Life is a big knitted sweater. From the moment of our birth, we weave it day by day, loop by loop; its colour comes from benevolence, happiness, love, and sharing. The more colourful and bigger it becomes, the more warmth it brings. Each day is a tiny loop in the sweater of our lives. Each tiny loop means becoming more experienced and knowledgeable about how to become a person, become someone good, and walk the path of light. Sometimes, life makes us joyous. And what a joy it is! Other times, it can become immeasurably challenging. And what a challenge... One can fall into great despair or feel the strength to carry the entire world on our back. Sometimes, roads seem eternal; other times, one cannot even find the power to take one step. Life is weaved in ribbing - two reverse and one straight stitch.
So much dilemma, so much equation! When you make a mistake, you return to the beginning. “Start kneading again,” life says. “Did you do a wrong stitch in the beginning? Go back and start again.” Each day, if necessary. Two reverse stitches one day, and one straight the next. Because this is how life teaches us; it tests us first and, only then, teaches us the lesson. Our sweaters are painted each day under the influence of where we’re born, the ground we step on, the trees we inhale, and the fragrance of flowers that charm us. On happy summer days, we smell like the hyacinths of our own earth. Sometimes, our eyes are blinded by the fog around the top of our isolated mountains. We bathe in the waters of our own rivers; and are warmed, dried out, and burned by our own sun. Whatever this land teaches us, it becomes a part of our loops and the colour of our sweaters of life. The earth knows. The earth teaches. No matter where we are in the world, the earth first bends its inhabitants when they’re young and continues to teach them throughout their lives. We’ve been through hard days. Life continues to test us first and then teach its lessons. We’re all overwhelmed by some burden or suffering; the mountains of our minds surrounded by dark smog. No matter how many times we kiss something goodbye, the taste of pain stays on our tongues. No matter how closely we shut our eyes, we can still remember the pang. We’re always restless. We dream about the tests we keep failing. The wool sweater on our backs itches our bodies, hands, arms, and neck. In fact, in order for these sweaters to feel soft and warm, they need to be hand-knitted, rather than automatic looms, with loops of benevolence shared from the heart or happiness put on another’s face. Though one occasionally forgets this, one knows it deep down. Just as these lands survive thanks to benevolent touches, the strongest loops that warm us are woven when two hands and two pairs of eyes meet, without expectations and with compassion. Unfortunately, this is how life teaches us; it tests us first and, only then, teaches us the lesson. Those of us who pass the test all say the same thing: “You’ve helped and done something good for a stranger, a lonely kid, an abandoned animal, a thinly tree with a broken branch, or a flower that has been plucked out of its place and tossed aside. You’re reached out to them, listened to them, watered them, or fed them. You shared whatever you had, generously split your bread, and became the air for them. The more you gave and shared, the bigger you grew and multiplied. You’ve honoured your existence and made it meaningful. You’ve found your direction.” Life has many tests and, sometimes, its lessons can be heavy to bear. However, the answer always lies in the easiest place - in the palm of your hand, in your heart, in goodwill. Though we’ve taken many tests, the correct answer always shows the same direction - towards benevolence and weaving it, loop by loop. Life is a big, warm sweater. Each day is a tiny loop.
Once in a while, we need to remind ourselves: Each loop means a fresh, new chance to share who we really are, the goodness we carry in our hearts, and the soft compassion that makes itself known with every beating of our hearts.