Wake Up and Smell the Cinnamon
Like everything else going on this year, Thanksgiving 2020 bore absolutely no resemblance to normal, but there were still plenty of things for which I am truly thankful.
My family had to postpone our holiday dinner this year after our beloved auntie was exposed to the vile coronavirus and forced to self-quarantine.
Every morning I prayed to God that she would be okay and then I’d call her to ask her how she was feeling and if she could still detect scents, as a loss of smell is an early warning sign of the dreaded disease.
My auntie told me that she would start the day by going to the kitchen and sniffing a bottle of cinnamon. As long as she got a whiff of this most special spice, we knew she was Covid-free.
I’m happy to report that the quarantine period has passed with no symptoms and we are all very relieved and grateful indeed.
For Thursday, my sister had kindly ordered two turkey dinners at a local restaurant and after polishing them off, we sat back to watch Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window with James Stewart and Grace Kelly.
I thought this was an intriguing selection, seeing as how, thanks to the pandemic, we’re all stuck in our apartments like Stewart’s character, who is laid up with a broken leg with nothing to do except look out the rear window of his apartment.
While watching his neighbors, our hero becomes convinced that one of them has murdered his wife, so sets about to expose the fiend and bring his sorry ass to justice.
I wonder if this story could work today. Jimmy Stewart didn’t have an I-phone, Airpods, a laptop, Netflix, or Hulu. Hell, I don’t think he even had a TV to distract him from reality.
All he had was a pane of glass, a sharp eye, and an inquisitive mind. Today, someone could probably reenact the Battle of New Orleans outside our windows and nobody would notice.
Breakfast of Champions
On Friday, I finally got to see and speak with my dear blogging buddy, Jay from the U.K. We’ve been communicating via our respective blogs and on Facebook for years, but finally seeing her face and hearing her voice on Skype made my heart soar.
I live alone and the pandemic lockdown can really crank up feelings of isolation, so that’s why I am so grateful for people like Jay for reaching out and making me feel like I’m a part of the world.
We talked for over an hour and I promised that I would return to England and meet her in the real world as soon as this nightmare ends.
And then finally I had a lovely chance encounter during a trip to a local drugstore.
“I have to eat my Wheaties,” she said, referring to the cereal that was supposedly a favorite of the athletes of yesteryear. “Are you old enough to know what that is?”
“Of course,” I said. “That’s the Breakfast of Champions. I’m 63 years old.”
It turns out my new friend was 87 years old. We chatted briefly in the doorway and she told me that her cat had just died.
“She was a rescue,” the woman told me. “I had her for 18 years.”
“That’s terrible,” I said. “We get so attached to our pets and then it hurts so much when we lose them.”
So here I was talking with another isolated person and it felt good to listen her the way other people have listened to me. This is important to do at any time, of course, but connection is critical during this plague year.
The really amazing thing is that I almost skipped going to the drug store that day as I had convinced myself that I was strapped for time. I’m so glad I ignored my inner timekeeper.
It was time for us to go our separate ways and I regret now that I didn’t give this woman my contact information in case she wanted to talk some more.
“God bless you,” she said. “You’re a good person.
I don’t know about that, but I know I’m very lucky to have all these great people in my life.
Comments
Whew! I am so relieved and happy to hear that, Rob! And I love her morning smell test with cinnamon, which incidentally, I too love the aroma. Particularly this time of year.
And I have to tell you that, "Rear Window" is one of my favorite Hitchcock films. And you're right, it's ironically like the pandemic. And isn't it something how back then they had none of the "distractions" that we do? Back then they had to create something by using their imaginations.
OMG, your encounter with the lady at the drug store was so beautiful. Don't you love when you have those kind of encounters? I truly believe that they are Divinely orchestrated on purpose because each person is their to help and support one another in a way that is needed. It's like a "God Wink!"
Thanks so much for sharing this story, Rob! It was perfect for THANKS-giving!
Have a wonderful week, buddy!
Thank you so much for your concern about my auntie. It certainly means a lot to me. Keep sniffing the cinnamon!
I had a feeling you'd like the Hitchcock reference. Wasn't "Rear Window" an incredible film? We saw "Shadow of a Doubt" last night!
The drug store meeting so brief and so (seemingly) random, I still can't believe it. Maybe your divinely orchestrated scenario is for real!
I love these types of encounters because they prove that there are good people in this world. God wink indeed!
Thanks for stopping by, buddy! Take care!
Love the story about the lady at the drugstore. This is something which I do, too, and sometimes I do wish I'd exchanged details but I'm very shy about that. Why would a stranger want to keep in touch with me? That's the way my mind works, anyway.
So anyway, keep on being the person you are. That doesn't mean giving in to your personal black dogs or giving up on your goals, but just don't let anything change your basic personality - be true to the person that you are and take care of yourself. Don't let the chaos in the world get you down. x
We were very lucky and very grateful. And that elderly woman made my day as well.
Take care!
Wow, I've never had anyone compare speaking with me to a concert before! That's incredibly sweet of you to say.
I understand the business about exchanging contact information. You feel awkward at the time, but regret it later. Our minds work in the same way.
And thank you so much for the advice about being true to myself. The personal black dogs can be awfully loud sometimes, so it's nice to know there's someone like you around to help drive them away.
Much love and do take care!
What a nice chance meeting between you and that lady at the drug store. About your regret on not getting her name or number, hindsight is always something that happens afterwards...too bad is doesn't happen first.
I can understand the feeling of isolation, even those of us with a partner feel alone at times. It was great to hear about the connection you made with your friend, Jay, and hopefully you will get back to England one day. We hope to do that as well to visit friends. So, here's to both our future trips coming true!
Beatrice: thank you so much for your kind comments.
I can understand not being a fan of a particular actor. There are plenty of big name performers who don't do much for me.
I love your description of hindsight. It is an exact science, as they say. Too bad it has such rotten timing.
The meet-up with Jay was fabulous and speaking of meet-ups, I'd like to see you in the real world some day very soon as well.
Take care!