CHEERS TO THE GOOD LIFE!

 

A series of essays….

FRESH DINNER INGREDIENTS

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Recently, I composed a poem called The Good Life that is based on the understanding and kindness of the contemporary poet, Diana Goetsch. The first stanza sums up the richness of life for me in three lines:

Invite the people you love into your home. Sit with them. 

Take in the sound of clinking glasses and plates. 

You’ll truly feel you are living the good life.

A good friend once commented on my Facebook post by saying she thought I was a good ‘chef.’ I was flattered, of course, even though payment for my cooking has never hit the books, as far as I know. I take that back. Once, a long time ago, a lady had eaten my chicken with Béchamel sauce filled French crêpes I’d made for a luncheon at Dusty’s English Inn and inquired if I happened to do catering. I did not cater, but we worked out a deal including quantity and price and I met her in a Meijer parking lot in Lansing and exchanged ‘the goods’ out of the trunk of my car. Quite a clandestine operation, don’t you think? 

My point, however, is that the first thing I thought of regarding my friend’s FB comment was how much I simply enjoy — feeding people. This is my true passion. Catching satisfied smiles on faces after the first few bites or having someone ask me for the recipe are grand compliments for such enjoyable work. 

Inviting family and friends over to partake of a good home cooked meal is very satisfying. Doing so says some important things about us: my home truly is your home, your company is very much enjoyed and appreciated, and, while you’re here, let’s eat! To fill the belly is to fill the heart and soul of everyone we cook for. There’s so much joy in making people feel welcome, conversational, happy, and nourished.

There are clear benefits for everyone here and taking the time to sit and talk with those you love and enjoying hanging out with is a priority. In a less stressful and more simple life, we might call this act sitting down at the family table and having dinner together; sharing insights about the day’s activities as we make time to talk, if only for a little while.

A LITTLE “CHEER” BETWEEN GOOD FRIENDS!

“Sláinte!” - “Cin! Cin!” - “Salud!” - “Prost!” - “Santé!” - “Yamas!” - “Cheers!”

I enjoy the sound of clinking glasses and hearing people converse while eating utensils reverberate around the room and echo the sounds of food lovingly passed around the table. The clinking of glasses might mean sharing a toast to good health, friendship, a new job, or the birth of a baby. Walking the small side streets of any large city around dinner time, especially during the warmer months with apartment windows opened to the fresh air, provides these amazing sounds for me. It’s interesting to imagine what delicious food is on each table and how many people are partaking of a simple, family meal as I follow the golden light pouring out of screened windows.

The good life implies a wealthy, luxurious way of living. Let’s explore the meaning of the words wealthy and luxurious in more terms than just having bucket loads of money and lavishly spending it on a decadent lifestyle of comfort and self-indulgence. Having a plentiful supply of a particularly desirable thing might serve us well in this case; in terms of information, knowledge, experience — these would be positive assets for anyone. Add to this list family, friendships, love, and filling your home with as many books as your heart desires. Considering the latter, I am a very wealthy person, indeed!

Living in the lap of luxury is all relative, determined by different people having different view-points while looking at the same thing. On one hand, a single, working Mom of (let’s say) three might come home to an apartment filled with laughter and joy comprised of the most important people in her life, her family. On the other hand, one might have people on their payroll doing their bidding, however, the tower of gold or beachfront property may not contain a modicum of respect or love no matter how much money one may have in his battered, ancestral coffer. Again, it’s all relative.

DINNER MADE FROM THE FRESH
INGREDIENTS FROM ABOVE

For myself, the good life is one of simple but meaningful pleasures. Good living at its best! This includes being kind to others, helping those in need, taking care of yourself through healthy eating and movement, sharing your life with a beloved pet, and traveling as much as possible in order to learn to accept other people and customs, new places and climates. And, placing a smile on your face can help work out some of the kinks that may obstruct your intended headway.

Love your life completely, to the core. Never take a single day for granted. Yesterdays are gone. Tomorrows are yet to be. Live and love in the moment with all of the gusto you can possibly muster! Help feed the world with positivity and that optimism will help nourish you and those you love for the rest of your lives.

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

SPIEGEL CATALOG DREAMING

 

A series of essays….

I WISH I HAD SAVED ONE OF THESE VINTAGE CATALOGS!

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

She was inclined to use her spare time and energy this morning to do a load of linens in the stackable washer and dryer and then make-up their bed in clean sheets and coverlet. He always loved climbing into a newly made bed, placing his left arm around her shoulders and gently pulling her close to his chest to snuggle as they drifted off to sleep. This was a blissful habit they had come to perfect after their many years together.

Tugging at the corners of the fitted sheet was always such a chore. Once done, she neatly flounced the top sheet over it, wrong side up, as her mother taught her, in order to fold back the top of the sheet enough to expose the right side of the decorative trim. Then stretch, tuck, and mitre corners and prepare to cover it all with the Ralph Lauren comforter that never seemed to age after all of this time. 

As she shifted the abstract florals of blue, sand, pale green, chocolate brown, with a small touch of pink and coral to fit neatly on all sides, she ran her hand over the smooth material as a final gesture of contentment, a job well done. Just then, the tips of her fingers on the right hand touched an unexpected snag; a slight rip on one of the filled channels running lengthwise down the cozy comforter. 

Looking closer, she found the one inch flaw that, when gently lifted, exposed the cotton batting inside. She thought, well, this was certainly a first and just when she’d been reminiscing about its apparent longevity. 

Initially, she saw it in the Spiegel Catalog all gloriously muted and beautiful alongside its matching pillow shams, cotton sheets, and dust ruffle. Being a Ralph Lauren creation made it more expensive than most of the other bedding sets she saw but, having an eye for color and quality, she was more than happy to pay for something she felt would last through time, as well as numerous washings. 

MY RALPH LAUREN VINTAGE CLASSIC

The Spiegel experience was a brilliant way to introduce woman from all walks of life and ages to stylish products while in the comfort of their own homes. From home furnishings to the latest clothing trends, this catalog brought everything to the fashionable shopper who wanted it all and each glossy page was a tribute to that cause. Visualize this item in your living room, in your kitchen, on your beautiful queen size bed. And, she did!

The majority of experts have agreed that items over 50 years old but less than 100 years old can be called vintage or collectable, but not antique. Old, but not that old. Now, nearly fifty years later, a small rip attributed to age, flawed the comforter that shared the main bedroom of each and every home they had lived in since their marriage began. So, we are a ‘vintage’ couple, she mused. Are our own flaws beginning to show, as well? She preferred to believe that the patina of older age represented a life well lived; the healthy cumulative years of child bearing, child raising, working various jobs, entertaining family and friends, celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, and crying at both daughter’s weddings with the anticipation of grandchildren in the future…would never show as flaws, only joy.

Even though she knew this small rip could be mended, the certainty of more rips loomed heavily in the future. She was a realist, after all. Nothing stayed young or new, forever. Dealing with the aging process was more appealing than allowing it to take-over her life and depress her in the long run. She smiled at the philosophy that if something becomes threadbare or shows signs of age, deal with it directly instead of allowing it to drive you crazy. Life is way too short for that.

Securing her soft-sided sewing kit from the linen closet, she proceeded to assess the situation carefully before deciding on which method to use to repair the tear. After all, if she successfully repaired this tiny flaw today, the precious vintage quilt might become an antique one day. Perhaps it would be passed down to their grandchildren and great grandchildren with more memories to be stuffed deep inside of it like the soft cotton now exposed after nearly fifty years of marriage and too many washings to count.

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

SPACES - 2023 EDITION

 

A series of essays….

THE BEACH AT CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA ~
WIDE, OPEN SPACE WHERE OUR ‘SPACE PROGRAM’ BEGAN

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Author’s Note: Back in December, 2020, back in the throes of COVID-19, I wrote this essay because I knew how important having personal space was; how not having personal space or not wearing a mask could and would harm us in the long run. With a few small tweaks here and there, I offer you my 2023 version of Spaces, reminding us of what having space means and that having it is necessary and required.

Spaces can be beautiful things. They were created to calm the weary soul between bouts of upheaval; before the spirit can be crushed under the pressure of tempestuousness storms. Spaces offer relief and respite from ourselves. We can be grateful for this downtime. It is meditation for the soul and sanity for the mind and allows us the freedom to gulp fresh air and new ideas before carrying on. As humans, we can perform at our greatest potential if we offer ourselves time-outs, spaces for reflection, as we contemplate our next move, solve the next problem—recreate the world. 

A space in time is our sigh of relief when we exhale audibly in one long, deep breath releasing collected sorrow and weariness; a whispered exhalation suggesting the sound of trees sighing in the wind while we’re on a walk through a forest. The spaces between the trees define the paths that we follow while the space high above us offers an azure blue sky drifting between the bundles of broad leaves forming the crown of the tall, majestic trees. Our collective sighs surround the bracts and catkins that shiver beneath the Trembling Aspen whose leaves quiver in the wind.

Wherewouldawriterbewithoutspaces?

Spaces define perimeters denoting boundaries that we have chosen to respect and abide by. Giving our neighbor his own ‘space’ in which to function as he sees fit is akin to respecting the fence he has installed to secure his property believing that he will respect our own private spaces in return. As some spaces deal with ownership and free will, others imply colloquial language and the basic parameters of daily life: A parking space, a space between your front teeth, the space between residential housing, spacing plantings a certain distance apart, the wide, open spaces of the Great Plains, the space of time between one action to be followed by a similar action, and the three-dimensional area around us, the universe where stars and planets exist. 

Space, as one of the classic ‘seven elements of art,’ refers to the distances or areas around, between, and within components of a particular piece. In art, the use of space can even be used to distort reality. One of the best ways to explain the use of space in art might be: Painters imply space, photographers capture space, sculptors rely on space and form, and architects build space. 

The use of space within an artistic format is sometimes nothing but an illusion; magic for the eyes.

FRENCH ARTIST, HENRI MATISSE, USED
FLAT COLORS TO CREATE SPACES IN HIS
RED ROOM (HARMONY IN RED) 1908.

An intermission placed in the middle of a performance offers the audience a space of time in order to contemplate and process the meaning of the first half so that they can be more knowledgeable when approaching the final act. If this intermission is applied to our own life span, might it be labeled ‘middle-age’ as in one’s prime, mature adulthood, seasoned, educated, and more reasonable than one’s undisciplined and often reckless youthful self? If we solemnly believe this, our second act should be driven by the mature lead of past examples, lessons learned via our mistakes, and the culmination of wisdom and truth that only the passing of time can provide. 

Keeping this in mind, aging should be a highly praised asset 

of accumulated resources that would allow us to share the wealth of knowledge and life experiences with others of all ages. Even though, given the relatively short scale of existence one person has on this Earth, this space of time may seem trivial compared to the span of history. But, it is long enough to capture in memory the heart and soul of every person and pass their ethereal existence down through the passage of time.

EACH OF US REQUIRES PERSONAL SPACE
FROM TIME TO TIME

Researchers describe the interpersonal distances of man (the relative distances between people) in four distinct zones: intimate, personal, social, and public space. The implication of the importance of social spacing has impacted us today with great force, its reverberation can be felt around the world. Out of respect and love, remember to give everyone the ‘space’ they require to feel comfortable and move forward.

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

THE NEXT CHAPTER

 

A series of essays….

MOTHER NATURE TRANSFORMS, ALMOST OVERNIGHT, THE BUDDING
FLOWER INTO ONE COLORFUL EXPLOSION OF BEAUTY!

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Just as the sweet, tender leaves of trees unfurl right before our very eyes, a moment when the time span of buttery daffodils begin to expire and their trumpets fold back into the earth’s sandy loam to bulbous homes preparing for next season, when Mothers are honored on the second Sunday of the month, and the earth breathes new life from every corner…

You came into our lives.

The blush of your rosy cheeks inspire us. What a time to be alive! Within your enchanting presence, the natural exuberance for life flourishes like Lilly of the Valley across a grand expanse of meadow. Bonding with you every Wednesday, watching hot air balloons float above the roofline and waving to the occupants leaning over the basket’s edge—feeling contentment and a dash of adventure…

And then you turned four.

Becoming a Big Sister suites you. Sharing this amazing world with a human so tiny and sweet; teaching him everything you know about the new world around him. You light up our lives and give us hope when skies are gray; please, please never take the sunshine away. You have no choice, we know. Good-bye to swim lessons in the pool, the condo at the beach, Florida…

Michigan suites you, too.

Flexibility is synonymous with youth. The tall, ancient trees that sway in the backyard will attest to their spirit of rabble-rousing with the mighty wind as gnarled, crusty limbs create craters in the soft earth during a storm. But, your flexible young limbs find a home as the budding gymnast while making friends, coping with endless practices, and surrendering to a unique lifestyle…

Discipline is part of your nature.

Change is often difficult for us ancient ones. Moving back to the Tundra isn’t easy on old bones and skin kissed daily by the sun; following our hearts certainly is. Just as you and your brother adapt to your altered landscape, seasonal climate changes—we return to the world we grew-up in and watch our younger selves in both of you. Puffy snowsuits, tall boots, and watery tracks to the porch…

A.P. classes and driver’s education.

Wearing braces is your thing. The look suits your beautiful expressions; all chunky with a hint of sparkle manifested by the light. Now that they’re removed, life is much more fun, uncomplicated, and independent by your standards. You are growing up so fast, just like your mother, and there is nothing in our power to decelerate; we must cherish each moment in time with you…

Look at you behind the wheel!

Sixteen years pass and the sweet, tender leaves unfurl right before our very eyes. Once again, May unfolds her natural beauty in sights and scents we can only hope to capture in a bottle. Back then, I held you in my arms as the world opened up to so many possibilities. Today, I hold you close every time you allow me to and cherish our two hearts beating as one—even for a few moments in time…

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved