Wednesday, April 3, 2013

The third dish of April

speed of light coffee cup -- grab it before it gets away
It was April thirdish -- the third dish of April & who would have blamed her for taking a second helping. After all that Marching, colder than January.

But the cafeteria lady, the one with the hairnet & the big spoon, gave her that no-no finger sign. "One per customer," she said, firmly but not unkindly. "Same as always."

Whether you like the dish or not, that's the rule. One person, one day. You have to eat it all, unless you choke on it & aren't signed up for tomorrow, & you never get to eat it more than once. You can think you're getting another go at it, but what you're doing is always & only flavoring the new dish day with the seasonings of the old. Every day is fresh new ingredients & you can nibble at them or gulp them down or push them away & pretend you're on some "not today" diet, but eat you will, my darlings. You can make lemonade out of lemons; make mudpies out of mud puddles (heroically decorated with three pebbles & a twig with one leaf left); mix things up with your tastes in mind. There's bound to be something in your day that's less to your liking than some of the other bits, but if you focus on the parts you like, it's a way of putting more of those delectables onto the shopping list. The cafeteria lady will favor you with a smile & a wink & give you a special serving designed just for you.

I just helped a friend out by providing a red sharpie, two ellie poo paper hearts (paper made from elephant dung -- it's way cooler than it sounds) & a glue stick. When she returned the parts she didn't use to my room & admired some of my (very) eclectic decorating & art work, she passed along a compliment that her mother gave to her: "You have a curly mind." I so love that!

Blog alternative:
255. Think about the flavors of the day -- this one or another from not so long ago. Put your favorites on a mental shopping list & keep an eye out: that cafeteria lady just might serve them up soon.