I suspected as such, today. There are not going to be a lot of people with sophisticated merchant service machines. Not here, not at Marietta's weekly Saturday farmer's market.
These are mainly farmers, creators, makers, selling out of their trucks. Why would they let some merchant service provider charge them 10% for their $3.00 beet plant? Or on their $5.00 handmade German silver bracelet, that I bought two of? Because dang, the story of his grandma wearing it into the bath all the time and not seeing a change to it, just about took me out.
As you can tell, I love stories. Gosh, I adore stories. I'll take about anything.
Austin and Kelly and I finally met outside of our Sunday trivias. I was a teeny late, running up to them with Korean coconut and pistachio popsicles. I was so sure they'd survive the light Marietta heat. It was only 73 after all. No way would they...
"melted, Ngoc. I think so, because it's kinda goopy, unless you're supposed to um, drink this ice cream?" Austin asked me, while she squeezed the popsicle bag. Kelly did too, and finally, I did. We laughed and were disappointed we couldn't eat it after all, but alas, "um, let's get Sips then. :)"
With coffee in hand, the three of us explored each stall excitedly. We started at 10 AM.
And somehow, left each other hugging around 4:00 PM.
I think when you meet good people, you know very early on if you could accompany them for 6 hours straight. And with these good beans, I did just that. All of 6 hours, it was pure wholesomeness.
Dear new adult friendships,
you feel sweet too.
Thank gosh.
Kelly knew a little about just everything. She walked around the entire market as if her side bag didn't weigh at least 15 pounds. And maybe it's because of how distinctive she is, a tall dark pixie wearing a bright yellow shirt, "You're my favorite human", that I feel so drawn and curious all those months ago. She's so warm and darn sweet. And Austin has just about every reply ready in the book. She's so empathetic and fun, with her whimsical bags, whimsical shoe choices-- she is a fully developed bundle of positive energy. Pure.
And here I am, just as wholesome bean (when I wanna be ;D). Pulling us into all the shops. Being the last to make decisions, "Seated inside, please!". Starting conversations with each vendor at the market, taking pictures with the vendors themselves. I was a bit chaotic, in a good way I think. :)
When you mix all three of us together, gosh we are so sweet to each other. So attentive. I'm usually an anxious person. No, wait, I'm always an anxious person. Calculating every damn thing. "Am I possibly making anyone unhappy or uncomfortable.?" But with the girls today, I felt so much easiness and the true comfort of being silly ol' me.
A characteristic about all my friendships is how kind we are to each other. Just, kindness. Openness. Vulnerability. Listening. Deep listening. And returning to that softness. The hug you do with those that have been vulnerable with you.
How can a relationship deepen if we weren't allowed to be vulnerable?
I let my guard down all the time nowadays, because the best surprises are ones like today: realizing that it's only been 6 hours and I could see us spending a whole day together.
But everyone's boyfriends started calling them separately by the 4th hour, "Where are you? When are you coming back?" And I wasn't envious of that, only disappointed that we couldn't maybe spend the whole evening together too, but that would be hecking silly haha. Who would walk Murphy, Kelly's dog? And who would put something in the oven other than Austin?
So after taking turns trying on tiaras in the antique store and glancing at ourselves in the mirror just to recognize how beautiful we were, discovering my new favorite candle shop after hogging the stall for 7 minutes with all my sniffing ;(, learning that Kelly and Austin know too much about mushrooms with the vendor, buying the best homemade lip balm ever in my life made of something called bees and wax, eating lunch for 2 hours in the best restaurant in town with a tiny ass charcuterie board between us, reading a little sign on a vendor's stall that all the wood he used to make the kitchenware came from the trees on his property, feeding a business owner's grey-eyed dog treats limitlessly, realizing that the same business owner was also a psychic tarot card spiritual healer (lol), not buying the beautiful vintage books and then returning to the shop just to get them after lunch, twirling around each other in every store we were in and excitedly picking something cute to show everyone else, and hugging each other sweetly before we separated to our cars.
So with that, Marietta is even more special in my heart.
I saw glimpses of Ivanna in that antique store, her high energy walking all over it, showing me the same dog and asking the business owner if I could give it a treat like she did. And that was 6 months ago. Fast-forward to today, among 2 new friends, we feed the same dog all over again, smiling amongst each other, the way I smiled at Ivanna then.
There are so many time loops aren't there? If you really look for them, they're all there. Happiness returns again and again. Joy never leaves us. It simply reincarnates endlessly if I allow myself to see it.
This has been the most comforting fact of it all.
Of getting older, haha.
There is so much more to say, you know? Like how the people of Marietta are so earnest. They try to give you the best price they know, at a farmer's market.
They give you stories of how that item came to be and all the advice on how to take care of what you bought. They are the PhDs of their fields.
It makes my heart smile so much, seeing all the creativity and hard efforts that people put into their businesses, on a street blocked off in front of CVS. They sit patiently, watch people pass by, and when the opportunity is there to share with someone like me, someone whom doesn't know any better, they do. And they do so, so brightly. So kindly.
My first time at this farmer's market was sooo different from today.
That means.... things have certainly changed. I've earned all this easiness, you know? I've earned the good company I was with, you know? I've earned--
and that's not the point. But it certainly took a lot to get me to this joy today.
I did a lot to be here. I did a lot to have this weekend plan be so sweet.
I did a lot yesterday, so I could smile as if I've nothing to worry about today, laugh as if I had air in my belly and my head, and do my little dance-y dance when the band started playing, because I can't stop myself when the music starts.
My white romper swirled around me while I moved and Austin and Kelly nodded along to the beat, and that was where I was, with the green chandeliers above us in that restaurant and the band right before us, when I felt myself breathe so softly and my little smile, so honest.
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