Words to live by

For each day in my planner there's a quotation on the daily notes page. I don't always pay attention to them--OK, more often than not I don't--but they've been put there for a reason. Who am I to ignore the line or two of wisdom that might be the lift or inspiration I need that day? September 13 featured Maya Angelou saying, "Surviving is important, but thriving is elegant." Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Looking ahead at the week, I noticed that tomorrow's quotation comes from Mignon McLaughlin: "Courage can't see around corners, but goes around them anyway." Good timing, planner quotation layout person. I also take some comfort in this Eleanor Roosevelt saying reprinted earlier in the month: "You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best you have to give." (Grammar nerd-ery: I don't think that comma should be in the first quotation while one is missing in the second. I've reproduced them as they appear in the planner.)

I've made no secret of my dissatisfaction with how things have been going lately. That's probably something you wish I would keep quiet about. I know. Grumble, grumble, grumble. Yes, it's my blog, and I can do with it as I please. Still, I'm the host, and guests don't want to spend time with a grouch and a worrier. I feel like I've been particularly unpleasant recently, which I don't like being. And let me reiterate that things aren't as bad as all this talk might lead you to believe. I'm just very frustrated at the moment.

All of which is good for knitting. I'm blazing through the first skein for the diagonal blanket. I've increased to almost one hundred stitches on the circs. Now that I've received the proper instruction in how to attach the interchangeable Knit Picks Options needles, I'm knitting like a machine. No more needles needing to be tightened again and again.

This is the right project for the right time, especially for a football Sunday. I try not to get so invested in the fate of my favorite sports teams that I take it personally, but being a Bengals fan has a way of spoiling one's mood. They managed to salvage a loss again today, but I was knitting and not letting their ineptitude get to me as much. I'm extremely thankful that I gave up fantasy sports for knitting. Seeing one's drafted team going down in flames is like catching an express train to Bad Attitude City.

So even though things didn't go so well on gridiron and it may go against my worrying nature, I'm going to greet this week with courage, hope, and optimism. If there's still a trace of those things remaining by this time tomorrow night, I'll call it a win.