Taking Time to Do Errands with Others

On Saturday I was invited to go to the farmers market with my friend and Naturopath, Asher. Normally I go the farmers market by myself, with a general idea of what I want, and I slip in and out between the crowd. I hate crowds. And parking. Which is why I don’t go the market all that often. It’s so . . . inefficient.

But, DH was going to be out of town, so I figured I could spend a leisurely morning at the market. I didn’t really need anything, so I could just enjoy being with friends. I say friends because I always run into people I know, either from Slow Food West Michigan or fellow food bloggers or other random connections.

For some reason I got there early (and, our meeting time was 8 AM!) So I took my time and slowly worked my way to the office end of the market, where I came across The Book Fairy. At first I was like, what is this crazy girl doing dressed up like a fairy, and then I realized that she was giving away free children’s books, and THEN I thought oh hey, I should grab one for my nieces and nephews (it could live at my parent’s house). I smiled.

Then, since Asher (who encourages me to be gluten-free) wasn’t there yet, I bought a loaf of cinnamon-raisin bread and crackers to go with my friend’s goat cheese. I did confess my transgression when she arrived shortly thereafter. She just laughed at me. I also got to meet her friend Alysha, who turned out to be a lot of fun.

After buying some vegetables (found the cutest baby squash!) and wandering the market together, we went out for breakfast. I thought to myself, I need to do this more often.

Ironically enough, when I checked in on Foursquare at the market, my sister posted on Facebook, “Oh! I almost texted you this morning to find out what you were doing!” And then my mom posted, asking me to pick up some bread. And THEN my sister-in-law asked me how late the market was open.

And then I thought, why does it never occur to me to invite people to go to the market with me? Is it that I am afraid no one will want to go? Am I focused on efficiency rather than relationships? What IS the deal here?

I don’t really have an answer, but I am blogging this to help me remember to stop and smell the flowers. To invite others to come on errands with me.

“I think if I’ve learned anything about friendship, it’s to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Don’t walk away, don’t be distracted, don’t be too busy or tired, don’t take them for granted. Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together. Powerful stuff.”

– Jon Katz