Just between you and me, I’m not feeling especially jolly at the moment.
I made a Cyber-Monday vow to purchase only things we really needed that were actually on sale, despite all the glittering temptation to the contrary.
One of those things was some halibut broth and sablefish from one of my favorite west coast purveyors. I was excited about the 15% off sale. This is my idea of fast food and the freezer was running low.
I even upped for the extra-super-duper UPS shipping, even though it’s chilly here and the regular shipping would probably have done it.
All my little miracles of modern science informed me that my package would arrive between 3 and 8 pm on Tuesday.
THEN I got a special update. My prized package would arrive between 11 am and 3pm on Tuesday.
Awesome! Except for my lunch meeting with a dear friend.
Signs on every door. “OK to leave package.”
More miracles of modern science. Spent way too many moments watching a wee UPS truck wander around the screen on my phone, near my neighborhood, supposedly with my package on board until, early Tuesday evening, it wandered back off to the place where UPS trucks go to sleep.
No package at my house.
Later, a message. Package Wednesday.
Did I mention this was frozen fish???
Despite my efforts to reach them, UPS politely announced that they weren’t home and I was welcome to track another package.
I’m frustrated. There’s a lot going on here right now and this is a distraction I didn’t need.
I did/do need my fish!
I’m also pretty clear that this is not an earth-shattering event.
I have choices about where to get good, clean food, unlike many of my American and global sisters and brothers.
For the moment, I’m stuck between seriously annoyed and breathing deeply.
Both are true.
I made good choices for my family when I ordered the fish and broth.
UPS seems to think I should not have made those choices between Thanksgiving and Christmas as they are inconveniently busy just now.
While I, who have spent the last week trashing untold emails trying to convince me to buy things I don’t need, can’t help but wonder if we might not have expected there would be a few more packages in these days.
Somehow it seems that our mechanical advantages may also be our emotional challenges.
I have other things on my list for tomorrow.
Now it seems I will watch for a big brown truck while waiting for the west coast to wake up and trying to find somebody who cares that my fish has gone astray.
Then, in all probability, I’ll spend another day or two next week trying to make it all right.
The world will go on. I will not be hungry.
Millions of people are not so blessed.
So, a box gathers food pantry donations in our kitchen.
Another batch of homemade bone broth is on my list for this weekend.
And I am busy urging my senators to oppose the GOP “tax bill” which will make it harder and harder for a huge number of Americans to put food on their tables.
It’s ironic, somehow, after our annual, national food fest last week.
Food is supposed to be health and family and community. Not power.
I will, eventually, win the UPS battle, despite the aggravation.
Many are not so fortunate.
How can we help?
Breathing deeply is a start.
Action is the next step.
p.s. – My box actually arrived, still frozen! Proving, once again, that many of the things we worry about don’t actually happen, leaving more time, perhaps, for action.