have to be loud or dramatic. Sometimes it is a quiet loop, a small rhythm, a reclaiming of breath.

That thread runs straight through my life, and through The Seeker’s Lessons too. The way we create, the way we heal, the way we keep choosing ourselves even when the world has been harsh. My yarn work has always mirrored that journey.

Recently, I gathered up the hats, scarves, and fingerless gloves I’ve made over the last couple of years, the ones that had been waiting patiently in a tote. I brought them to The Spine Bookshop, my favorite little local indie run by Lindsay, who is doing the brave work of keeping stories alive in our community.

You can find her here: https://www.facebook.com/TheSpineBookshop

She looked through everything and offered to try them on consignment first. I appreciated that more than I can say. She is running a small business with heart, trying to make space for creators of every kind, and still making sure things find their way into the right hands.

However, they leave my hands; the intention is the same. Every stitch was a moment of peace. A moment of grounding. A moment where I came home to myself. Sharing these pieces feels like passing that quiet along, one loop at a time.

Do whatever brings you that feeling. Whatever anchors you. Whatever slows your thoughts until the world stops buzzing. That is the real magic.