Sunday's Child

A Mother's Gift: Knit One, Purl One

During my time at the gym today, I listened to a CBC podcast with Mary Hynes. Mary is the host of Tapestry, a program that airs each Sunday afternoon. She interviews people from different walks of life who share their spiritual quests. Mary's guests are consistently articulate; they all have something to say, and they say it very well.

During this particular podcast, I was struck by the remarks made by her guest regarding mantras. She believed that every human being has a repetitive pattern that they use to diminish stress -- whether they know it or not. She referred to it as a personal mantra. A repetitive activity that moves our mind from worry and fear, to a calm, orderly place. It can be as simple as washing the dishes, or as difficult as sitting in quiet meditation (I find meditation to be next to impossible). Something that we do easily and with little thought.

It was on the treadmill that the thought struck me. Knit one, purl one. I have a mantra. In spite of the fact that a person really can have too many slippers and tea cozies, I knit. There's something very peaceful about the repetitive nature of moving a line of stitches from one knitting needle to another.

My mother taught me to knit when I was a little girl. Could she have known that forty-odd years into her daughter's life, that the time she spent teaching her to cast on, cast off, knit and purl, would one day provide a personal mantra? Probably not. But it's kind of neat to think that the older generation was looking out for the younger generation. If I have grandkids, I'm going to teach them how to knit, or if that fails, I'll get them to help me with the dishes.