Keep it loose, keep it tight

Note: I do not intend this to become the "my weekly reaction to Grey's Anatomy" blog, but please bear with me as I react to yet another episode of the BEST SHOW ON TELEVISION!

If you'll recall, a few weeks back I determined that I most identified with Seattle General Intern Izzie Stevens-- a talented, crafty woman who, currently, has strong feelings for a rather adorable man in need of a heart transplant. Izzie is a Pollyanna type (not unlike myself) who bakes and cleans when she's upset, works hard at keeping her family of friends together and on speaking terms, and - we learned this week - knits. I relate to all of these things... sometimes too well.
It's not simply that Izzie knits. Rather, she and Meredith have taken up knitting and celibacy at the same time; they've replaced men with yarn. What's frightening is that I can actually say that I've done that.
After the "most significant relationship of my young life" (as I've termed it in the past) came to an end, I determined that I had spent entirely too much of my time getting wrapped up in someone else's life, interests, etc. I am not the kind of person with a lot of free time, but I found that there were hours that were missing something... someone. So, I bought a pair of knitting needles, a skein of neon green and electric blue variegated yarn and decided that I would be able to knit by the end of Fall Break (aka, Columbus Day Weekend). And... I was.
By the end of the week I had finished my first scarf. I have a clear memory of leaving a Halloween party so that I could quietly sit in my living room watching "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and work on a project. By the end of the semester I could crochet, which I did while my friends played in the snow that the blizzards of 2002 brought to MD. I still wear some of the scarves and hats I made that winter. At the close of the academic year, I had finished my first afghan and not dated anyone for the entire school year. And then I left the country.
So, the trading men for yarn thing works... to a point. And, while I'd like to believe there is someone waiting for me to make him whole-- perhaps not at literally as Denny needing a new heart and Izzie being a surgeon, but I understand the analogy for Izzie's character and her need to fix things-- I don't hang out in a hospital with good looking surgeons and kind patients all day.
I'm reminded of an advertisement I saw at a movie theatre this weekend featuring modern-day Hummel type knick knacks depicting life lessons. One had a guy with bandages on his severed hands and an inscription which reads: You can't always do it yourself. Or the one of two men standing at urinals, one of whom has just whipped out his wallet: Not everyone wants to see your baby pictures. My favorite was the one that read: Dating can be awkward, but so is becoming a cat lady.
Not that I fear myself in danger of that-- I don't like my cat that much. But I see the point. Replacing relationships with hobbies works when you're trying to heal yourself. But there comes a point where you have to put the needles down and go on a couple of dates. Sometimes (or at all times, in my case) these dates remind you about why you weren't dating in the first place. But, there is always the chance that Chris O'Donnell will be playing the part of your vet this week; or at least that you'll meet your very own McDreamy.
I live in hope.

** Someone should have told Izzie "The Rule": You DO NOT make a sweater for a man before you have a ring on your finger (unless he is a relative). Her relationship with Denny is officially doomed. Handmade sweaters and new relationships don't mix.