Week 3: Leftovers and Life
This week was basically one long catered affair. Graduation parties, work parties, Juneteenth celebrations, foster parenting class, devotional gatherings—each event came with its own spread of food, and somehow we ended up with a fridge that looked like a restaurant's walk-in cooler. Containers stacked on containers, each one telling the story of where we'd been (I keep those in my car for later, much to my husband’s chagrin!).
A major thread this week was progressing my community civic activities. My new partner in service (I’ll call her Sunflower🌻) has literally been a godsend. We spent five hours deep in planning, prioritizing, doing, and talking. Time flew by. Later in the week, she helped repaint the neighborhood kiosk. While I wasn’t there, she connected with neighbors I’ve known for years—some of whom spoke more openly to her than they ever have to me. By the end of the day, she’d practically become an honorary resident (she even got a t-shirt!). Our leftover Peruvian chicken even made its way down there 😊. Sometimes it takes a fresh voice to hear what’s really being said. She’s already becoming an anchor in our community building.
This week, I got to FaceTime with a friend I haven’t seen in years. For once, there was no need to schedule around meetings or squeeze the call into a sliver of time between responsibilities. I wasn’t bogged down by a 9–5, and that made all the difference. We had an unhurried, real conversation—something that used to feel impossible. Just two people catching up, with time on our side.
My first Father's Day without Dad, and the day felt different than I expected. Instead of heavy sadness, I felt this gentle gratitude. Maybe it was the week of celebration and community, or maybe it's just how grief works—showing up as warmth when you're bracing for cold. I know he’s looking out for me and helping guide things to me from the other side!
The teenagers at various events this week were doing that beautiful thing where they're simultaneously celebrating huge wins and having mini existential crises. Watching them navigate it all while balancing paper plates and trying to look cool reminded me that growing up is mostly about figuring out how to be human in public. It’s tough, but we all are learning!
Between all the events, I started a free AI course, so far it’s great, here is the link. Remember the end of my summer of service I need to get a job! Learning about artificial intelligence while surrounded by all this very human intelligence felt perfectly ironic. Plus, studying while eating leftover cake from three different celebrations? That's just good time management.
This week's theme was abundance, I think. Not just the overflowing fridge, but the way community keeps feeding itself—with food, with connection, with the kind of presence that turns strangers into neighbors and leftovers into love.