Once upon a time, a girl who liked to wander
encountered the boy who loved to knit. I can’t say their eyes sparkled and
fireworks went off, but, one way or another, there was substantial chemistry
between them. As the days passed by, the girl who liked to wonder discovered
that the boy who loved to knit also loved to restlessly talk about it. Indeed,
he loved it so much, he even brought his knitted creations on their dates and
continued to knit as they walked side by side, engaged in conversation, or
kissed. As more days passed by, things turned sour. His obsession about
knitting was simply overwhelming, if not boring her to death. Time after time she
would find herself looking blankly at him, while he was upraising the perks of
knitting…
How their story ended
can be mildly irrelevant, since I’m trying to raise a point here. Firstly, a
disclaimer: I have absolutely nothing against knitting, I assure you. I know at
least three people out there, who enjoy it greatly. And one of them may or may
not be over 50. Secondly, how the idea about the boy who loved to knit was
born: On the one hand, it was inspired by the original boy who loved to knit.
As a result, I see a facebook report coming my way. On the other hand, I may or
may have not gotten the idea by a fellow blogger and avid commenter of my blog,
who once mentioned being on a date with a guy who started talking about opera
and never stopped.
How opera and knitting
relates, you may ask. Well, knitting is an exemplary activity/hobby that I
picked in order to address the subject of boys, girls, friends, or even
relatives (good luck with that!), who cannot stop talking enthusiastically
about their favorite hobby. Knitting was a random choice. Or, maybe, it was not
so random, because I wanted the story to sound humorous quirky. What beats the
thought of a guy who is knitting on the first date?
Anyway, let’s suppose
you meet this boy – or girl, it’s up to you. Let’s suppose that, despite this
shtick, you enjoy their company and would like to keep hanging out with them…
if it wasn’t for these damn knitting lectures! What should you do?
1.
Pick up knitting. Or at least give it a try, so
as to figure out why they are so enthusiastic about it. I just cross my fingers
and wish that their hobby is not skydiving and you are crazily afraid of heights.
2.
Try to engage them in conversations about other
topics. Try to figure out if they might be interested in something else, as
well. Something that could lead to a discussion you will both enjoy.
3.
Try to engage them in conversations about your hobbies and interests. See how
willing they are to discuss subjects that matter to you. Split the time in
half; if you went knitting on the first date, then you get to choose what you
will do in the second one, and so on. Pick wisely; pick something you enjoy. After
all, relationships – all kind of them – are about sharing. You don’t need to
make a list of issues you can discuss; your intentions should be implicit. Change
subjects and steer the conversation towards other things (e.g. ‘Hey! Was that Lady Gaga that just passed
by?’).
4.
The last resort: Confront them openly. Be straightforward
and clear about what annoys you. But, above everything else, remain polite. As
one of my closest friends Instagramed lately,
‘speak when you’re angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret’.
You can’t go around scolding people about their passions and interests. Sometimes
talking too much – or knitting on dates – is something they might do
subconsciously, because they just love knitting soooo much. Oh, and maybe a little more than that.
Take my advice with a
grain of salt, that’s the way advice should be always treated. Game of Thrones
is an excellent example of what can happen to you when you trust someone
blindly. I wrote this piece because a couple years ago, when I was dating the
boy who loved to knit, I never said anything. I never complained. I just nodded
and smiled. And then I would go back to my friends and whine about how insufferable
and boring our date was. There were, of course another reasons I kept dating
him – not a bad chap, after all, but, looking backwards, I think I would have
been happier, if I had been more honest. And I think my friends will agree with
this statement, too.
Last but not least, I would like to say that I have been lucky enough to come across some very talented people, such as athletes, students, musicians, people who are tremendously socializing, telling jokes, and baking muffins (these are considered talents in my list), and I have noticed the following: They never brag so much about the things they are most passionate - I'm leaving good out of this equation - about. They won't tell you how awesome knitting is; they are more likely to excuse themselves after the second drink, go home, and wake up early the next day for knitting practice.
What are your thouhgts on this matter? I'd be glad to read your comments!
Un beso enorme to all my wonderful readers!
Hop you enjoyed this post!
Hop you enjoyed this post!
hahaha :D the boy who knitted seems sexually liberated to me :D
ReplyDeleteThanks for picking up on my issue :)
I loved reading your article. Your advice is helpful, but sometimes a bad date is a bad date xD
But maybe I'll know go a little more open into a conversation about very crazy hobbies like knitting.
For example today I had a whole conversation about smoking, even though I don't even smoke and I know nothing about what's a good or bad cigarette brand, but apparently my basic knowledge about the process of inhaling and exhaling was enough to keep the conversation going! hahaha :D