Serendipity

At my previous job in Texas, during my previous life in Texas, I worked as District Director of a nonprofit. About once a week myself, and all the other DD's would receive an email from our Regional Coordinator titled: Serendipity. Which is a little much, right? Once a week? Once a week you have so many ramblings and topics to discuss that you can't even group them all into one category? Even so, title the email Deadlines or To Do List or heck, call it that weekly email from Jim cause that is really what it was. Serendipity... Ah, it was so annoying. But because it is not a word I overuse, I'm using it today. I am calling this Serendipity (not to be confused with the overpriced, always booked restaurant targeted to tweens one block from our church on 60th Street) today, because it's been a week and I have a few things I'd like to share:

1. I washed my husbands iPod. How does one wash an iPod you might ask. Well, I'll tell you. Trying to multitask. Doing to much. Not paying attention due to not being truly present. See, I came home from a run in Central Park on Saturday, and before I got into the shower threw my running gear straight in the washer. (Oh yeah, we have a washing machine in our apartment...) After showering, I filled the wash with towels and other warm water items and presto- one clean iPod. I had safely zipped my Metrocard, Debit Card, a $20 bill and the iPod in the compartment on the back of my running shirt. Only after the final spin cycle did I realize, "Oh, I think I just washed my Metrocard and cash." Still a little clueless, when I unzipped the pocket I though I had just washed the ear buds. Then when I pulled the white cords out of the damp clothing heap I saw the little silver shuffle attached. My heart sank. But 24 hours in a sunny windowsill later, it works, so... that is that. It seems that I do these sorts of things more and more.

2. This summer my sister and I stumbled upon this market in Korea town. My sister knows Chinese foods & weird exotic things. She's tried to make her own tofu before- she is for real, a diehard. Plus, a dear college friend of hers was from Taiwan and she's traveled to China. What I'm trying to say is that upon her lead we ventured into this place. And I loved it. She and I bought lots of yummy things, ate them together in Herald Square and had plenty left over. So, Monday of this week, I found myself in the neighborhood again and ventured in. For $3.49 I got a "lunch box" of sorts with boiled spinach, rice noodles, kimchi, and ... anchovies that looked at me with their little fishy eyeballs.

I'm really NOT a picky eater. I mean I am a food snob and my heart breaks when I see mothers pushing around toddlers in Mclaren strollers who are drinking Yoohoo's and eating Pop-Tarts, and I do hate that we have a become a society that lives on processed foods and pantry items- BUT things don't gross me out- like Lima beans, beats, liver or anchovies. It just bothered me a little having to deal with the eyeballs because I do like to look at my food before I put it in my mouth, and I just couldn't.

All of this to say, after paying for my lunch I stood on the sidewalk and broke out my chopsticks. Standing there shoveling stinky cabbage into my mouth an older Asian man made eye contact with me. I immediately knew, because of the maps and fanny packs, that the group of five he was in were tourists. They stopped to peer in the widows of the grocery store before going in. But I liked the look he gave me. I liked the way his face lit up when he saw me standing, in a block of Korean shops, eating anchovies with chopsticks.

3. My husband's pepper plant has produced peppers! Did I tell you he had a pepper plant? Did I tell you that this pepper plant sprung up from simply dumping red pepper flakes- compliments of our neighborhood pizza shop- into a planter? Seriously. It was just an "experiment". And it worked.

4. Chris brought me a gift last night. After a full day's work and then parent teacher conferences he arrived home at 8:00pm with a pink Victoria's Secret bag. Three words: push-up bra, disturbingly inappropriate (okay, four words)

5. This morning on my way to work I saw a bird on the sidewalk hopping around one one leg. He only had one leg, and I thought, "How sad." Then, as I continued across First Avenue on my way to the subway I thought, "Really, that is not sad at all. He may only have one foot, but he was created to fly." So really, he'll be okay.