As it baked in the oven, Albert paced throughout his house, peeking in from time to time to see that the pie was coming along alright.
05.05.2021
Albert is a bit restless as he waits for the pie to bake in the oven. I think he has a sense that something special is happening, which increases his anticipation and also his agitation. His action here mirrors my own ruminating thoughts at times. My wife has the front row seat to this phenomenon and is often helpful in reminding me to step out of the repeating cycle of thought that I can get caught in. The cycle is often initiated by a sense of worry, and it never helps to run the situation into the ground by overthinking it. Even if there is an issue to resolve, a break from considering it before returning back is usually the best approach for me. When my thoughts are revolving around something more positive like an interesting project or the planning of a trip, I’ve still appreciated the practice of taking a break so that I can return to it in a fresher, fuller way.
Before long, he was in the midst of making a key lime pie that was like none he had ever tasted or even read about.
05.04.2021
Although it’s given away in the story title, this is the first sign that a key lime pie will be the use of the very special mint leaves that Albert ordered from the catalog. He looks out across the surface of the unbaked pie, anticipating the new flavor that he is seeking to create in the pie. It highlights for me how the quality of novelty can be so refreshing and intriguing to experience. When I am drawing, I most often discover it when I am doodling. The open-ended nature of doodling means that there is bound to be an element of surprise involved in the discovery of what comes forth.
Another experience of novelty, one I am a bit less familiar with, seems to come when having a newly developed idea or concept and translating it into reality. This is what Albert is in the midst of here, and it takes more time and work than those moments of impromptu novelty. Greater patience and determination are called for, and the satisfaction of completion is further off.
With his mixing bowls around him and the recipe in his mind, Albert set to work.
05.03.2021
As Albert gets started in the kitchen, I am reminded of early moments of cooking when I was perhaps ten or eleven years old. I must have been given permission to start using the stove by that time, because I remember waking up early and deciding that I would make breakfast in bed for my parents. This most likely meant scrambled eggs, buttered toast with cinnamon and sugar or jelly, and if there was one in the fridge, a cup of yogurt. I don’t think I was quite ready to handle the sizzle of bacon at that point. I enjoyed the cooking process, I’m sure, but I think what I liked doing most was arranging everything on a tray so that it would be special when presented. I’m sure I even popped out to the yard to pick a dandelion to add to the arrangement.
The other day my daughter brought me a stack of items on a pink frisbee and told me that she had made me breakfast. A layer of exercise bands was lettuce, a lotion bottle laid on its side a piece of bread, and a yoga ball was an apple. It was all delicious and I was thankful, seeing again the link of play that often runs through the things we enjoy doing most. My daughter with a frisbee plate, my ten year-old self playing butler to my parents, and Albert here, preparing a special creation.
Albert opened the box and took out a small bag holding two mint leaves from the packing. He held it up to the light and noticed how delicate and fresh they looked. He could hardly wait to get into the kitchen to begin preparing the recipe he had dreamt up.
04.30.2021
Two special items in a bag, intentionally set aside for a special use—these mint leaves remind me of two bags of Ciobar that my wife has been preserving for some time now. Ciobar, if you’ve never come across it, is an Italian chocolate product, somewhere between hot chocolate and chocolate pudding. When my wife studied abroad in Italy, she and her friends would warm up with cups of it, either sipped or eaten with a spoon. A few years ago, we determined to track some down so that I could finally try Ciobar and ended up ordering some online. It is really good, and I would have helped finish it off, but my wife has secured the last two bags and is holding them for a special occasion. I think it’s been at least a couple of years since they were put into preservation, and it’s tough to see them there sometimes. I think Albert will make quicker use of his specialty item, and I’ll just have to wait and see what special occasion arises for our Ciobar.
And then, after weeks of waiting, it finally arrived.
04.29.2021
It is such a nice experience to come home from work and have a package waiting for you there. I tend to know what’s coming, but there is just something about walking up and tossing the box under my arm as I clumsily wedge the door open to get inside. Setting my things down and finding my pocket knife, I enjoy the satisfaction of cutting the tape and opening the flaps to see what has arrived. All the better when it’s a package that has come from far away, as Albert is in the midst of experiencing.