
I was recently listening to a podcast and the closing question was “What is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?”
The guest had a great answer. Did I?
I was recently listening to a podcast and the closing question was “What is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?”
The guest had a great answer. Did I?
“When foodies hear ‘tough reservation,’ they generally think French Laundry in Napa or Le Cirque in New York — both known for their six-month waiting lists. That’s a snap compared with a spot at Talula’s Table.”
— NPR
Back when we lived in Philly, I kept seeing news items and breathless reports about Talula’s Table, the gourmet market in Kennet Square, a historic borough about 40 miles southwest of the city, that closed every evening to transform into a cozy spot that served dinner to one group at the lone table in the center of the market.
I dreamed of sitting at that mythical Farm Table, surrounded by close friends, door locked, the only people able to eat there that night.
“On the death of a friend, we should consider that the fates through confidence have devolved on us the task of a double living, that we have henceforth to fulfill the promise of our friend’s life also, in our own, to the world.”
– Henry David Thoreau
Today would have been my best friend’s 40th birthday.
It should have been.
It’s after 1 a.m. on a Saturday night/Sunday morning and while I’m ostensibly doing work for a class I’m taking, I can’t stop thinking about a phone call I received today. The bottle of wine I just finished is helping with the deep reflection, just FYI.
Last month, I turned 38-years-old.
I don’t immediately think of myself as a man in my late-thirties. I’m still struggling with the idea that I’m an actual adult.
It’s not that I feel 18 or 22, but like almost everyone else, I think of myself as some vague, younger version of me. Age has a way of sneaking up on you like that. It’s like growth spurt or a change in your weight. You live with it every day, so it’s gradual to you, but then you walk by a mirror and a different person is looking back at you. I still can’t believe I’ve been married for seven-and-a-half years and have been in the same relationship for thirteen years. I still think of the early ’00s as just a few years ago.
As Gertrude Stein once said, “We are always the same age inside.”
As I received well-wishes on my birthday, I couldn’t help thinking about City Slickers.
It’s often misguided – and sometimes even dangerous – to put value, worth, and emotion into inanimate objects.
We weren’t going to go.
Nas and The Notorious B.I.G. are two of the greatest rappers in history.