It’s like Tolstoy said: happiness is an allegory, unhappiness is story.
With that in mind, you now have some sense of why I haven’t had much occasion to write for the past few days. Life at home in a Mediterranean climate is as easy as it gets, especially when moms are around to recreate every delicious memory from your childhood. Which also means I don’t have to plan or cook meals while I’m here—and no matter how much I enjoy making cooking a part of my regular life, it’s nice to be free from one more responsibility while on vacation.
Wait. That last bit isn’t entirely true. Over the weekend, the parents went to a seminar in Palm Springs where my dad was lecturing and being honored. My mom threw way too much cash in my direction, and, in essence, commissioned me to feed her kids for the weekend (my little brother and me). Though probably not any different from any other super-mom, the act of feeding and providing nourishment has always been one of my mom’s defining characteristics. Did I mention that they left on Saturday morning, and came back early Sunday afternoon? Not only that, but there was plenty of left-over food in the refrigerator. But I suppose moms will worry (another defining characteristic).
Not used to my mom’s oven, I over-broiled some salmon, but made a lovely Caesar salad.
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I have no allegories to tell, but I love Garrison Keeler, NPR weekend game shows, Scrabble, Suzy’s Zoo stickers, old friends, dancing, eating, and good books.
I just finished Haruki Murakami’s Kafka by the Shore. I can’t remember the last time I had the leisure and desire to get lost in a book all day. I couldn’t put it down. I really couldn’t. Our sun drenched home turned dark before I finished the last sentence and looked up to reacquaint myself with this world. Blink blink. Birds chirping. Blink. Sigh. Finishing a book is melancholy, triumphant, and full of sighs.
In the past week, I have also taken tap and hip hop dance classes, gone swing dancing, reconnected with a childhood best friend (she moved to Alaska in the 2nd grade), and had a laughter-filled afternoon coffee with a high school friend who just got back from too many countries to list.
But to be honest, until just now, I had forgotten all of that. My thoughts are still in Yamanashi Prefecture, Nakano Ward, and with Kafka on the Shore.
