Mid-October in Michigan means autumn settles in, and then so do the birthdays. Mine is in there, and my friends and family delight my heart when they remember. They are like the riots of yellow, orange and red leaves on the trees that come with the season of change, the excitement before the blah of the winter days ahead. (It’s really gray and monochromatic around here. Seriously — the sky, the ground, the water, the roads, most of the buildings… all gray… for months. and months.)
One of the most colorful people who I am lucky enough to hang around with is a former colleague from Mexico. She’s working here in the U.S. as an expat and I have been enjoying spending time with her and exploring with her. Everything is new and exciting seen through her eyes… a lot of everyday things I can sometimes take for granted come to life. Finding fun in trying new things is something I aspire to. Her joy in discovery is infectious.
(When I visited Mexico, she and other friends there took time to introduce to me new foods, restaurants, places, customs, art… They made sure I experienced something unexpected and unforgettable on every visit.)
Since she arrived earlier this year she has been exploring all things Detroit, Michigan and American. I haven’t been able to join her on as many expeditions as I had hoped, but I get to hear her stories about playing tourist in downtown Detroit, and Miami and Chicago, even visiting Kansas City and parts of Canada. I’m terribly jealous, and she is having so much fun.
This summer, I took her to a local farmer’s market and she wanted to try and taste everything! We ate bites of cheese from the aptly named Cheese Lady, bought chocolate tarts from the French Lady, and cooked up a market frittata filled with veggies from every stand, including wild mushrooms from the Mushroom lady! She had a great conversation with the Berry lady as she tried sweet cherries for the first time. I love going to the market on Saturday mornings, but that visit was the most fun I’d ever had.
In the same spirit of adventure, she presented me with a very special gift for my birthday — it is as original as she is and is a great example of how much joy she finds in the world and her desire to share it.
We saw them first on that summer trip to the farmer’s market. She had never seen how they grow and I had to chuckle at how surprised she was. She wanted to buy them for our culinary efforts that day, but I didn’t think they really worked in a frittata.
She saw them again this week at another market and decided they would make a great gift for my October birthday. My soul hasn’t smiled this much in a while — for she presented me with a carefully wrapped large stalk of Brussel sprouts!
No really, sprouts!
Honestly, a bouquet of flowers pales in comparison!!
They are fresh from the farm, dark green and leafy, cut at the perfect time. Sprouts are such a hearty fall veggie and she knows that I have a couple of recipes I want to try. It’s a terribly practical gift, too. HA! (And this is the year I’m supposed to get groceries for gifts! You know, 2 is the year for cotton, 5 is wood, 25 is silver, etc., etc. And 44 is groceries! Who knew?? )
She is as thoughtful and silly as her gift, and my heart is full because I am lucky to have a forest of friends and family like her around me. I hope everyone at one time in their life (or more!) receives a gift like a “bouquet of sharpened pencils” or a stalk of Brussel sprouts — unexpected and filled just with the joy of life!
Christina's New Deal 