It's a Full Moon

The chinese people are extremely superstitious to the point that if you spit a different way it means something totally different. My kids and husband laugh at me only to the point that I do believe in the full moon. It's never just a "full moon", "it's a full moon." You ask what's the difference. Just saying a full moon is identifying the planets. Saying "It's a full moon," means you better beware.


There is a turning point in the full moon when everything is going wrong and then it turns and starts looking your way. This day was definitely that.


I got up ready to go to work and realized April 29 we were in a blizzard at our house. It was horrible. I watched the news and found out that the freeway had had a major car accident on it and the only way to work was on this freeway, past this accident. So I decided why sit on the freeway, since the news was going to go for a little longer, why not wait and watch the news for a break not only in the weather, but also with the cleaning up of the freeway.


After an extended 45 min, I thought I must make a go of it, but stupid me, once I got to the backlog of cars and no more exits for about 10 miles, I realized I had no gas. So since the freeway was now a parking lot, I turned off my engine, and started to get very nervous of the fact I had no gas, no way of getting gas, stalled behind an accident and also in a blizzard. Could I pick a better moment.


When the cars started crawling I thought how bad could it be for me to not turn on the engine, but put the car in neutral and coast down behind the semis. Did I say this was in a canyon with a 7% grade downhill. Yeah! At least I knew there was a semi in front of me that would catch my fall, but I also knew there was a semi in back of me that could have squashed me into a little pancake.


Once the traffic started up I turned on my engine and started cruising when within a few minutes everything came to a complete stop with cars flying every which way to avoid another accident. It was scary. This happened another two times, riding on fumes until I got out of the canyon, but still in a blizzard.


I immediately headed for the nearest gas station (2 hours later) and called my work to ask if it was snowing there. Disappointingly "no." Come on, they have to feel some of my pain.


I arrived at work a little before 11 and at 4:30 headed home an hour early for a cooking class that I had signed up for at the high school. A friend of mine had suggested me taking the class since it was specializing in GF. I was thrilled. I had a list of questions.


In any new class you enter apprehensively, "is the teacher going to be good, am I going to like the other classmates, will I learn something beyond what I already know..." I first arrived not knowing where the class was, but as luck would have it I met a teacher there that walked me down and around several stairs and floors until we arrived at the class. Two students, I didn't think I was that early, I swear to you the registar told me that the class was full, oh well. I sat down right next to the couple and thought why not be yourself, you can only irritate them and then never see them again.


I noticed immediately there was goodies on the table. I must admit that prior to arriving at the school, I wasn't sure if this was a demonstration cooking class, a hands on, or just what it would be like so I stopped off at the nearest gas station for a few swedish fish and a chickstick. I hated to go three hours without anything in my stomach and with this stomach you couldn't just go through any drive thru so candy was going to have to do. I immediately saw two beautiful blueberry tarts (I love blueberries), cream puffs, and an onion dip that the teacher immediately encouraged us to share. I now regretted that last swedish fish.


I hate the old cliches "I bonded with my new mates of common interest" "I felt a kinship." blah blah blah. But what I found was an interesting group of 15 people totally enjoying the night. We learned new tricks of the trade of cooking as well learning new recipes for GF.


The best part of the night was, I didn't have to explain my feelings or needs to someone that didn't know. For months I have sat down at different dinners, with a variety of groups and it comes up every time all the questions, the concerns, and exhausting explaining. On the other hand this group just knew. They all were willing to learn along with me. They knew my questions to the teacher were not stupid even if they knew the answers already. They were willing to inform me and were allowing my naive questions and answers to flow. Knowing I may never see these people or the teacher again it was easy for me to be myself and enjoy the conversation.


Kelly Corrigan that wrote the book "Lift" explained that morning on a news program that the book told about sometimes your life is like a hand glidders that use the turbulence of the air to seek a path to a peaceful flow. That is what today was like. I knew if I just got through that canyon I would find my peaceful flow somewhere. I found it in a small community ed cooking class.