Hello and welcome to a balmy Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is November 7th.
Is it just me, or has it been a wackadoodle of a week?
If history is any kind of reflection or indication - cosmic, karmic, spiritual, or otherwise - of present-day events, then it's worth mentioning that on this day in history (see below) there were two coups, one revolution, the first woman elected to Congress, and France held the first inter-city bicycle race, presumably, in the world. (Wannaska has yet to host its first inter-city biking event. Perhaps this can be a 2021 goal?)
A friend of mine told me that "Mercury is in Retrograde until Tuesday." I have no idea what that actually means, but I assume, given the Monday I had, it's not good.
I'll spare you the details of just how out of whack my week started (we're talking epic proportions), and instead skip to the part when I got into my car, called my cousin, and announced that I’d just had the worst morning ever and that I was going home to make myself a very good coffee and bake myself a cake. (And this was the day before the election.)
I got home, cleaned up the kitchen, made lunch, then prepped for the baking. When I started creaming the butter and sugar for a chocolate chip cake, I imagined myself chowing right through it. While the cake baked, I savored my delicious freshly-made, French-pressed coffee, sat down to my computer, and started working.
By the time the cake was cooled and ready to be consumed – I’d calmed considerably. I looked up from my laptop and realized I had something to celebrate: a cleaned-up kitchen, leftovers eaten and out of the fridge, progress on clients' projects as well as my own creative writing. It wasn’t the cake that ended up making me feel better, but the productivity – putting my energy toward something that had a satisfying outcome despite the weird morning mojo that had hit me. So, while I did have a piece or two (okay, it was three), I was able to step away from the cake. I even won brownie points with the kids when they came home and saw that mom had made cake.
Then we got to Tuesday's election, and boy was that an emotional roller coaster of a day. I made another cake, rationalizing that it was the act of making the cake that would provide satisfaction and solace more than the act of consuming the cake.
On Wednesday, I considered making more cake but decided that if I were to bake cake three days in a row that would suggest I had a cake habit, which could be misconstrued as a problem. So I switched gears and, like a rabbit with a lettuce leaf, nibbled nervously through the rest of the Halloween candy.
Thursday night. Well, okay - I confess. In a weak moment at the grocery store, I bought a doughnut. (The ceaseless election coverage made me do it!) Admittedly, I might have enjoyed it more if I had made it myself.
By Friday, all that was left in my ultra-secret, code-red chocolate stash were a few Hershey's nuggets. By this time, even I agreed I had to put a stop to the madness.
Interestingly, despite the month's worth of baked goods crammed into a week, instead of suffering a sugar hangover or caving to the anxiety as we wait to hear who wins the election, I’m feeling relieved and grateful.
First, for the entirety of its three-month occupation in our yard, my Biden sign remained unplucked and undefamed. No small feat here in Wannaska land where Trump landed 72% of the vote and Kanye West garnered 20 big ones. When I told my family back in late July that I was getting a Biden sign, they exclaimed, “What?! Do you want us to get vandalized?” When I paired Biden with Burkel it allayed their fears – mostly. So, thank you to all the folks who silently cringed as they drove past my house, maybe said a prayer for my family’s souls – and left it at that. I give you a lot of credit for hanging in there.
Secondly, sitting at home in front of my computer has done me no favors. While I am surrounded by plenty of people on a daily basis (We have six people in our household, you know), I realized that spending a lot of time with my own family was not the same as interacting with people from my community. I have been “staying on the farm” as my dad used to say. I haven't gone anywhere unless I need to – and even then, I send the hubs if I can. This self-imposed isolation has led to a gnashing of teeth as I sit at my computer, working, then scrolling through Facebook. Yes, I know. The eye rolls of indignation are welcomed. Even deserved. I agree. My eyes ache from their own auto-rolls.
So between the pandemic, the election results being in limbo, and living in a community in which I am the political minority, I haven't exactly been chomping at the bit to even go to the grocery store.
But, on the night of the doughnut incident, as I browsed by the meat counter then headed toward the produce aisle, a woman and I passed each other. I knew who she had voted for. She knew who I had voted for. We made eye contact. We smiled. And you know what? My smile felt good.
I had feared my vision would blur, my cheeks would flush, and seething would course through my body like hot flashes. Instead, I felt good! What a relief to discover that, yes, somewhere inside me exists a capacity to keep loving my neighbors. That when I looked at her I didn't see the BBQ, BEER, FREEDOM guy, and when she looked at me she didn't see Antifa.
The election results are going to be what they’re going to be. I think what's more important is what this election revealed which is a nation that is pretty much split right down the middle.
How we go on living with our neighbors. That is the question worth pondering.
For now, I celebrate the gratitude for a sign that stayed in place for three months, relief in a genuine heartfelt smile at the grocery store, and some good cake.
On This Day
Remembering You
Kim
ReplyDeleteI sympathize with your week of poll watching. When I talked to people who had voted the other way, they all said, I hope we accept the results and move on.
I like the Inter-City Race Idea. How about Wannaska to Skime: 14 miles.
Wackadoodle. Hmmm. . . Is that anything like a Jaberwocky?
ReplyDeleteYou author, you. Writing blossoms more each week.
Hope your cakes were appreciated by others in addition to yourself.