Passing It On

This may be something of a small departure from my normal attempts at a coherent blog post, but bear with me. I swear, it is still (however tangentially) knitting-related.

I don't know about you, but I often get the sense of being isolated. Not necessarily at home, but certainly in my life outside the private sphere. Certainly, this has to do with not often making eye contact and at least attempting to go about my errands and such with a sense of purpose and direction. That is to say, unless I'm in a yarn or fabric store, I try very much not to wander around aimlessly. If I am in a grocery store and I just need a package of tofu and a head of cabbage, look out: I will politely wait for you to move and then relentlessly find the head of cabbage I am looking for.

But in all seriousness, I often get this disconnected feeling, sort of like that annoying, disheartening busy signal on the phone. Pulsing and uncaring, or worse yet-- that three-note, trill, "be-Ee-EP! We're sorry but the number..." 

I try not to be that sort of person-- I try to genuinely smile and engage with clerks and customer service representatives, I compliment people when I feel the need to... Although I have a pretty profoundly unfriendly neutral expression, for all intents and purposes, I am not truly unfriendly. 

So imagine my surprise today when I found that I'm not quite as marooned on an island of my own making as I originally thought. 

The news came to me in what was a pretty innocuous comment made by a coworker/friend/human that I often converse with. She is bright and friendly and also shares my paradoxical love of both Hello Kitty and zombies. It was easy to begin chatting with her about bento and video games and all manner of nerdy/cute/fun things. She came to admire the knitting projects that I often wear to the office (I sit under an air conditioning vent so this is more practicality than vanity).

Yeah, this is (one of) my lunch boxes. 

(I actually bring between three and four containers of food to work daily. It's hard out there for a vegan with culinary-based sensibilities.) 

And then she said it-- essentially, she had been telling her daughter about me and my... exploits, I guess, specifically in the field of knitting, and the reaction of this young woman was the desire to learn how to knit. 

I was charmed, of course, and then a little taken aback. Surely, this was some innate desire to learn already in the girl. From what I understand, she is rather crafty. Still, the sensation that-- well, maybe I may not have been the root cause, but I was at least a catalyzing agent was nevertheless profound.

When I think about people regarding me, both my character and my physique, I generally assume that it is negative. Probably not the healthiest frame of mind, but nevertheless a realistic portrayal of my train of thought. To find that I am admired if not, dare I say it-- mildly idolized? This is nothing short of an epiphany.

I was this young woman's age when I started knitting and apart from the somewhat ageist treatment I receive(d) in some yarn stores, there is no better time to hone your skills. Despite how it feels in high school and even in college while pursuing a bachelor's degree-- one still has quite a bit of free time in which to improve technique and make some neat practical applications in wool and other fibers. Nothing quite like having the neatest pair of handmade woolen gloves while your friends and shivering in their acrylic, mass produced attempts at warmth. 

So I gave my coworker/friend/human some advice about knitting tutorials (knittinghelp.com 4 LYFE), some information about where to buy, what to get, some suggestions on a first project, suggestions about yarn, etc.

I was feeling bolstered after this exchange. In fact, I still am, even as I chronicle this rather inexplicable event. 

Adding to the serendipity of this occasion is that I am currently listening to an audiobook that features predominantly the Dalai Lama's thoughts on happiness. Lasting, profound happiness, he says, comes from realizing the connection between all beings and the feeling of compassion towards one another.

Pass it on, everyone: we are each uniquely awesome and no one thinks as ill about us as we do ourselves.

So chalk this up to the vast interconnections of mankind. Also, I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself.