Author: Frances

It was on a Friday of this month that my aunt Irene, my sister Anna and I went to the Tanger Outlet Center in Tilton, NH. Before wending our way to the stores we stopped at Uno Chicago Grill. The takeout menu says that this restaurant is a registered trademark of Pizzeria Uno Corporation.

I always thought that when you enter a restaurant and you’re not acknowledged within the first five minutes, esp. when you’re in sight of three employees, the smart thing to do is turn around and leave. We didn’t, but we should have. We waited and waited while two employees stood nearby-talking. Not wanting to upset my aunt, I said nothing. I think Anna felt the same way. FINALLY we were told there’s a table for us. On the walk to the table were a number of empty places. We sit; we wait. Ten minutes pass. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that perhaps when we walked into the restaurant we became invisible and now can be seen only intermittently. Well, what else could it be? FINALLY I see someone coming toward our table. “Do we want water?” she asks. Quickly we respond, “Yes, thank you. We do. With lemon please.” Hoping that the pattern has been broken.

Do you believe that it took a very long time to bring the water? I wanted to get up to check things out, but then there was the matter of my aunt. She’s sweet, she’s loving, she enjoys life and chatting, and she seemed comfortable. The water came minus the lemons. Forty minutes have gone by and we’re no where near giving our order.

I’d like to tell you that as time went on the service pepped up. However, when the entrees FINALLY arrived and this ‘n that was missing, we had to say something. So we complained a wee bit. Nothing dramatic as we didn’t want to upset my aunt. We later learned that she’d been wise to all this, but was too polite to say so. It’s quite interesting to have to write that there was no response forthcoming from the waitress when we complained. I assumed it was the manager who brought our salads and heard the conversation with the waitress. Yet, he said nothing either. A little communication from anyone in a position to give an explanation would have gone a long way.

Now this is the surprise. When it was time for the check the waitress informed us that the bill was on the restaurant, and, “Do we want dessert?” The thing is you’re much too late, Uno Chicago Grill. We three rarely get together as such, and would happily have paid the bill for a more pleasant experience. And about that dessert, “No, thank you.” we said. After all, the stores will close in five hours, we haven’t time to wait for dessert.

Whew! What a pleasure it was to be on our way. Some days you just walk into the. . . .

It’s never too late to acquire a new slant on something. Recently at a gathering my sister Anna was ready to leave and didn’t want to interrupt the host who was involved in what looked like a comfortable conversation with a good friend. I said I felt the same way. And she slipped away without a goodbye. Of course sometimes a host appears to need rescuing from a talkative guest, and an interruption would be wholeheartedly welcomed. This wasn’t the case.

Then today that conversation suddenly came to mind as I was mindlessly cleaning a rug in the apartment where I’m staying. And I thought to myself, It’s okay to leave with a soft goodbye fluttering on your lips, and sent in the direction of your host. And to bend rules if we feel the need is okay too. Yes, that’s what I told myself. The next time I’m puzzled about whether it’s all right to do or not to do this or that, I’ll listen quietly to what my heart says, and move forward with that answer.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

No need for complications. Right?

Have you ever stayed up with someone in the wee hours of the morning? The night is quiet, most people are asleep, the busyness of the day hasn’t yet begun, and talk is easy and comfortable. Conversation comes and goes and you’re comfortable with whatever is said, and you’re both relaxed. No matter what the conversation you’re accepting of it-the mind is at rest and something else comes into play. These occasions are always spontaneous. You can be with anyone in these wee hours of the morning, and it can be anywhere-at an airport, in a hospital, a guest somewhere, the lobby of a hotel, a 24-hour bistro. There’s a connection. a closeness felt in complete relaxation, when tick tock seems suspended and all is quiet.

Movies are made and books are written about all the events that have to take place for things to happen, e.g. meeting the love of your life, slipping into work that makes your heart sing, writing the kind of music the world loves, registering for a lecture that changes your life, and staying in present time and having a conversation in the wee hours of the morning.

It’s us being in tune with the Universe and it massages the heart.

This past weekend was a strange one. Emi visited armed with window alarms because on Friday someone managed to climb onto the low roof which is flush with my apartment, and tried to enter my kitchen window. It happened this way: I heard a noise in the kitchen and then saw the shadow of someone’s raised arms fiddling with the kitchen window. He was noisy; I was noisy. He fled fast. Not long after that I saw someone from another window looking my way. He ran from the roof with great gusto when he saw me. Then, while sitting in front of my computer, I casually looked out of the window facing me and saw someone standing about four yards away looking terribly confused. I didn’t think much about it then, just that perhaps he was a worker waiting for someone. Had I been more in tune, the confused state he was in would have said otherwise. And never is there anyone on that roof. After checking at the realty office in the next building to inquire whether anything strange was happening in their space, I called the police. A police car came and the officer reassured me that they’d keep an eye on things this weekend. In the meantime, Emi installed the window alarms on Friday, and on Saturday we bought more.

Then came Sunday. As we walked along the street returning from the market we couldn’t help noticing two fire trucks, three police cars and an ambulance parked across the street from where I live. At that point, we couldn’t see my building. People were gathered outside wondering and waiting. We wondered also, and walking round the corner, saw that the building was intact. I took my key and we entered. Two officers, one female one male, were descending the stairs. I asked what happened. They looked sweaty, serious, and in no mood to answer questions. They said it was a private matter. Hmm!

Not knowing what was happening, we waited. When everything was calm, and everyone left, we knocked on the door of the apartment in question. After quite a bit of knocking, a woman answered. We were still under the impression that they’d want to know about Friday’s intruder as we still thought there was a connection between then and now. But as it turned out, the situation was entirely different. As the police said, it was a private matter. The woman was nice, but too distraught to have a conversation. It seems a cousin rents the apartment and the woman’s son was visiting and had a nervous breakdown. He wouldn’t allow anyone to approach him-not his mother, not the police. The kindest thing we could do was to give the mother some privacy. We quietly left.

Sometimes there’s a swirl of activity all around us. It doesn’t mean we’re necessarily a part of it. Perhaps on those occasions, we’re meant to observe, nothing more. That’s the way I feel about this past weekend. Thinking too deeply about it would deplete precious energy.

The weather this week- well, if we talk about it, we’ll feel really hot. It’s better to drink lots of water, stay out of the sun as much as possible, wear a hat to protect from the sun, and streamline the day the way it’s done in the tropics. If there’s no air conditioning, simply keep all rooms shaded, and use a fan. Listening to a newscaster saying-over and over-how hot it is doesn’t help. Not knowing what the temperature is contributes to a more relaxed feeling about the day.

Let’s see how we can hone our visualization skills by seeing ourselves at the beach. We timidly approach the water. We know it’s going to be freezing. Oh yes, it’s freezing! Our feet are numb from the cold. Should we stay in? Are we brave enough to get all wet-wet enough to jump into the cold, cold waves? Let’s focus on that thought for awhile.

Or what about this: There’s a swimming pool filled with ice cubes. They don’t melt because it’s so cold in that swimming pool of ice cubes. Do we want to slither into that or not? Too cold?

And this: summer, it’s so short; winter, it’s so long.