I am fascinated by “the ties that bind”. For me, they are those instances in life where you feel at one with another person, as if you are sitting on a comfy sofa, opposite their brain, realising you are functioning at the same level, thinking similar thoughts, being amused by similar circumstances. These ties are often very happy across cultural boundaries. I had a glimpse of this yesterday. I was waiting for a habitually late train. There was another redhead sat at the windy station, knitting. I also knit on trains. When I lived in S. Africa, I used to travel in third class on the train and sit with the African ladies and their needles. So, here I am, the immigrant, talking to a local about knitting – sock patterns we have known and loved, stitches we have not been able to master etc. As the only white person in third class, much of the bonding over the needles was done by friendly nudges, winning smiles and giggles. Folk arts are very folky. Just as the fingers were designed to touch and relate and love, so they communicate silently the artistic wedge inside a culture. They wave magically, producing legion colourful clothing, decorative arts, furnishings and domestic functional items – an extension of the heart.
(written in July 2008 for my now defunct blog chaisociety.wordpress.com)
1 comment:
It is amazing indeed, when it happens,
this instant bonding with strangers.
On the other hand, some encounters signal immediately that there's no possibility to connect, isn't it?
I hope you find the root of your headache or it goes away on its own!
You wrote me about a picture to use on your screen.
I apologize for not answering. It's always the same problem, I want to add more than three words and then the time never comes. Please go ahead, for your own use it's no problem. Let me know if you need a higher pixel number, please.
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