Chicken soup is good for the soul

Thursday evening, my friend Nancy and her hubs were back in my neighborhood. He wanted to get his flu/Covid shots at the same pharmacy as he had in the past. A new delicatessen just opened, and they reached out and wanted to know if I wanted to join them after his jab.

I'm so glad I said "yes." I've skipped other social events -- a baby shower and a wedding celebration -- because I didn't want to be stuck in public if the kidney stone pain hits. But the deli is just around the corner from my home, so I knew if I started to feel poorly I could be back in bed in no time. 

As a couple, Nancy and Paul both like me. I can talk work with Nancy and Paul and I share all the same pop culture touch stones (yesterday we were talking Monty Python) and sports. Plus being with them makes me happy because I knew Nancy at the end of her difficult first marriage. Seeing her so happy with Paul is life affirming.

And while this isn't by design by I think it's a plus: they're Jewish. I read a blogger who recently posted something like, "All my friends are Christians and they all read the Bible." I'm a Christian and am happy to see someone live their faith. But I'm not a fan of that lack of diversity. When discussing big issues -- like abortion -- it's important to understand that others can be just as devout as you and believe something else. Respect for those views is not only kind and decent, it's Constitutionally mandated. At a time when a phrase like "Christian Nationalism" is being tossed around this, this is important.

So I felt nourished by the chicken soup, rice pudding, conversation, laughter, and affection.