Random Acts of Kindness ...

Lately, it seems, people around me having been giving of themselves in very nice ways. They have all inspired me to do the same. Not that I was not a giving person before but I think, and hope!, you know what I mean. I have a lot of photos today to share. Last summer my Mom was very giving and bought me season tickets to the Santa Fe Opera this year so that I could join her and her friend Mike on their Opera outings. A very nice gift indeed! Last summer I went to my very first opera, La Traviata, and had a most wonderful experience! Unfortunately, this season Mike is not joining us. He took a bad fall and broke his arm. It was so severe it required surgery to repair it before it could even begin to heal. We felt badly for Mike, not only because of his ordeal but because he would not be able to attend any of the operas this season. His tickets were available and he asked Mom if she knew anyone that might be interested. Well, we sure did. My best friend Dilshani is a huge fan of the theater and productions like Phantom of the Opera and Wicked. I knew she would just love the opera! The tickets, the entire season, were gifted to Dilshani. Mike is a very giving guy but that was most certainly a random act of kindness; the two of them have yet to meet. As soon as Mike is better we are all taking him out for a wonderful meal so that we can tell him all about the operas we have seen this season. Every Wednesday night is Opera Night during the month of July. I have taken a lot of pictures so far this season and will share them with you. There are selfies taken to mark each week! I don't have each week but I have a few. I try to get a good picture of the staging too because its always spectacular. Unfortunately, Dilshani couldn't come with us last week because she was sick. And last week she missed the best tailgaters of the season! Yes! People tailgate at the opera but not in the sense that you may have in your mind. It isn't like tailgating at a football game. People bring tables and wine and eat amazing foods. Most of the time these table are covered with white linens and have either flowers in a vase in the center of the table or candlesticks or a candelabra. I'm totally serious. Last week we saw the best ones yet. When we were done parking I walked over, introduced myself, and politely asked if I could take their picture. I explained I had a blog and would like to show their picture and explain they were definitely the best set up so far!

They were all dressed to the nines and noshing on salmon and steamed asparagus and I'm not sure what else. That's just what I could make out for sure. But the candelabra was the best we'd seen all season! Isn't it fantastic! They were so kind. They laughed when I told them I was blogging about them. They all paused and posed and looked like they were having a good time which I assure you they were. 

The weather had been bad as we were leaving town and rained almost all the way there. We were just a tad worried we would get rained on. This is what the sky looked like when we got there...I love the way the sun was shining on the trees...

Mom and I...

Let me show you the left side of the theater. We have 7th row seats on the right side of the theater, awesome seats but if it rains we're gonna get wet. Just like we did back on week 1. This is the openness of the theater and why we were just a little worried...

This is the staging from last weeks "Fidelio"...

We never go anywhere without our knitting, even to the opera! We knit before the show and during intermission. The folks sitting one row in front of us also have season tickets so we've been seeing them weekly. I still don't have their names. I'm going to have to fix that this coming week. Anyway, they live in Santa Fe and the wife is a knitter! We have been talking and sharing knitting info since the first week. They are wonderfully kind and very funny. She frequents our favorite Santa Fe knit shop, Yarn & Coffee, all the time and we all envy her! Mom was working on a pair of socks...

Dilshani and I from this weeks opera...

And Mom and I, we were both laughing and its one of my favorite pics of us...

And this is the staging from this weeks opera which was The Impresario and Le Rossignol. The first half was one opera and the second half was the other but they worked like an entire show. It was uh-mazing. So artistically creative and bold. We all loved it...

Earlier in the week we went out to run errands and have lunch. We drove right by some random acts of kindness...

Yarn Bombing!!!

 

I love seeing yarn bombing while out about town! Spreading the love of color of knitted goodness! While we were finally headed home after dropping off Aunt Betty we drove past a young girl holding up a sign for a lemonade stand. Now, when I was in the hospital last month and had some tests done in the nuclear lab, there was a huge poster that had been framed and drilled onto the ceiling so you could read it while lying flat on your back. It was a list of 100 things to never forget to do. One of the things on that list was to always buy lemonade from kids who have a lemonade stand. I told Mom to turn around. She did and we went for a glass of lemonade each. It was fabulous, home made with pulp lemonade. It was awesome lemonade...

As we were turning the car around I asked the girls if I could take their picture. They were SO excited! They all gathered together and smiled the biggest smiles they each had in them...

 

 You never know when you will have the opportunity to make someones day by just doing something nice. I enjoyed paying for the car behind me in the drive thru at Starbucks last week. It felt good. I know it made their day and my message to them was simply to pay it forward. 

I have belonged to the group on Facebook called "Addicted To Sock Knitting" and have thoroughly enjoyed seeing every one's handiwork, answering questions, giving my two cents when asked, etc. I had no idea until Dilshani told me that there is a mirror group for the Facebook one on Ravelry. Tuesday afternoon Dilshani texted me that she just received a package that made her day. Someone from the "Addicted To Sock Knitting" group on Ravelry had blindly sent her a Random Act of Kindness package with 2 sock knitting books and a one of them came with a DVD. It totally made her day. She told me that she joined the RAK....I asked her "Whats an RAK?" And then she told me. Things started to get a clearer for me. I asked her how I could join. She told me how and so I did. So did Mom. I like the idea of sending knitters I don't know a care package of goodies. We aren't that difficult to please...if its knitting related we're happy! I've put together a couple packages of my own and am just waiting for the Ravelers to get back to me with their addresses. I tried to tailor them a bit. I looked at one of the persons projects enough to know she likes to do shawls. So I went to my stash and pulled out a couple of skeins of Malabrigo and printed up 2 of my patterns and stuffed them into a envelope for mailing. I also put in a little cardboard tube used for holding crochets hooks and DPN's and things like that. For the second package I pulled a skein of Schaefer Yarn Anne which was already caked up and 3 skeins of Mini Mochi that I have been waiting to use and just never have. I looked up patterns that would suit the yardage for both of them and enclosed 2 patterns and another cardboard tube for the second person. I cant wait to get them sent out! I was so happy when Dilshani told me about this group. More importantly, I couldn't wait to put something together. I know how it just made Dilshani's day to receive that package. I read through some of the thank you's and some of these women receive their packages on really rough days and it totally changes the outlook for them for the rest of the day. Each one of us has the power to do this. I like that. With all the nice things people have done for me, I am paying it forward and cant wait to do it. 

In a previous post I wrote about making a square that would be made into, along with many other squares, a blanket for our friend Cheryl as a wedding present. The blanket has been made and here it is...

That's Celeste on the left and Debbie on the right. Debbie put all the squares into a blanket and did an awesome job too! My square is second from the right on the top row...Debbie has her hand on it. Another random act of kindness that will be appreciated every time Cheryl wraps up in it. 

We all have the power to change someones day, to make it better. We have all been given gifts time and time again and have the power to make things better for someone, if even only for a short time. I encourage you all to do random acts of kindness, pay it forward. You'll get it back time and time again if you give freely of yourself. Now on to the knitting!

I am way further along than this now but this is the most recent pic I have of it...my latest shawl design in progress...

And my sock progress...

The package with the sweater yarn arrived from Knit Picks so I've started on the first one but there isn't enough of it done to look like anything yet. But the yarn is gorgeous. Its their Shine Worsted in Currant. It photographs differently depending on the light. Its a deep red. I though the best place to photograph the knitting was outside. Well, maybe only for certain things. Here it is outside...

Could've just been the time of day it was. Here it is inside...

 My parents are leaving for England tomorrow. I am so envious I can barely stand it. They are having the good fortune of being able to visit Highclere Castle on this trip too. For You Downton Abbey fans, Highclere is where its filmed. If Audrey gets any closer she's going with them...

And I love this next one. She's been hanging out in the nooks along the wall lately and I got a good pic of her...just not looking at the me!

Rae has been on my mind a lot lately. I couldn't believe it when I captured this last week...

A heart in the sky! I miss you Rae Rae. Pass the good forward folks. I'd love to hear any good stories you might have of paying it forward or whats happening in your knitting world. Leave me some comments! Until the next time...Knit On!