I'm old.
There. I said it.
Okay. Fine. You may disagree that turning 28 years old does not define me as "old". Whatever. We can agree to disagree. But I can at least say that I feel old.
So much has happened. So much food has been eaten. So much life seems to have passed by.
- I moved in with my parents and attempted to be a typical twentysomething under their roof for over a year. Fun times. We fought. They questioned on several occasions if I was an alcoholic, druggie, and/or "woman of the night" (their words, not mine), depending on how late I came back home. At the same time, this humbling experience reaffirmed to me that they are selfless, loving people who took me back in with little advanced notice of my career change and sudden need to move back to NJ. My parents are basically saints with high pain thresholds.
- I'm finally living on my own in the city. Nope, not New York City. I'm now a Jersey City resident. The views of NYC from here are beautiful. The food scene is hopping. People smile and say "hi" to each other in my neighborhood. Home sweet home.
- I fell in love. Deep, selfless love. And then one day the guy just decided to call it quits. Here one day, gone the next. It's true that heartbreak is a bitch, but it's certainly forced me to take a long, hard look in the mirror and swallow some hard lessons. #1 lesson learned? Know how to love yourself for who you are first because sometimes that may be the only love you can rely on.
- OMG! I'm running. Like doing that activity that is slightly faster than speed walking. Now, granted, I did (note the past tense) more running when the weather was warmer. But with the colder weather it's been less running and more public transportation. I have been, however, trying to find other ways of remaining active and eating smarter. So, to calm your fears, I am not eating less...just more of the better stuff. Like a salad...on occasion. Really.
Heavy stuff, right? Oh, yeah, and now I'm a year older. To celebrate, I've been putting all my efforts towards spending time with the people I love: Hung out with the parents, threw a potluck dinner party at my Jersey City apartment, shamelessly enjoyed free dinners and drinks, and made a weekend road trip to Delaware.
If you've been following my random, inconsistent blog ramblings (all of like 4 posts), you'll recall that the idea for this blog was hatched in lovely Wilmington, Delaware. Over good food and laughter, the words "Eat and Be Mary" were effortlessly spoken and a blog idea was born. And then it died...and then it was re-born again. And then it really died. You see, its resurrections and deaths corresponded to my commitment level and overall faith in myself. I got busy. I didn't think I was a good writer. I had new episodes of "New Girl" to catch up on. Yadda yadda. But last month, I went back to Delaware and during those 48 hours, I remembered why "Eat and Be Mary" was such a brilliant idea:
Lancaster County Sausage @ Booths Corner Farmers Market
November 2013
My Birthday Dinner: Homemade Puerto Rican Beef Stew w/ Rice & Beans
November 2013
That's all it took. Two meals in Delaware for me to see the light. No, the light wasn't a reaction to digestion or bad heart burn. The light was this memory of the blog and how I'm still such a bigger supporter of the fact that food brings people together and food can bring so much happiness. People and food - two of my greatest loves. Now, which one do I love more? I'll let you decide.
Life's short, kids. Let's do this (again).
Someone out there decided to have faith in me, my writing skills, and my love/obsession with food. Then *poof* this blog was born.