I love the idea of a god devoted to removing obstacles in people’s lives.  Obstacles that prevent us from doing the things we want to do, getting the education we want, being with the people we love, or even being creative.  Removing, conquering, or circumventing obstacles is an everyday occurrence, but some seem just too big to tackle on our own.  I have a tendency to bulldoze right through the big obstacles in my life, such as not having enough money for college:  I went anyway and just worked it out day to day, living on very little money and eating a lot of macaroni and cheese, but I received the education I wanted and love my career. Not enough money for a big wedding?  My husband got us a beautiful venue for a reception in a small art gallery, we did a luncheon that was catered by a very good new home-based caterer, and my sister and I picked organic strawberries like crazy the day before for the dessert. Cake was made by a friend, as were my flowers.  I had a wedding  reception that people still tell me they really liked a lot 20 years later by ignoring all the obstacles and thinking outside the box.

So why on earth can’t I do the same when it comes to drawing, painting, or designing knitwear? I always believed not having enough time was my obstacle, but now that my kids are older I have plenty of time.  These obstacles are little ones but I allow them to keep me from being as creative as I could be. I find myself reading through the morning I was going to use to design a baby sweater, or defaulting to knitting a plain sweater instead of experimenting with swatches of yarns I have in my stash. This week I am determined to use my time to create.

Of course, as I wrote that last sentence my daughter came in the room and told me she has to be across town in 20 minutes.  It takes 25 minutes to get there.  So I will remember that Live is the first word of my blog name, and go spend some non-obstacle time with my daughter.