Sharon had been talking to her mother about me regarding a particular way to prepare a mango like they do in the Philippines and in the middle of the conversation, her mother takes one of her own mangoes, wraps it and instructs her to bring it to me in Florida (from Georgia) not even thinking we have mangoes here, too. It is this generosity for a stranger that always amazes me. The only thing that mattered to her mother was that she had another Filipino friend (me) and that I could share cultural similarity with her daughter. It was like saying, "Oh! You must bring her one. She couldn't possibly live without having one to remind her of her old home." I was another daughter of sorts -- instant family.
I opened this exotic fruit humbly wrapped in a plastic bag and a paper towel. The towel absorbed some of its fragrance so when I unwrapped my treasure, my childhood wafted into my nostrils triggering memories of the outdoor markets. I said as much to Sharon who sniffed the package and agreed.
My aunt does the same thing for me when I visit her and she has extras of some steamed Filipino rice muffins. She insists on me taking it for my friend Kathy (not Filipino or not that we can disprove yet - ha!) who loves it, but is one of my close friends. Instant family.
Bridget gave me the mini report of how her son received his handmade and handpicked gift from me yesterday -- a decorated cupcake with a chocolate flower on top. He was excited and licked all the frosting off first then ate the cake. He had asked if I was part of the family on Saturday. I guess this was another example of instant family.
My own Caucasian side of my family is a bit disjointed and maybe even shattered in parts. Sometimes a certain loneliness creeps within me when I think of my big disconnect with them, but it is my Filipino side that keeps me sane. That side and the other mothers my friends have.
I am both embarrassed and proud to say that I get many little "I'm thinking of you" gifts from my girlfriends' moms. It is so sweet and very surprising because what I get are always beautiful and seem tailored to me. These mothers are mostly non-Asian, but somehow they practice instant family... The commonality may be that they are mothers or maybe we all tune ourselves instinctively to when our heartstrings are plucked in just a certain note of wanting someone to have a certain thing because we know they will enjoy it and resonate in receiving what we send in giving. Does that make sense?
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The whole day wasn't spent in feel good vibes; some crazy testosterone laden vibes came in like party crashers. Rob mentioned how he talked to Dan about shooting and shooting positions then invited him to a possible game of paintball. Dan then responded that I would have to be invited. (I am sure he did this to torture me because it is outdoors and they both think I may be too girlie to get dirty. Got news for you boys -- Don't let the hair and make-up fool you. I will turn Rambo on your ass...um, wearing lipgloss and spreading glitter while doing it, of course. Maybe even serving you a canape after you get taken out of the game?) The invite was extended to Bridget where I said that we could do "Gals vs. Dorks". All four of us are very competitive. The men like to hedge their shots while us gals like to pull the trigger to empty.
Before I knew it, the group of four grew to nine. We really need 10 for two teams of five players. A small testosterone challenge has suddenly turned into an outing that may be realized at the end of next month. It's not going to be pretty until the pink paint starts making its targets. Canape anyone?
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