The Once Upon a Time Cycle of Dinner

Any single, working person will know the trials of dinner. If it's not a trial for you, coming up with great homemade meals for yourself every night, I envy you.

For a year and a half, I had always counted on saturday night for a great dinner. Either AJ I and would go out, or we'd cook a big dinner together at my house. Sundays usually brought me to my parents house for dinner. Then Monday and Tuesday I'd have leftovers from Saturday, or I'd cook something big on Monday as it was my only true day off. Come Wednesday, with my work schedule, I'd be getting home at 9:00 pm, hungry, and lucky if I still had leftovers. Thursday either I'd have a cheese quesadilla or be needing to go to the grocery store at 7:30 after leaving work. Friday I'd arrrive at AJ's house after work, around 7:30-7:45, hungry for dinner. It used to be that we'd have a "late" dinner together. That changed to him having leftovers for me to heat up, or he'd make me an egg sandwich. That turned into me asking (after being there for 1/2 hour), "I'm hungry....is there something in your refridgerator that I could eat?" And I'd have to cook it myself. Saturday would come and the cycle would begin again.

I was solo during the week. Now I'm solo all the time except for dinner with Mom and Dad on Sundays.

I had a rare and special treat this week! A friend whom I know from my store, married and with two small children, graciously asked if she could cook a dinner for me sometime. She and her family are Indian, so she asked how I liked spicey Indian food? I LOVE Indian food! And spicey food! She must be so busy, since her youngest is only 11 weeks old, yet she asked if she could do this for me. She called me yesterday, asking what time I'd be leaving the store. 7:00. She told me to stop by her family's home and pick up some homemade Indian food! This was so kind and generous of her....I couldn't believe it. She was a gracious host. Inviting me into her home, it must have been late at that time for the children. She had a meal packed and ready for me. I visited for a little while, she gave me a packet of masala spices along with the food, and I got to hold her tiny and beautiful baby boy. This kind of generosity has me speechless. She told me that she wanted to do this for me because it must be difficult being alone.

Yes, it is difficult. But having friends out there that that want to do kind things for you makes the world amazing.

Tomorrow night I'm hoping to be strong enough to take myself out to dinner. There's a place with a cozy and classy bar. I'll get an expensive glass of wine and an inexpensive large salad for dinner. I'm hoping not to burst into tears while I'm eating.