I might have to pick up a part-time job at Aldi’s just so I can do this. Why didn’t I think with similar ingenuity during our church’s canned food drive? Mario escaping the clutches of the pirahna plant would have been the perfect backdrop during the morning’s message of hope. Maybe local food pantries would appreciate if I volunteer my time as an artist to spruce up their food reserve closet. Sadly, I do arrange my home pantry in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement, the same with my clothes, and especially my bookcase. I appreciate that as a child my mom identified these traits as creative and resourceful, rather than refer me to a psychologist. (Maybe some of these kids with OCD, ADHD, etc are getting a bad wrap- -perhaps they’re just “resourceful” like myself.) My mom actually let me play with my food growing up. No supper plate was left untouched by my creative work, and pretty much every peanut butter and jelly sandwich transformed into an exotic creature with a few carefully placed bites of my bread.
I didn’t really grow out of this habit. At home, buffets, and the ever-wonderful potlucks, I make sure to arrange my plate with some flair. My greatest culinary artistic work occured while Dave and I were in college. During lunch, he worked as a dishwasher in the university cafeteria. To display love at its greatest depths, I created a vegetable masterpiece for him on my lunch tray. My love for Dave was spelled out in baby carrots, celery sticks, cauliflower, tomatoes, green peppers, and broccoli. Oh, and there may have been a little Ranch involved too. I discarded my tray on the conveyor belt and watched as it made it’s way back to my dishwasher cutie. Unfortunately, what men appreciate most in a relationship is not words of affection spelled out with vital nutrients. I can not report that Dave was overwhelmed with satisfaction at my loving, artistic yet also nutritious feat.
His lack of excitement was probably because I attempted to be the vegetable Van Gogh or the Don Juan of lunch tray love more for myself. I am the type of person who would love to receive a vegetable medley of devotion, Dave is not. Silly as the incident was, I did learn that this is how I usually show care to others- in the way that I would want to receive care. It takes more effort and sacrifice to show love in a way that the recipient would appreciate and understand best. Fellow readers, this might be why Dave presented me with a bouquet of flowers one day–made entirely out of fruit. He’s sacrificial like that; I’m still learning.
I wonder if the Monet of grocery clerks was declaring his love to someone through his Super Mario Brother canned food magnum opus? Well done sir, well done.
Hey there cuz! Ok, you TOTALLY need to consider writing a book. You are SO GOOD! Man, maybe I’ll have you write my book instead of me writing my book.
I keep coming back for more! Keep writing!