Tag: Building relationships

Good Friends and Fresh Vegetables

On By DGThomaIn Food, Friends, Writing2 Comments

I participate in our local Farm to Work, a program of the Sustainable Food Center in Austin, TX.  As defined on their website, Farm to Work is an employee wellness and Farm Direct marketing program that delivers farm-fresh, locally grown produce right to employees at partner worksites.Fresh Vegetables

Every two weeks on Monday, we receive an email reminding us it’s time to order our produce.  Last week, my email was delivered, but my reminder notification didn’t display.  At 7:00 PM I was leaving the office for the day and remembered it was the week I needed to place my order.

Frantically searching I found my email and immediately realized I was too late.  The stated deadline to order was 5:00 PM.

Not willing to give up quite so easily, I replied to the email with a message asking if it was too late to order and included the explanation of how I missed the deadline.  I’m sure the order email is only monitored for payments and orders, so I received no response.

On Wednesday when the produce was delivered to our office building, I was feeling sad to have missed my vegetable delivery.  My sweet friend Nena stopped by my office.  She often has to remind me it’s time to pick up the order, so she asked me if I had picked up my vegetables.  Of course I had to share the whole story of how and why I missed the deadline.

Smiling she said, “I’ll share. I have extra.”  Responding that it was okay,  I explained I was going out-of-town and it was probably better that I hadn’t placed my order.

“No”, she explained, “I really have extras.  I was the last one to pick up and they gave me extra produce.   I told them I would share.”    Feeling blessed, I said, “Okay, I’ll take a bell pepper and maybe one zucchini.”

She sat her bag of vegetables on my desk and pulled out a zucchini and a pepper.  But then asked, “Do you like potatoes?”  When I replied yes, potatoes were added to my pile of veggies.  At this point the pile was getting large enough to require a bag to carry it.  As I searched for a bag, she added peaches, okra and a butternut squash.

I have to clarify.  When Nena said she got extra veggies, she actually picked up a few extra pieces of produce but not more of everything.

At this point, I have as many vegetables as she does if not more.  Honestly, it was like the biblical story of thee fishes and the loaves multiplying.

Although she did pick up a few extra vegetables, in truth she is really a dear friend who decided to share her vegetables with an absent-minded, forgetful friend who forgot to order timely.   Good friends and vegetables what a lovely way to brighten a day.

Biking and Other Happy Rembrances

On By DGThomaIn Friends, Musings, Writing2 Comments

Flipping through some old journals recently, I found an entry about my introduction to bike riding.   It invoked a wonderfully pleasant memory.

About 20 years ago, I was recently divorced and trying to determine who I was supposed to be and who I wanted to become.  One of my newly acquired interests was cycling.  I’d made a new friend who was an avid cyclist and was not only teaching me to love riding but also loaned me a bike.

One of our first cycling trips was to Caprock Canyons State Park just outside Quitaque, Texas.  We started the trip on Friday, arriving late and spending the night at a campsite.  Early the next morning we awoke to a herd of deer outside our campsite.  The deer were shrouded in fog and milling about on the grass completely unaffected by our presence.  After a quick breakfast of granola bars, we set out on our bicycles.

6:00 AM and ready to ride - maybe!
6:00 AM and ready to ride – maybe!

We rode on the park roads to help me get comfortable on the bike.  The roads were very hilly and I remember flying down the hills, building speed and then having to get off the bike and push it up the next hill, so I could soar down again!  I felt like I was six years old!  Of course my friend had no problem biking up or down.  We logged seven miles that morning and I was quite proud of the accomplishment.

In the afternoon, we drove to Quitaque Canyon Trail.  The trail is a nature trail formed along the path of an old railroad route.

The Quitaque Canyon Trail is about 17 miles long and according to Rails to Trails “This area is one of the most picturesque and interesting throughout the entire Trailway due in part to Clarity Tunnel at mile 12.”

I wouldn’t know about that.  I only made about 1/2 mile through the sand when I realized I wasn’t quite ready to tackle bicycling through sand.  I chose instead to sit at the trail head and write in my journal.  It was a beautiful and restful afternoon.

A few things that stand out in my mind from that day are:  Friends are invaluable, laughter really is the best medicine and the Rails-to-Trails Conservatory is a great organization.

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a non-profit organization.  They have repurposed over 20,000 miles of trail.  If you enjoy nature and the idea of recycling the rail network to provide a trail system appeals to you, I highly recommend searching one of the Rails to Trails across the United States to hike or bike.  Relax, rediscover nature and maybe smile a bit.Still Biking! 2013

Going home and hanging out….

On By DGThomaIn Family, Friends, Musings, Writing1 Comment

 

Photo courtesy of texasescapes.com/TexasPhotography/Barclay-Gibson April 2009
Photo courtesy of texasescapes.com/TexasPhotography/Barclay-Gibson April 2009

 

It seems like we never really go home until something significant happens.  We visit, but we don’t go home.  Recently, I received a phone call that my mother had been hospitalized.  I go visit my parents fairly often, but usually I’m in and out and don’t have time to see many people or hang out.  Going to the hospital in a small town forces you to slow down and just “hang out”.  The hospital employees are either people that went to school with me or are the children of my classmates.  The hospital in my hometown is a small 25 bed hospital.  Often the census is less than 5 when I visit.

CCMH trimmed

Walking toward the front door of the hospital with pecan shells crunching underneath my feet brings back a surge of memories.  The pecans which have fallen from the ages old pecan trees overhead litter the sidewalk.

It seems like eons ago that I used to work at this hospital.  My office was just behind that window to the right.  My son was delivered down the hall to left.  Many of my nieces and nephews also made their debut within these walls.

The number of times I entered through the emergency room with my accident prone son is innumerable.

I haven’t lived here in over 20 years.  Now I live in a city large enough that running into someone you know at the supermarket is the exception so coming home it’s hard to get used to knowing everyone you run into anywhere you go!

Every nurse, every custodian or kitchen worker seemed to know my name or at least know who my parents are and that I am one of those “Greenway kids”.

I sometimes wish my parents lived in a larger city where they could receive the latest and best medical care.  But when I see the personal care they receive here, I think that the benefits gained from the good will in this little town far surpasses any medical advances that may be available in a bigger hospital.

Walking into restaurants, grocery stores or hospital halls, it seems that everyone in town knows my mother is in the hospital and everyone is concerned.  People I haven’t seen in 20 years call me by name. Many more remembered me than I was able to remember them.  I guess it’s really true, home is where everybody knows your name, and that’s a good thing!

“Relationships and Steel Cut Oats”

On By DGThomaIn MusingsLeave a comment

Maggie Mae  –

I was thinking…..

Building relationships is like cooking steel-cut oats. “Bring to a boil, stir in oats, cook at medium for five minutes, and simmer for about 30 minutes.”

High heat, boil and simmer.  Hmm, great advice for a relationship.  Start with high heat, bring it to a boil and keep it simmering for the long-term.