And feed them on your dreams
The one they picked, the one you'll know by . . .
The one they picked, the one you'll know by . . .
~ Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
We went grocery shopping together just before Christmas. She likes to help independently so we both took hold of our own shopping carriage and pushed them toward the entrance.
Upon entering, brightly colored flowers on our left tempted me, seemingly in tiny melodious voices, to pick a few bunches for the dinner table. Pretty, but I already had freshly cut holly from the yard at home. To our right, a display case with assorted colorful pre-cut fruit, seemingly boasting their juicy flavors, tempted her to make hasty choices.
My daughter loves fruit. With eyes wide open, she reached for a package.
"Wait. Let's see what's available in the produce section which will save us money," I advised her. Yes, it's more work but can be fun when you prepare the produce together at home.
After pushing my carriage around the bustling produce section a bit and now near the greens, I suddenly felt overwhelmed. Perhaps the past few weeks of the holiday season were wearing on me. I looked at my daughter and said, "I just don't feel like cooking. I'm so tired." Without hesitating and with outstretched arms, she said,
"Mom, look at all the beautiful colors! Look at all the fresh food!
You don't need to cook - just put fresh food out and
we'll eat like we live on an exotic island."
When I asked if she was serious, she said, "Yes".
I smiled.
I felt pretty proud of my daughter at that moment and perked up. Confident she'd choose organic, our norm ever since she was diagnosed with FSGS Syndrome four years ago, we split up and shopped away. It wasn't the time to "preach" about making local choices, sustainability, carbon foot print, and all things related. That time will come (although she's been to plenty of farmers' markets and farms with me to already know a lot).
Baby steps.
* * *
The above pastel drawing was made by my daughter in elementary school
and hangs on a wall in our kitchen.
I love how the deep red apple in the center
looks like a heart.
