Seen and Heard

Some things from the past week:

The apple peeler is top left in this photo.

A man at the antique mall wanted to buy one of my antique apple peelers. He made an offer that was quite low, but it was late in the day on New Year's Eve and I'd had the peeler in my booth for a long time, so I said sure.

Then he wanted to know how and if it worked. One of the clerks at the mall had some apples, so we tried it out. I wish I had a photo of the man's face as the long string of peel fell effortlessly away from the old peeler. 100 years old and it still works like a new one. He left with the peeler and a happy smile.

Larry with his well earned Guinness. 

After working in our booth on New Year's Eve we stopped at the Lafayette Hotel's grill for a quick supper. The place was full of happy people ready to party into the new year. It was fun to be there among them and to touch base with a man we usually see when we stop in there. A middle-aged couple had apparently just gotten married and we taking photos in front of the hotel's large Christmas tree. They weren't like magazine cover photos of wedding couples--they were both a little overweight and had some years on them but they were so happy. They came in and sat down at the bar. I asked the waitress to let us pay for their first drink, and got beautiful smiles and a toast in return. It was a small thing, but I remember when Larry and I were married, and there was no celebration because we had to crowd it into our day off work. It made me happy to be a small part of this couple's joy.

Along the road home the other day, I noticed a car pulled off on the shoulder in an area that's not a good place to stop. I slowed down, as did the other drivers. A woman stood on the opposite bank, tears streaming down her face as she looked at a newly place memorial wreath. I wanted to stop, to comfort her but there was traffic and there was no good place to turn around. Her face is in my mind still. I found out that later that a young woman and her son had wrecked there, and both lost their lives. I will be thinking of them and remembering that grieving woman every time I pass that place.

In the mail today, two poetry books. I am reading and thinking about my workshop week for Allegheny Echoes this coming June, and searching for inspiration in the words of others. This part isn't work at all, it's pure pleasure.

In India, millions of women joined hands in a peaceful protest that stretched for miles and miles. They are protesting the exclusion of menstruating women from a holy temple.

A friend posted in a listserv about trying to clear thousands of books from her brother's apartment. On her way back to her home she took a wrong turn, got sideswiped by a truck and finally ended up in a small community and a garage where they checked out her car--and where they told her they were trying to start a library but needed books and shelves. Already they have moved many, many books, and my friend will be involved in helping set up the library.

Life is full of chance and mischance, is it not? One turn can lead to tragedy, another to serendipidity. Joy can be found at unlikely times in unlikely places, and so can sorrow. And yet we all carry on with hope in our hearts. It is all part of this messy ride called life, and the best we can do is join hands like those women in India and help each through.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.