Falling off the Bandwagon

"I refuse to spend my life worrying about what I eat. There's no pleasure worth foregoing just for an extra three years in the geriatric ward." -John Mortimer

We all do it, let's be honest. You have a hellacious week, and what you are putting into your mouth is the last thing on your mind. Welcome to the past week for me. I don't even want to admit the things I was eating, but, for the sake of fun and entertainment...let's do it. 

I don't know if I should start at the Happy Buffet where I ate a boatload of tempura and all things fried, or the number of stops at fast food joints. Happy FRIED February. Even as I sit here I am thinking about how great a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit from McDonald's would be right now. Gross. What is wrong with me?!?!

These are the weeks when I know I have to show myself a little grace. We all go there, the blipp off the radar. We fall off the bandwagon. We get off the beaten path. Ok, I'm sorry, that was a little overboard.

I didn't even get a single daggone blog in this week, and I know how much each and every one of you was waiting with bated breath for your email box to announce it. I even made a really really good Greek Chicken and Rice Soup which was killer. I'll add it, I promise.

Can I be forgiven? Thank you so very much. This week will be better. We all are so hard on ourselves when it comes to food and what we "should be eating" and how much and etc. DON'T be so hard on yourself all the time. Eat McDonald's that one day...trust me, you'll remember afterwards why you stopped eating it in the first place. 

On the topic of food and grace, I leave you with a visual of what I saw this week as I was coming out of the buffet. Imagine large duplex. One side was a sports bar and grill, and the other was a Christian preschool whose slogan was "We are here to serve." Now there's some food for thought....

no pun intended. :)

Enjoy the day!

Lindsay

Gladys and the Ladies

This past weekend, I was pretty exhausted and stressed out, to say the least. I kept thinking, "If only I could go across the hall to Gladys's apartment and share a cocktail with her and the ladies." Let me explain. When I first moved to DC, I was in an apartment in Alexandria, VA, and my 70 year old neighbor Gladys befriended me. Her door was across the hall from mine, and it always felt like I was visiting my grandmother.

Gladys and Me

I may look a little weird, but I love Gladys's look in the photo because she is such a hoot. You never know what insulting comment or pearl of wisdom is going to come out of her mouth next. Every Friday night, she invited her two closest friends, Lou and Dottie, over to have drinks. Or... "to get schnockered" as she would say. And they would. EVERY Friday. And I would join them. And occasionally, so would some of my friends because these ladies were far more enjoyable and fun than most people I knew.

Their drink of choice was vodka (Aristocrat to be exact) and tap water (to save calories). Now, I could NOT stomach vodka taps, so I used Sprite as my mixer. :) She served Goldfish, Helluva Good French Onion dip, Ruffles potato chips, and ordered a Domino's pizza with pepperoni. Every Friday. And they would dance to Bertie Higgin's hit, "Key Largo." Do you have an image in your mind? I hope it's half as good as the reality.

Here's a group breakdown:

Lou



Lou worked for a law firm in downtown DC and dresses to the nines. She has had a boyfriend for about 2 or 3 years whom she met at Civil War events, because that is her passion. She is demure and sweet, but has great insight. She is also a really fantastic cook.

Gladys

Gladys is off the wall and hilarious. She would give you the shirt off her back, and can make anyone laugh no matter what they are going through that day. Her husband Ronnie died when he was 49 and is buried in Arlington Cemetery, and Gladys has never looked at another man since then. She generally greets me with, "Gomer says hey!" and if she disagrees, will yell, "Oh turn blue!" She also strongly dislikes Dottie, but invites her anyways (which means she actually likes her...).

Dottie

 Dottie tells us she is in her 70s, but really she is in her 80s. We have no idea why she lies. She also likes to show her cleavage....we also don't know why. She can barely hear, and has a strange, "HUH?!" that she says after someone says something....because she really cannot hear anything. And she has NO idea that Gladys can't stand her.

The evening starts off well until Gladys begins to get irritated with Dottie because she can't hear. The following happens at least 10 times every Friday night:

Gladys: Tells some story and offers some insight
Dottie: Offers the same insight
Gladys: "I already said that, Dottie."
Dottie: "HUH?!?!"
Gladys: "I said, I already said that five times, Dottie!"

Gladys looks at me and rolls her eyes. "She's drives me crazy...she's deaf as a post!"
Dottie: "Huh?!"
Lou: Giggles but says nothing
Me: Dying laughing, but trying to help Dottie understand the situation.

Take a drink, and repeat 9 times throughout the evening.

The evening ends at 8 PM on the dot. It is a good time had by all.

I share this with you to say that you never know who you will meet and who will touch your life. I will NEVER forget these ladies or the love and laughs they shared with me. My grandparents were never involved in my life, and Gladys is the closest thing I have to a grandmother. Despite their idiosyncracies, or Dottie's deafness, they still show each other grace by showing up at the most important times in each others' lives. It may seem like they are mean to each other, and really, at times they are, but the love is felt when you are there.

Before Gladys, I didn't know how to relate to the elderly, and now, I realize the potential in a frienship with them. They are wise, they are funny, they are supportive, and they have experiences that will bring tears, laughter and depth to any situation. So if you have them, love on them. If you don't have them, find them!

In honor of Gladys, I'd like to end this post by saying,

TURN BLUE!

~Lindsay

The Girl in the Park

"Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live."  -Jackie Windspear

This morning, I took Wrigley to an arboretum to meet up with my new friend, Megan. The more I learn about her, the more I admire her, and today, she blew me away. As we took the dogs to a little area on the lake, there was a young woman sitting on a bench. She had a bag, a gallon of water, some music, and a box full of cigarettes, lighters, and other little things. It was very clear she was getting ready to do some kind of drug, though it was hard to say which one. 

The girl was so sweet and asked about our dogs and struck up a conversation with us. After a few minutes, Megan stepped forward and touched the girls arm. "Are you ok?" 

The girl simply said,"oh yeah...I'm fine. I just like to come out here in the mornings."

"Are you sure? Because I see you have a bag, and it is really cold, and I just want to make sure you are ok. Do you have any food or gloves?"

"Yeah yeah, I live close by. It is cold, but I try not to stay here too long."

Megan, "Ok, I am not trying to be annoying, but I have been a social worker and a mother for a long time, and I have been 22 and with no money, and I just want to make sure you have help if you need it." 

The girl paused and looked at us and said, "Oh my God. There are still people like you that exist? This is so good to know around Christmastime. Thank you so much, but I am really ok." 

We said we would leave her to her alone time and to have a great day, and we left.

Not only was she absolutely beautiful, but she was friendly and sweet. What a beautiful girl that I would have passed by, if not for Megan. I was silent for a few seconds after we walked away. Megan turned to me and said, "Sorry, I was trying to figure out how to make sure she was ok without making you feel awkward. It's just that I have seen that too many times, and I can't overlook it." She was worried about making me feel awkward when she was reaching out to someone who seemed to need help!! Unreal...but so inspiring. 

I am left feeling inspired, impressed, and if I were being honest...ashamed. If Megan hadn't been there, I know that I would not have approached that girl, much less be sure she had everything she needs. Isn't that so common for us to do? At times, we don't know what to say, we are afraid of offending them, or we are too scared, perhaps, of what it means to reach down into their lives and extend grace. Or, we are so caught up in our own lives that we are blind to the suffering of the person sitting next to us in a park, in a coffee shop, in our family. 

It was the most beautiful reminder to show compassion, and to do it fearlessly. Would it be better for me to feel less embarrassed than to ask someone if they need a meal or a place to sleep? Let's all remember to never be too busy to ask someone if they need a meal, if they needs gloves, if they need to talk. It is easy to walk past and go about our day, but let us show GRACE to each and every person, and when we have an opportunity, to seize upon it.

Thank you, Megan, for reminding me how important it is to look at every person as an opportunity to show grace and compassion, whether a millionaire who is lonely, or the poverty-stricken person who is hungry. Thank you for showing me what it means to live a a life of grace.

-Linbrooke

p.s. I watch this show, and if ever there is an example of living grace, it is in this series: