Artisan Soul

This coming Tuesday is my sister Betsy's birthday. She shares her birthday with Fiona--she was actually there when Fiona was born. This year it's a milestone birthday for Betsy, so last night my sister Cindy and I took her out for drinks and dessert. For a present, I had gotten one of elisem's lovely necklaces as a birthday gift. She opened the little package and seemed quite pleased with it. Elise had named the necklace "Artisan Soul," and it was a lovely thing, worked with sterling silver and small glittery beads. We talked about what we saw ourselves doing in the next several years, and I felt quite proud of them both as I listened to their plans. Betsy's considering becoming a personal coach, and she's taking the first steps to become certified as a master gardener. "I'm thinking I want to take the time to explore a more creative side," she said, and I felt a little smug at the title of the necklace I had chosen for her. Artisan soul, yep.

Cindy is a buyer for Marshall Fields, but the store may be sold, and she's not sure her job is secure. She's starting a sideline as a freelance photographer and has already gotten some jobs. She also mentioned thinking a little about perhaps becoming a realtor. I think she would be great at it.

Betsy spoke about how her life has been changing, now that her boys (she has four sons, all in their teens) are older. She mentioned that she's read in this LiveJournal how I'm frustrated that the fiction writing isn't coming right now. "But you should give yourself a little slack," she told me. "I understand completely, it's just the stage of life you're at now. But it does get easier, and you will get more time to yourself very soon."

The comfort of Pho

I did not feel at all well tonight. Physically, of course, but more than than, mentally. I didn't want to cook, so I took the girls out for pho soup. We went to a restaurant minnehaha K introduced me to, and I watched them wtih covert amusement as they struggled to eat the rice noodles with chopsticks. They were cheerful at the treat, and I found myself soothed by their pleasure. "I like pho," I told them. "It's one of my favorite comfort foods. What are your favorite comfort foods?"

They considered the question seriously. "I like pho, too," Delia said. "And I like that Throat Coat Tea when I have a sore throat."

I smiled. "You know, you have minnehaha K and B to thank for both of those. B told me about Throat Coat, and K was the one to teach me about pho."

"And I like to chew on ice cubes when I have a stomach ache," Delia added.

"I used to chew on ice cubes, too, when I was your age," I told her solemnly. "Compulsively. I'll tell you what my mom told me. It's very bad for your teeth. But I understand the attraction."

The girls looked curiously at the little statute of Buddha with the cups of water and incense sticks near the front register. "What's that?" they asked me.

I explained.

"Oh," Delia said. "It's a God thing."

"Yes, it's a God thing."

We left the restaurant. It was still raining. I still felt dark inside, but a little warmer, too.

No doubt it was the pho.