Howdy, Neighbor

Having grown up in Los Angeles, saying “Hi” and making eye contact with strangers is not second nature to me. I think that’s why many people from other parts of the country consider Californians weird and self-centered. Its nothing personal, its just how we were raised. I remember when we first moved to Texas, thinking that people must be able to tell we’re from out of town because they are always staring at us. It took me awhile to realize they weren’t staring, they were making eye contact; a term I had to learn the meaning of. Continuing to live in Southern California, I have noticed that people still tend not to say “Hi” or “Have a nice day” when you get off the elevator like they do in Texas and other places.

However, what seems to break the ice with any hard-nosed Californian is knitting – well, as long as they are a knitter themselves. I’ve commented on it in the past about how friendly knitters are as a bunch and its true. Today, I was finishing up my lunch break in the park in front of our building (soon to be torn down by the way – a reality I’m still in denial about) knitting. I happened to look up as a lady I had never seen before walked by. I noticed she was looking right back at me instead of her feet, so I smiled. Then she said, “I came to knit out here, too.” She ended up sitting on the bench next to me and she worked on an open weave bolero, while I finished a couple more rounds of my Starry Night sleeve. So, if only the rest of the world would pick up some sticks and knit instead of hit, we’d all live in a much better place. Pure cheese, I know.