Don’t wait

It just occurred to me that waiting is about the worst thing I can do at this point in my life.  I don’t like to wait for things to happen in general.  I have a feeling most of us don’t.    I am a patient person, but I’m no good at waiting for things to happen, waiting for someone else to do something they said they would do, waiting in line, waiting for spring to arrive, ha!  At least I know that will really happen.  And especially waiting on doing something about a good idea.  I’ve taken to writing ideas down when they come to me, so I don’t forget them.  So my question for today for myself is, “If I can’t stand waiting for things to happen, for other people to do things, why do I allow myself to wait on myself?”

As it pertains to knitting.  I’ve had some really good ideas lately for patterns, designing patterns for knitting.  I’ve had a great name for a project come to me, the name being the idea of the entire project, which I think could be really great.  I’ve had some ideas come to me as far as construction for a knitting project goes; I have a beautiful merino/silk yarn that, I think, must be knit simply to show off the color, sheen and texture of the yarn and I have a great idea for a shawl for that yarn.   And I’ve had some really good ideas for projects and patterns for certain yarns that came to me while walking recently. Two ideas in particular, one I plan on working on today and the other is the reason I’m writing today – that great merino/silk yarn project.

I saw a brand new, published pattern/design in one of my emails yesterday for the exact same design I had in mind for the merino/silk shawl.  The exact same design.  As soon as I saw it, I said to myself, wow, that’s pretty amazing that we (the designer and knitter) and I were really on the same page.  And then I thought, why have I waited on working on this?  Now, if I do go on with this idea, will it seem like a complete copy?  I cannot take credit for an original design if it looks like something that was just put out there.  Why did I wait?  It completely reminded me of Elizabeth Gilbert’s story about how she and Ann Patchett, who are friends, found out that they were writing a story about the same thing, a story that no one else would have written about, but they were literally writing about the same thing at the same time, without knowing it.  So I know that there are ideas out there that are coming to more than just one person at a time.  The ideas are out there, the crux of the matter is, acting on the idea.  This idea I had for a pattern/design was a really good idea, but I waited and someone else acted, did something about the idea before me.

I love the shawl that was designed by the other designer/knitter and I applaud her for acting on a great idea.  And I realize there is no better time than the present to get moving on my own great ideas.  Scratch that.  Even if these ideas don’t turn out to be the greatest success, acting on an idea that keeps coming to me, keeps popping into my head, keeps revealing itself to me, is a worthwhile project.

Don’t wait, just do.