Seven Things

I have long been a believer in serendipity, providence or karma. Call it what you wish, but the universe has a funny and ironic way of folding back on itself and handing you things just when you need them. I am not talking about answered prayers or acknowledged petitions. I mean seemingly random gifts that surprise you and astound you and have you saying, “THAT is exactly what I NEED!” Often, they arrive before you even realize you wanted them.

A sorority sister posted something on her Facebook wall this morning. I took the hyperlink and was instantly hooked. I added Margaret’s blog to my Google reader feed and fell down the rabbit hole. Satirical nostalgia referencing the daily grind: perfect. The wry wit and awkward childhood recollections harmonize closer than I would normally admit, yet I sat across the dining table at Macaroni Grill last night with my oldest sister, reminiscing about our own childhoods. The very middle class, tract housing, unincorporated Dade County landscape of our upbringing is a shared American experience.

So in the vein of Loobylu‘s Hot and Not Wednesday, I am going to do the Blog meme Margaret did more than a week ago. It is something to write about. Anyone with Facebook has likely done the 25 things and since only my FB Friends can see that, I will share My Seven here:

1. I am a carnivorous reader, but I prefer immersive fiction. I admit getting the last of the Harry Potter series at midnight, scuttling home, rereading the last 3rd of the Half Blood Prince before breaking the spine of The Deadly Hallows, reading it cover to cover before 1 pm. I truly love serialized stories. The Sword of Truth, The Twilight Series, The Left Behind Series and I have read most of the kid/teen series, too. Spiderwick Chronicles, The Percy Jackson Series. You get the point.  I will hurl a book across the room if I get to the end and there is a “to be continued” ending….especially if it is not yet written. My confession is that I never read the LOTR. Infidel!

2. I love the Catholic Mass, I pray my Rosary. I truly believe the tenets of my faith. I am not a great fan or supporter of “The Church”. I love SOME of the things The Church did: funding the Renaissance and getting Western civilization out of the Dark Ages….but the current scandals, what The Church did or failed to do during WWII…these things make me turn from the church.

3. I am not a chocoholic. While I love chocolate, I can eat a single piece of chocolate. But…it must be DARK chocolate and high quality. I will have a few Dove dark pieces the way a wine enthusiast will drink domestic Cabernet. It is palatable, but given my preference, I will wait for the truly unique piece of chocolate. And milk chocolate will spoil around me. What is the point?

4. I see things. Not hallucinations but ideas and concepts. I visualize words. To me, a calendar is a 3-D image. When I plan or plot time, I rotate the image in my mind. I wish I was an artist so I could make a rendition of my mind’s eye week or month or year. I have now completed drawings of a house I have visualized in my head for over a decade. I somehow cannot convince the contractors giving me bids that I won’t be fickle or indecisive about product choices or design because in my mind, this house already exists.

5. For someone that must be serious and professional for so much of my existence, I am an absurdly silly person. It is likely that most people, even some who have worked closely with me for years would be shocked at how ridiculous I am. And I have no difficulty being the fool…once I am “off the clock”. I even surprise my kids with my eagerness to be silly.

6. I should have been a caterer. I dream of having my own little bake shop. I finally admitted to my sister last night that I want to go someplace and cook for six months. Tuscany, the wine country in California, someplace. I want to learn how to make authentic French pastries and artisan bread. I adore the notion of the search for the perfect loaf of bread. Cooking is one of the very first creative arts. Primitive man hunted, killed and ate. Then one day…he (or she) COOKED. Food is Art. It is a large part of the beauty in my small world.

7. I absolutely believe in LOVE. I think we have a sadly narrow modern idea of love. Love is too bound up with sexuality. Love is far removed from the cerebral. Love is too truncated. And this is a great failing. Love thy neighbor. Love thyself. Love. Emerson said, “Be silly. Be kind. Be Honest.” But above all things, LOVE. Love is boundless. Love is not owned. It can’t be pocketed or banked. Love can’t be contained. True love is generous, unconditional, non-judgmental. I strive to love better. To love well and true and deeply. Love freely.

These are seven things about me……

1 thought on “Seven Things”

  1. Thank you for the compliment and for subscribing! Not gonna lie, I’m still a little shocked that people are interested in/identify with my goofy childhood.

    Also, our chocolate philosophies are exactly in line. MUST BE DARK.

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