Wednesday, October 12
Today I’m stepping out with
my best friend.
Siri, where’s the nearest nail salon?
Oh, good. I noticed your nails were getting sharp.
Siri can be a little sharp herself.
But we go exploring, and I
get clipped, salted, scrubbed, and lotioned.
At Publix I help a man
find the cottage cheese.
He’s on his first shopping trip
since his wife passed.
His face wears the sharp edges of grief.
I teach a woman about generic names and
help her choose an antihistamine
for her mother who insists on nondrowsy
for her medication-induced itch.
I caution her to call the doctor
if it’s not relieved.
Her mom has a mind of her own–
she’s a sharp one. Nondrowsy, she reminds us.
Later D and I walk on the beach for the first time,
but the wind blows a fine drizzle into us
that stings like a thousand needles.
So much newness
Yet you extend an hospitable hand
To prove you are still you
Amid the new.
An unwelcoming sky
Thrashes waves
To remind of God’s awesome power
And that he goes before you
Wherever you are.
Blessings to you and Dennis in this middle-of-October time.
Oh, my word, Carol! That’s a beautiful poetic comment. Thank you!
You are
light, even
among strangers.
And, in your
kind
aisle-wide
hospitality
maybe you
encountered an angel…
( Ask Siri- What is zero plus zero? ?)
You think? What a sweet thought.
I asked Siri several times, hoping for a witty answer. I think I frustrated her. She kept saying zero in different ways.
So then we had a “conversation” about many things. Including cookies.
I did ask her what she ate, and she had several answers. Like “I don’t need food. I run on the sheer strength of will and desire to serve.” and “I don’t eat. But I do like digesting information.” And “I don’t eat. Though if I did, I’d eat chocolate.