Knitting needles can do more than knit

It's day 3 for me accompanying Evan to his BMT clinic appointments. Day 3 means dishcloth 3 for Alyssa's previously empty dishcloth drawer. She's a sponge fan. I'm not. A trip to JoAnn's in Sunday's crappy weather brought about a great ball of cotton yarn and a resolution to the sponge/dishcloth dilemma. The dishcloths also brought welcome conversation at the BMT clinic. Yesterday the woman sitting next to me asked me to show her how to knit "my way" (continental method). Today, a woman across the waiting room was trying to open the bottle of milk she brought along. It was one of those plastic bottles with the foil seal that is supposed to just pull off. She tugged and pulled and tried to pry it off. No luck. A woman sitting across from her offered help. She tugged and pulled and tried to pry it off. No luck for her either. I finished my row, walked across the waiting room with a single size 8 bamboo needle and offered to help. A quick puncture to the foil seal, followed by easing the needle tip along the edge of the bottle solved the problem.

Today's wait was pretty short. Evan's appointment took just an hour. (Sunday and Monday were 3-4 hours each.) At each one, I look around the room and see the same people waiting. Since this is the Blood Marrow Clinic, it's obvious that we're all there for the same reason: waiting for a transplant patient. Some people simply stare ahead; some read and some page through magazines. I knit. Simple repetitive movements mean constructive busy-ness without too much time to think. It's perfect. Tomorrow's appointment may be shorter or longer, but I'll have a project in my purse to carry me through as I wait for the transplant to carry Evan through.