Citius, Alitius, Fortius

(Note: Click on the picture for a better look. It's a hawk flying near the VA).

I actually have two blogs; this one and a knitting blog. I don't usually talk about knitting on this blog, because, well, most people who would read this blog would not be all that interested in knitting (and vice versa). Today, however, I'm going to cross-post. Something kind of cool is happening in the knitting world which I think has some meaning for life in general.

A few weeks ago, a Canadian knitter who has published a couple of books posted an invitation on her blog. It's pretty common in the knitting blog world to create Knit-Alongs -- "Hey, I'm doing such and such. Anybody want to join me?" Stephanie challenged knitters to choose a project that the knitter felt was a challenge, cast the project on no sooner than the opening ceremonies and then finish it before the end of the Olympics (closing ceremonies). The project had to be a personal challenge for the knitter. A beginning might attempt a simple scarf; an advanced knitter might try to complete a lace tablecloth using dental floss and toothpicks. The goal was "Citius, Alitius, Fortius" (Latin for Faster, Higher, Stronger).

I joined, and so did 4047 other knitters across the globe. This knit along has almost twice as many partipants as there are atheletes in the Torino games (about 2400). Knitters are from Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia and South America. When the Olympics are over, those who participated will be able to say, "I am better at this than I was 16 days ago."

My point with all of this boring knitting talk is to ask, "How often do we take up that kind of challenge in life?" Do we (I) ever set a specific goal with a specific time table with the idea of being better at something?

Lent is 2 weeks away. We (I) often make plans to "give something up" for Lent. From its beginnings, Lent has had a connotation of fasting -- we've expanded that meaning to include self-sacrifice. What if we (I), instead of "giving something up" decided to set a self-improvement goal. Examples:

• By Easter, I will have incorporated prayer into my daily life, so that it has become a habit.
• By Easter, I will have studied the book of Job so that I have a real understanding of its meaning (don't do this -- ick).
• By Easter, I will have read three books about parenting and tried to glean from then lessons in how to do this very important job.
• Throughout Lent, I will spend 10 hours in volunteer work.

These are just examples so that I can try to make my point. By the times the Olympics are over, I will have knit a garment which requires gauge adjustments (which I've never done before). I will be able to say, "I am a better knitter." Wouldn't it be great to be able to say on Easter, "I am closer to God that I was on Ash Wednesday" or "I have a better understanding of God's Word" or even "I think I might actually be a better Christian than I was 40 days ago."

Quite a challenge.