Took a couple days off of writing and it is always a hard thing to jump back on the wagon. As in SO many things. The last couple weeks have been so filled with sadness and loss and worry. Sometimes, I find it hard to write about the really really hard stuff. Even though I know that writing about the hard stuff helps everyone. It helps me to write it out. It helps those who read it and don’t feel so alone in their own sorrow and worry. And so I know it is important to just do it. Writing for this forum is also a little challenging sometimes because I am aware of all the folks out there who are listening to me. And I want to write in a way that helps, and doesn’t hurt anyone. And so sometimes, it’s hard to jump back in.
Friday was a nutty day… after the week of horrible air it was a tiny bit clearer but too awful for the drag queens to perform on the deliveries. Oasis sent out apologies to the folks who were expecting a show with their dinner deliveries and offered rain checks to all. We got a little behind in our food prep and ended up having to send up an SOS to Jamye and Chris, who came upstairs immediately and waded into the fray. With their help (and only because of their help) we were able to get all the dinners out the door only 10 minutes later than scheduled. One of the performers, the fabulous Roxy Cotton-Candy, agreed to do a one-off delivery and we discovered that they live two doors down from us, so I delivered that order just up the street! The rest of my deliveries went smoothly, including one to a new customer, a charming older couple who live down in Palo Alto. All you South Bay peeps take note! South Bay delivery is available too!
By the time I got home, we were all too fried to do make anything for ourselves for dinner, so I picked up burritos for Calum and Willi, and Willi made me a big salad of leftovers. And then it was time to tackle the catastrophe. I mean, kitchen. Took me over two hours to clean. Somehow, when we get behind, things get out of hand and it’s impossible to clean as we go, take more care with spills etc. It is an interesting reminder however, about what it takes to get food out to folks… how every restaurant in town, across the globe, has got someone scrubbing pots and washing floors late into the night. Willi says that in restaurants the first person to be hired, and the last person to be fired, is always the over-night cleaner. Because if you find someone who will take care of your space, night after night, alone in the kitchen, you take good care of them. I understand that fully.
Yesterday I took a whole day to fill my connection bucket. (https://www.goodlifeproject.com/downloads/HTLAGL.pdf) I had a good zoom “Pandemic Survival Meeting” with the Carol folks, had a distanced picnic in Glen Park with my lovely friend, Elizabeth, and got to meet Sharon, in person, finally. Then I loaded up my car with leftovers from the Meals on Heels prep and went over to see Erin-Kate and Michelle. We sat on their back patio talking and trimming their hair. Doing an excellent job of staying safe and distanced, but also getting to see each other, give some good loving care and sharing laughs. Went back home to make myself a sandwich for the road and grab my forgotten phone, and then headed down the coast to see my heart, Kim. Was worried a little that a surprise visit was a bit of a burden, but all that was forgotten when I got there. I needed it as much as she did. Life has been battering us around a lot for the last couple months and the forced separation from friends makes thing all that much harder. It felt good to be able to sit together and talk. About hard stuff, about nothing. It felt really good to bring some food and a plum-nectarine tarte and a few other little things to remind her that she is loved. And it felt so good to me to be in her space. Even if we can’t touch each other. I ended up spending the night because I was so sleepy when it was time to head back. Drove home this morning at dawn. Bolstered by the friends I got to see, the laughs, the shared tears, the shared stories. It’s so important for all of us to know that we are truly not alone in all of this. We are all moving through this time with varying levels of grace, varying levels of challenge. But we ARE all together. Even when we are alone, as so many are. If you are feeling alone and need some assurance, reach out to friends. I know that my various zoom meet-ups are clearly not the same or as satisfying as in person visits, but they DO help.
Double down on self-care. Double down on connection. Double down on telling people you love them. Find ways to remind yourself that you matter, that your care is important, that your health, both physical and mental, is worth the time and energy to care for. A cup of tea, a candle and some soft clothes will do wonders to make you feel cared for. And if I could reach out and give you all a hug, I would. In the meantime, I am going to do what I can to nurture my family and friends and extended MARTHA AVENUE community but making another batch of cinnamon roll dough to get ready for Monday, feed my sourdough and clean off my desk so that I can go into the next week with a little more calm. I hope that you find ways to infuse more connection into your week, more care for what your soul needs. Let me know if there is anything that I can do to nurture your appetite this week!
Meals on Heels is our BBQ menu this week: BBQ Ribs with our own Blueberry-Chipotle BBQ Sauce or Alabama-Style White Smoked Chicken, both served with Baked Beans, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw and Corn Muffins. We will also have a delicious Green Goddess Salad, Elvis Bread Pudding and a Stone Fruit Cobbler. You can order through their website at www.toasttab.com/oasis/v3
Our regular menu is available M/W/F as usual. Mondays are SF and North Bay delivery, and orders should be placed by Saturday night/Sunday morning. (I realize that this is going out later than normal, so if you want to order for Monday, feel free to order through this afternoon!). Wednesdays are SF and East Bay delivery days, with orders needing to be placed by Monday night. I am regularly delivering from Martinez to Pt Richmond to Walnut Creek to San Leandro to Alameda and everywhere in between. Friday is Meals on Heels as well as our regular delivery, with orders delivered to SF and the South Bay.
I hope the rest of your Sunday is restful and restorative. I am going to tackle my desk. And call it restorative. 🙂
Hug yourselves for me. xoxo