I gotta late start today, I got out of bed at 1PM. I didn’t wake up on Christmas morning hours before the winter’s sun’s ignited; but I do believe in dreams and all they mean including heaven’s generosity. I know what day it is.
Last you heard I was heading out to spend an exciting Christmas Eve, picking up my mail at my PO box and then grocery shopping. That was a double failure. I arrived at the Post Office to discover that it closed at Noon. I suspected that but the website said nothing about it. Then I went to Trader Joe’s to get the flatbread that I use to make wraps and rolls. They were out of it. Strike two. But I didn’t strike out, for there is one thing that I didn’t tell you. As I was leaving my building I heard the Bobtown coming from my phone; Katherine’s ringtone. We made dinner plans. Victory seized from the jaws of defeat. After I left Trader Joe’s empty handed I headed south to SoHo for dinner. This was my first one-on-one dinner with a friend since August, a Festivus miracle. All we did was eat dinner and walk around Little Italy. Dayanu.
Now for the epic news, I sort of ate something green, anime-mamma. That’s how I heard Katherine say it. I thought it was some sort of fad, Japanese anime about mothers. It’s not. Let me see if I can find what it’s really called. Here it is, edamame, steamed immature soybeans served in the pod. I didn’t even know that soybeans came in pods. This is what comes of being a meatan. It looks like this;
Katherine described it as interactive food. You don’t eat the evil green part. You squeeze it and the bean pops out and right into your mouth. To me it tasted like sunflower seeds or pine nuts. It was very good, even if it is healthy. I wonder if I could survive on them. It might take more energy to eat one than you get gain from eating it. That does make it a good snack. If there were no work involve I’d eat them by the handful. Me eating and enjoying a vegetable dish is a true Festivus miracle. Will wonders never cease? O what a brave new world that has such veggies in it.
To remain true to myself I ate it with a burger. I don’t want to go overboard. I chose the toppings they offer on the chicken burger, pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayo. That was yummy too. Dessert was a chocolate lava cake with vanilla gelato. That was a return to my usual form. The picture of it disappeared from Katherine’s phone, but here’s her carrot cake.
Since there’s no pictorial evidence of my dessert I felt free to have a taste of gelato from Ferrara’s.
We ended up at the Canal Street stop where we could each catch a train home, albeit in opposite directions. The two non-believers wished each other a merry Christmas. We don’t believe in Jesus or god but we believe in peace on earth and good will towards all people. We do take the Christ out of Christmas but if Jesus was anything like he’s described in the gospels he wouldn’t object. He lamented those that followed the forms of religion but did not love thy neighbor.
As for me, I won’t object if you say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or Happy Chanukah even if it’s over. I know you mean well and are wishing me joy. To find offense is the offense. As we should think of others before ourselves, when it doubt say, “Happy Holidays” as it makes no assumptions about the listener. But if others don’t follow suit remember they are wishing you well.
This year I’m not watching It’s a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story. Earlier I watched Spiderman 2 somehow I had missed that one. Now I’m going to watch Avengers: Infinity War. Nothing like the decimation to put us in the Christmas spirit.
Wise Madness 