Before all the good greens pop back into the markets, this
Caesar Roasted Romaine is an interesting side. Yes, you
can roast a salad green! Parmesan, anchovies, a little lemon and oil tops it off after 5 minutes of roasting face down. You can pick it up with your hands so it's perfect to eat with soup if you're trying not to eat bread. Romaine is a tough lettuce, so she stays crisp.
Writing this end of April, and at the beginning of my shift today I spoke with one of the young boys, a writer and fellow biker in my department. He's at the age (30ish) he thinks he knows everything and I'm at the age that I realize how dumb I was at 30, but not fully comprehending how my foolishness continues. We have lively discussions on consciousness. I went on about how I do much of my spiritual 'work' on customers, practicing being present, being calm and someone that leaves you feeling good about the world, not the opposite. He agreed it was a good place to hone your chi, but said he had no interest in being that to 'these people', that he saves his good side for the deserving. Then we got into the idea of who is worthy. A few minutes passed before we got totally slammed. So after all that hot air was spewn, and as the universe tends to do, my first planning appointment was two women, one a white, absent minded lesbian contractor and the other, an older African American lady, homeowner, the client. God bless them, okay, but I'm saying....dumb as rocks the both of them! I'm no Einstein so when I call it, it's fairly severe. All the things I said just a few short moments ago, slid down the drain like dirty dishwater.
Later, an elderly Italian gentleman, very hard of hearing and very hard of head was my next appointment . He knew everything, he said, annoyed at my questions, but could answer none of them. A challenge. I found myself in a constant struggle to stay cool and raised my voice more than I care to admit.
The end of the shift we had a surprise out of the blue occurrence, where we were each pulled aside by some new manager of something or other, on the floor mind you, and told if we were to keep our current position. Gulp. NOWHERE in the universe had this been a question I had time to ponder. It was a complete jolt. We knew the managers were being reorganized, and several lost their jobs the previous days, so the scene was already quite somber. I was spared but more than a few in our department, including said morning buddy will be moving to another area of the store. A huge cloud of thick fog blanketed the space as each processed their news. The one coworker who manages to find misery in each of life's moment, but who was also spared, spread an extra layer of negativity instead of comforting the one's we're losing. I was no better, I struggled to stay the last minutes of my shift and could not run out of there fast enough, not bothering to say anything remotely consoling. All proving I'm full of shit because staying in the moment, reacting positively and accepting what is, is very difficult. I stayed riled until later that night.