Straw Woman

She was suddenly just there in the gray morning mist, moving down the sidewalk pushing a wiry cart in front of her and dragging an uncooperative foot behind her.  One glance showed that she was a middle-aged woman like me, but in a state of dry and twisted disrepair. Her body was like pieces of straw tightly bound together for arms and legs, and the gray morning had worked its way into the skin of her toothless concave face.  The brokenness of her life seemed to dictate the fragmented rhythm off her movements; the neck jerking her head about like a chicken pecking at scratch, arms and knees pummeling the air with and exertion completely unnecessary for a slow morning walk.

She found rest down the street on a bench provided by the city, most likely for visitors to stop and contemplate their next move. But this city dweller pulled out a large plastic trash bag instead and snapped it open with a grand flourish.  What had been a street bench became a gracious bed on which to carefully lay out and examine a pile of garments taken from the depths of her cart.  Like a well trained clerk she smoothed them our with her whisk broom hands one by one, whipped them into a fold again and repacked her newly plastic lined cart.  If a magic wand could give her beautiful skin and clothes and hair and teeth, and a little grace, there is no doubt that she could easily maintain a pile of expensive sweaters on any stylish display table.

With the job done and treasures safely tucked away from threatening sky, this street side boutique transformed into a kitchen table in the special way reserved only for those who live outside. Whatever she inhaled from the old pizza box took only minutes to mash with her gums, and then the event was over. As she thanked the cook and started to limp away I wondered… where did she collect this broken mind, broken body, this broken life?  Was she ever a sweet 5 year old like the cherubs at school where I work? When did the splintering in her life begin?

On the outside her appearance and manner are the stock photo for “crazy homeless woman”, but inside and underneath it all she has a name like I do, yet shrouded in an unreachable and unknowable history. It seemed that fate had tossed her about where it would like the beating of ocean waves, and then spit her out on the sidewalk to dry in the sun.

Though I wish sometimes that the waves of my life would always be like slick glass for perpetual smooth sailing, I’m reminded by Straw Woman that there is so much I have neglected to be thankful for.

This week, just something to think about,

Molly

PS- You know I’m ahead of you by one week in using the menus, so be warned that the fish goes quick! I was so looking forward to those delicious fish tacos but my carnivores took care of it all in one setting. I had to defrost a roast.  The Minestrone Soup was delightfully simple as always, but this time I added canned, diced tomatoes, frozen corn, more basil and lots of oregano. I usually always put in a lot of nutritional yeast, but this time I kind of wished I had kept the chicken broth clear.  And finally, we loved the Chocolate No-Bake Cookies, but I decided to reduce the sugar by almost half and I wouldn’t be so drastic next time. In fact, I might still reduce the sugar almost as much but I will definitely add some sweet dates, some liquid stevia, and maybe even a few chocolate chips. These super simple cookies are a very fun way to get more fiber in your diet for sure!