I kept waiting for it––one perfectly beautiful moment in March that would force me to stop and take notice, that would inspire me with some profound reality about the human experience. Maybe it would be a piece of art; maybe it would be a sight in nature; maybe it would be some quiet moment in my everyday life that was suddenly loud with the wonder of the world.
And while nice things (many of them, in fact) happened week in and week out, there was no one moment of awe for me this month. Reflecting on March, I wondered whether my challenge to find and write about some beautiful moment in my life each month this year was destined to fail, or whether it had failed already. On the surface, it seemed that perhaps it had.
The beauty of being a writer, however, is that you learn to think in terms of metaphors. You learn that the physical thing in front of you can represent an emotional or spiritual truth about the world, and even if at first they seem to have nothing in common, the alchemy of a word fitly spoken can gild the concrete so that, in certain lights, it reflects the essence of the abstract. So I looked at this nice month, this concrete reality of 31 relatively pleasant days, and I thought about what truth they might teach me, and I realized that perhaps there was a metaphor to be made.
Beauty, it turns out, is not always heart-stopping and jaw-dropping. It does not have to be bold or surprising. It can be found in sharing good meals with loved ones, in welcoming a new life into the world, in running an errand with your husband rather than staying home, in taking solo road trips with a dog in your lap for half the drive, in treating yourself to cheese curds and frozen custard, in finding the one book (in pristine condition, no less) you're hoping to pick up at Goodwill. Rather than desensitizing us to these small glories of life, the grand moments of beauty ought to grow our capacity to recognize beauty in its humble, everyday clothes.
The big moments will come in time. But in waiting for them, may we not miss the golden beauty that gleams in our daily lives, awaiting our observant eyes.
Here's what I read, cooked, and created in the month of March.
What I Read
Truck: A Love Story, Michael Perry (★★★★)
The First Phone Call from Heaven, Mitch Albom (★★★)
Much Ado About Anne, Heather Vogel Frederick (★★★★)––reread
Dear Pen Pal, Heather Vogel Frederick (★★★★)––reread
My Grandfather's Son, Clarence Thomas (★★★★★)
The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (★★★★)
In a Jar, Deborah Marcero (★★★★★)
Out of a Jar, Deborah Marcero (★★★★)
If you want to hear the rationale behind my rating, head to my Goodreads for full reviews.
What I Cooked
We all love a good fast-food dupe recipe, so I decided to give these a shot. But in making them, I came to a realization: oven fries just aren't that good. The texture is more crunchy than crispy, and even drenched in seasonings, they just seemed bland to me.
As I was thinking about this recipe, though, I wondered whether this seasoning might work for potatoes cut into a different shape. I frequently roast potatoes, and those usually turn out perfectly fluffy and crisp, so I'm not completely writing this recipe off until I've tried that. Especially considering that the queso recipe is so good.
I've decided that it's worth my time to make my own salad dressings, and I wanted something fresh and zingy to accompany a salad of spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, and avocado. (There should have been pine nuts as well, but I forgot them.) This ridiculously easy dressing accompanied it perfectly. If you, like me, frequently purchase tubs of pesto that then languish in your fridge for months on end, this is a great way to use up some of the extra.
When I was in high school, I made a potato leek soup with friends, and I have been chasing a recipe that will be just as delicious ever since.
Unfortunately, this was not that recipe. Admittedly, I did add a little too much cayenne, but even so, it was just not good. Eating it made me feel like a nasty pond creature subsisting on sludge.
What I Created
Original blackout poem "Once Upon a Dream"
May your days be filled with beauty, and may your heart be filled with the willingness to see and give thanks for it.