Daily Characters

"I've died. Twice. The pull of gravity, the beating of your heart pulsing in your chest is all gone. Have you ever been in a group hug of people you really care about? That is how it felt. I was surrounded by hundreds of people from life that cared about me and I was weightless, being lifted up to a beam of light. " 


Life is about relationships, about the road you travel and the people along it. Some walk with you for a lifetime and you on their road. Others it is a blip of time, a short skip down the paved road or a long trudge through the mud. I have worked in a coffee shop setting for about four years of my life and have had many people walk with me for short legs of the road. 
Daily characters are one of the best parts of working in a coffee shop. The regulars walk in and you already have their drink made up. They sit at the counter and you exchange a long moment in one another's day and establish a bizarre camaraderie of sorts. 
Then there are moments like today in which you are challenged and inspired by conversation with your coffee camrade.  

I came to work not to work but to write a paper on a United States Supreme Court civil rights case for my Political Science class. After being there for four hours I had completed one paragraph that will surely need revision. Although my day lacked studious success it was filled with beautiful contemplation, all thanks to one of my favorite Daily Characters. 

He sat down next to me a gave me that look of "you're hanging out at work?'. Somehow we rather quickly came to the topic of dreams. Since moving to Klamath almost every night has housed a dream. Upon sharing my strange dreaming state he said "when you dream like that each night it makes you wonder if you ever really sleep. I fly in mine and I own a spaceship that was given to me by aliens that look like humans." 

At this point I set my laptop down and was all ears.

"You see it is like a time machine where I can type in any age I want and then I become that age for the remainder of the dream."

Our dream musing then morphed into the topic of the meaning of life and why we are here. He shared his first encounter with death, a kayaking trip in the grand canyon. At one point his old but vivacious eyes welled with tears "... the pull of gravity, the beating of your heart pulsing in your chest is all gone. Have you ever been in a group hug of people you really care about? That is how it felt. I was surrounded by hundreds of people from life that cared about me and I was weightless, being lifted up to a beam of light For the first time I felt completely accepted and loved for who I was. " 

I was so used to this old man's comical spirit that the tears in his eyes caught me by surprise.
He continued the story, which was quite riveting, and then gave a pensive pause. 

"You know, a few years later it hit me why we are each here. Simply to love and to treat our fellow man with care." 

From his story it was so obvious that he had been given a second chance at life. And I realized we shared such a similar outlook on life but it stemmed from two different sources. Mine from the God I feel so intimately connected to, and his from a nameless source that drives him to action. We truly are here for a deeper intention:

To Love and Care for Those Around Us.

Beautiful little girls in Haiti-you can learn a lot about love from those who have little

Our conversation on purpose and life continued on for another hearty hour. The coffee shop was at closing time so he got up with a grin. "It has been an honor to know you kid, even for just a short time." And with that he grabbed his coffee, gave a wave and walk out the door.  Since then my head has been swirling with thoughts of dreams and visions, the spirit that lies within people, the purpose and peace found in both life and death. 

Daily Characters. Oh how many I've met, how many stories I have heard-they will have to wait for another time. Right now I have enough pondering to do, I think a spot of star gazing will help me work some of these thoughts out.

Dinner Rolls Turn to Stone, and Other May Happenings.

Cooking is typically an avenue for me to de-stress. Key word here being "typically".

This evening I managed to burn rice past the point of no return, kill the yeast in my dinner rolls (which resulted in rocks with butter), overcook chicken by twenty degrees, and turn cookie dough into crispy lumps.


Now for a person who currently cooks for a living and finds great passion in food, this can be slightly demoralizing. And sure enough, it was. My husband, seeing my culinary demise (and the smoke filled kitchen) kindly gave me a hug and whisked me out of the kitchen as he cleaned up. We decided it was a "going out" sort of evening and headed down the street for mojitos.


This evening I was humbly reminded of the little failures in life that are often blown out of proportion.  Through the smell of burning rice and the touch of solid rolls I contemplated (dramatically of course) never cooking again. Now several hours later I feel somewhat childish about my thoughts but  was able to come to a reflective none the less.


Have you ever been in one of those McDonalds play places with all the small plastic balls in a pit? That is how the past month has been. Now don't think germs and kids with runny noses. Instead think of the chaotic fun and not quite being stand on your feet but enjoying life none the less. Now this may be a muddled analogy but bear with me, I'm recovering from a food crisis.


May.

I've strapped another lively year under my belt and was able to celebrate with dear friends and family. I awoke on my birthday to the smell of coffee, waffles and the beautiful sight of fresh strawberries, homemade whipping cream and the smile of the man of my dreams. The weekend was full of adventure and lovely surprises from Sean. We road tripped to hippie watch in Ashland and took the most beautiful route to get there, highway 66.  We went out camping only to find out that the majority of camp ground were still closed for the season. That didn't stop us thought. We found an old service road to hike down and pitch our tent. Unfortunately we forgot pillows and a pump for our air mattress. After both almost passing out we finally got that puppy filled with hot air. While the day had been sunny and warm the snow still laying on the ground suggested we were in for a chilly night. By the wee early hours of the morning we were packed up and headed home to defrost our toes. We're still working out the kinks of two person camping...in hindsight warm sweatshirts would have been a good idea too...it was an adventure to remember and ultimately that weekend was one of the best I've lived. 


In other monthly news- the cafe I work at won best dessert  at the Taste of Klamath-an evening of wining and dining with samples from all the local restaurants. The Vanilla Poppyseed Cake with a Raspberry Chantilly Cream Frosting literally, took the cake. It was a fun, busy, and proud moment. That same award winning weekend Klamath Falls was graced with the presence of my nearest and dearest friend, t'was a blast indeed!


This past weekend Sean and I took a day trip up from Klamath to Seattle (with my parents joining us in Portland) and began the search for our new home. My father labeled it a "treasure hunt" as the four of us spent all day sipping coffee and driving around Everett and Mukilteo scouring the land for a cozy O'Brien abode. In a week and a half I will be done working. In two and a half weeks we will be packed and galavanting up to the Evergreen State!




Thus I blame my meal failures on the busyness of my mind. It could also have to do with the fact that I was attempting to make three separate things at once in a kitchen the size of most people's coat closet... Despite the food foundering and lame McDonalds analogy I am excited for the transition ahead and to live out these next two weeks to the fullest. I just need to finish work strong, pass my classes, pack, and pray because I know the next seventeen days are going to fly.

*A Few May Highlights*

We got to spent the first week of May in Bend visiting family! It was a beautiful weekend of walks along the river, amazing food, and getting competitive in board games! 

Sean and I rescued this dog, John, who was wandering the freeway on our way to Ashland. We enjoyed the ten minutes of having a dog and were sad to say goodbye, but thankfully sweet John made it home safe.

We got our wedding photos!! 

Matteo's Taste of Klamath Crew

Sean and I have been biking the Klamath countryside! 

Filling Shoes with Creativity

I feel that if I do not write, than I may explode.

It is not from a passion of unfortunate circumstance as such a claim would warrant. It is more out of an intense creative surge within me. I have music pulsing through me ears, the dream of travel on my mind, and the anticipation of new things in my heart.


I am sitting in a sterile mechanical engineering room- cold pizza to my right and dried out white board markers to my left. Despite these monotonous surroundings I feel full of color and filled with a creative verve that has a hint of snarkiness to it. The snarky factor may be a result of feeling the upcoming transition. It is making me a tad more edgy than usual. It is not a bad edge, but enough of one to make my creativity a bit more fiery, and a tad less fanciful.


I feel that I am a hodgepodge of artistry. I have melodies creating themselves within my mind waiting to escape onto ivories. I see portraits of blues, reds, yellows, and a subtle mint green swirling around, creating grand scenes just waiting to hit a canvas.
None of these things I can actualize at this moment. I have homework. I have work. But one thing I can do is put pen to paper (or in this case thoughts to keys on a computer).


I have often made the excuse that I cannot exercise creativity because I lack the appropriate means or environment. But I have found that my capacity for creativity is expanding and I can no longer give that excuse power. My creative soul must come out, in one way or another. It is strange to me that this is happening now, during a time when I have limited outlets for innovation. Perhaps the limitations are driving me to expand. Or perhaps its because I am stepping into more of who I am.


I am changing.
I am becoming more Merri. I can actually feel it.
What an odd thing, feeling more and more like oneself. Shouldn't I have always been me? Well yes of course, but there are times when I just haven't. These past two years I've been filling the shoes that I've been given. Now it seems like my feet are finally big enough to walk comfortably in those shoes. It's time to get walking...

There are great adventures to be had.

For the Love of Public Transportation.

You can learn a lot about someone for 25 cents.

I've always been a fan of public transit, not only because it is convenient but for the people factor. There is something relaxing and artistic about riding a bus or a light-rail train. You don't have to worry about stop signs or hooligans cutting you off in traffic. Instead you can quietly fold your hands, take a seat, and let your brain mull over your day.

I began to write strangers's stories when I was fourteen years old. With change rattling around in my pocket I would head to the MAX train. I carried a notebook and pencil, prepared for anything interesting and just overall good people watching. I would sit on those plastic chairs and watch the scenery go by as I looked and listened to my fellow transit goers. I would imagine that their name was _______ and what their life was like. At the time I thought maybe this was preparation for being a secret agent. That thought was short-lived, having a love for telling stories is not a good secret agent quality. Besides I would hate a life of sneaking around and secrecy. So I then used it more as an exercise of creative writing. By no means was I there to judge anyone, I was simply there to observe and let creativity flow from my pencil.

The best moments (and at times the most frightening) were when I actually got to hear someone's story, first hand. For one reason or another I'd end up chatting with another rider. Often times their stories far exceeded what I would have imagined. Then my stop, or perhaps theirs, would come and with a farewell that was it. Never again to take part in one another's life, save the blip of time spent on public transit.

Needless to say I have dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of stories from riding public transportation in Portland, Seattle, Boston, New York, Washington DC, and now Klamath Falls. As far as other cities go, those big city stories will have to wait, because I just exited the Northbound bus to OIT and this story is fresh in my brain.

Sean had a meeting at school this evening. Since I am back taking classes I have homework that needs tending to, which never seems to get done at home. So with Sean already at OIT I whipped up some potato soup, threw it in the thermos with two spoons and ran down to catch the bus. The bus was surprisingly on time. As we began to pull away from the station a woman came hurrying up to the door, paper bag and purse in hand. She greeted the bus driver with a warm raspy hello and fumbled for change. She was probably in her sixties. Her face was creased with that of a hard but full life. The bus driver kindly said she could have a seat while she looked for change. And so we were off. The lady was cackling and after a few minutes leaned over my way and asked if I had change for a dollar. She had two one dollar bills, the fare was $1.25. I smiled pulled out a quarter and handed it over. Her hands matched her face in that they were worn and withered. But make no mistake this was no timid woman, she was animated, gracious, and a talker.

After throwing in her fare she came right next to me and sat down.

"You know I had to sneak out and escape! My kids and honey won't let me go nowhere without someone else!"

I wasn't sure if I should have been scared.

My gut didn't give off any warning lurches so I proceeded to ask why she had escaped.

"Well this is my second bout with cancer, first time cervical, and now liver. They say I got five years. Well that was five and a half years ago, so I figure its in the Lord's hands when I'm supposed to go! And my boys and my ol' honey man are always thinkin I need to be with someone 24/7, it drives me crazy. So I just gone and fed them and sent them to bed and snuck out," She guffawed and commented on how my earrings must be heavier than hell. I proceeded to ask where she made her getaway to.

"To the liquor store of course, I just love that apricot brandy and now is my chance! If them boys of mine ask I'll just say I went for a walk." She chuckled again and then made a duck noise.

"Quack, quack, quack thats what them boy's do. Telling me no one makes a grilled cheese like their momma...Oh shit that is my stop! Sorry I don't mean to curse now, I should have said 'shoot'. Thanks for the quarter!" On her way out she tousled the hat on my head. "Something to remember me by, thanks girly!

And she was gone.

I straightened my hat and smiled. A quarter can open doors. You take that quarter and add it to a bus ride and you've got grand potential for some phenomenal stories. So although buses and max trains, the subway and so forth get a bad rep for being dirty, not on time, rickety, and uncomfortable, I like to look at them as opportunities.

Public transit is a vault of stories waiting to be shared. My one practical piece of advice: make sure you have a valid ticket that has not expired. If you don't you could get busted with a hundred dollar fine...not that I would know from personal experience...

*Pictures in order: Philadelphia, riding the MAX in Portland with my two best friends, and public transportation in Haiti (we are so fortunate).

Recharging the Batteries

My mind is continually dancing around with hundreds of ideas, thoughts, and songs. My mind is especially active when change is in the wind. Tis such a time. Through the busyness of the week it is sometime hard to find time to think. I am grateful for quieter weekends.

So yesterday, midday, I had to take my imagination out for a walk.

I have to do this periodically, mostly for sanity's sake, and also for inspiration. Just over a week ago Sean and I enjoyed Spring Break via a road trip through the Redwoods, up Hwy. 101 and over to Portland. After a busy term of work and school it was a lovely getaway and our first vacation together (not counting the honeymoon of course). It was a trip of much laughter, catching up with friends and family, and an overall recharge of life's battery. The scenic drive provided fond reflection on the first three months of marriage. A realization came upon us that in just two generous months, we will be making another significant transition. Coming out of the jovial and restful break I feel like I have a more clear vision--an added zest for life.

Zest in life, like a good seasoning on a savory meal, adds intensity to ones outlook. This new-found zestiness is not only a result of rest and a good dose of Mom's home-cooked meals and Dad's encouraging demeanor, but it is also a result of coming into a more developed comfort of marriage. While Sean and I are still "newlyweds", we are past the initial "everything is new" stage in which you figure out routines and what it looks like to merge two lives. There is a whole new level of ease and exhilaration. There was something about returning to our Portland home where our roots grow deep with friends and family for the first time since getting married. It was marvelous.

This maturing comfort in my marriage and thereby myself has allowed my imagination to flourish to new heights. And so we get back to yesterday's walk....

There has been a ghastly chill in the Basin lately. So although the sun shone through the window, I was not going to be fooled. I dawned a series of three jackets, a scarf, and an earwarmer headband. I slung my bag around my shoulder and prepared to let my imagination loose on the downtown streets of Klamath Falls.

Two blocks into it I was sweating like a pig in a blanket (turns out it was the hottest day we'd had in weeks). But I wasn't going to let that slow down my creativity. There was still wind on the air. I didn't bother to pull up my hair for it seemed to represent my swirling mind, going this way and that, blocking my face here and there. As strange as it seems, my dancing wind-blown hair served as a reminder to think outside the box.

Often when I let my imagination loose I find myself creating wild and inventive scenes or ideas. However this time I did not see bizarre, artistic ideas, instead I felt.

As I walked I felt old. Not in the sense of aches and pains or even in the way of having years experience under my belt. It was a feeling of great appreciation, as if I was looking back on a long lifetime and felting content. Perhaps it was just my already nostalgic soul taking a deep breath. However I can't help but think it is something more. I looked at a teenage couple walking down the street hand in hand, a group of 10 year old giggling girls gazing through a shop window. It induced a feeling of wanting to love more. The feeling was still but strong. It made me reflect on the life I am living, on how capable of love we are. What a beautiful thing it is, thank you Lord. What more do people want than to be loved? I wonder how much more love I am capable of but have simply not tapped in to. How often do I let my emotions, my tiredness, my just-being-a-pain-in-the-butt, stop me from smiling, taking the extra time to ask how someone is really doing, making someone feel cared about.

I guess in my optimistic mind getting older means learning how to love more. And in that instance I was able to be old and look at my life from a different perspective. Now that may not make a ton of sense, I'm not sure if I even understand it fully. But I feel that I have been given a glimpse of the potential I have to show love and be content in that. Oh how incredible it is that we've been given imagination and the ability to grow in Love.

So cheers to going growing old, and living today.

*(picture) A tag my mom made for Sean and I-thanks momma!

Merri had a Little Lamb

Trains, planes, and automobiles: I love to go places. Everything that surrounds traveling intrigues me. I enjoy the rituals of plane rides; I always vie for a window seat, try never to use the bathroom, order ginger ale with extra ice, and I always eat the pretzels in the snack handouts last. I love car rides especially on crisp sunny days. There is something marvelous about rolling the window down and turning up the heat. Plus I have a fondness for how conversational car rides can be. I also love how silence can speak so loud when driving through the woods, down a dirt road, or through a crowded city.

This weekend I traveled by train. Seven hours to Portland, seven hours back home to Klamath. It was a quick trip, I was in Portland for about 23 hours: definitely worth it.

It is a spectacular ride through Oregon forests and by beautiful rivers. A little girl, I’d say about seven years of age, came skipping down the train aisle. She stopped when she saw me and asked my name. “Merri” I replied and asked hers back, “Alice, like Alice in Wonderland Alice.” She gave a big grin, which lacked front teeth, and skipped back down the train singing about a two-legged horse. About five minutes later I heard the patter of small feet, Alice popped up next to me and with a very serious face inquired, “Merri, do you have a lamb?” I smiled and responded “No” She seemed disenchanted and a tad

confused that a girl name Merri did not own a lamb. Upon her look of grave disappointment I interjected with “but I do have a small garden”. That seemed to satisfy her enough and she began singing again and continued on.

I truly enjoy the train.

Now that I am married I am realizing that deep friendships are, in many ways, like marriage. And vice versa. This might seem like a “no duh” realization but I think it has especially impacted me because I have several incredible friends that have really helped prepare me for marriage. Conversely I see how being married to Sean has helped me be a better friend.

Relationships take communication, honesty, trust, sacrifice, perseverance, and joviality (among other things yes, but to me these are absolutely foundational). I have the great honor of keeping close company with some very remarkable friends. I am amazed how out of my twenty-one years, I have friendships going on twenty years strong. One in particular is the reason for my train expedition this weekend. I have found there are some people in life that it just pains you to stay away from them too long. Being apart you actually feel them missing from your weekly routine of meeting at a coffee shop or eating whirly pop popcorn (for those of you who have never had whirly pop, do yourself, your family and your friends a favor by investing in one. It will make the most delightful popcorn you could ever wish for). This friend is really more a sister than anything, one I can cry with, laugh with, fart in front of, be silent with, vent to, and share life’s joys. We’ve gone through life’s greatest trials and joys together, indeed our friendship has seen some rocky times. But all in all we are each a deep-rooted part of the other’s life.

There are several friends I have that I feel such a soul connection with. They are all from different chapters that continue to be an integral part of life’s story. Some are related by blood, other I’ve know for twenty years, ten years, and still others it has been barely a year and I consider them family. Each one I have learned so much from. I have learned how to be a better wife, friend, worker, daughter, and sister.

So in the fourteen hours of training through the stately Cascade mountain range, I have been recharged at the thought of cherished friends. I have been able to soak up the beauty of waterfalls, mountaintops, and forests. Indeed traveling from here to there is not only about the adventure, but also about the reflective moments that come forth in my mind as I exit the normal routine of life.

Honeycomb and Chops.

Honeycomb cereal is quite the sugary delight. As a child a remember it being a grocery treat, namely when my dad and I would do the grocery shopping. Funny how him and I always ended up with more in our cart than what was on the list.

Anywho, here I am, eating a giant bowl of honeycomb cereal and contemplating the things that make up the life I live. My mind has also been wandering in the future department. In just three and a half months Sean and I will be moving up North to the Seattle area. By that time we will have been married six months, Sean will have graduated college, and will be starting a new job, I will have already lived in a new place and will be settling into another. That sort of thinking makes me all the more thankful for now. Besides, a lot can happen in three and a half months (as my dear mother would say, "People have died in a lot less time so you never know what might happen!")

Indeed already in two and a half months of Klamath living a lot has happened. In fact I feel rooted here. We have good friends, we started going to a local church, we are always running into people we know at the store, coffee shop or at the bus stop. Sean is on the home stretch of finishing school. Plus I continue to love my job and learn more about the wonderful work of creative cooking.

A recent favorite in the O'Brien kitchen is Bok Choy with Miki noodles. Super easy, tasty and healthy. I always thought Bok Choy was a strange veggie but thanks to the inspiration of my dear friend Marie (who swears by it), I have ventured into the Bok Choy arena and am loving it. Here is a simple recipe: (don't be intimidated by the curious veggie!)

-Bok Choy, sliced with the white stalks separated from the leafs

-Onion, sliced

-Garlic, minced

-Ginger, (I love to cut fresh chunks and throw it in but be sure to remove them before serving)

-Miki noodles (or any other variety of precooked Asian noodles)

- 1/2 Red Cabbage, sliced

-Soy Sauce

- ~1 T. Molasses

-Pepper

-Olive Oil

1. In a wok or skillet heat olive oil over medium heat and saute Bok Choy stalks, onion, garlic, ginger, and red cabbage.

2. Add soy sauce (to taste),about 1 tablespoon of molasses and pepper

3. Once veggies begin to soften add Miki noodles and Bok Choy leaves

4. Stir and let noodles heat (about two minutes)

5. Serve and enjoy!

If you have any other Bok Choy recipes, let me know. I am always up for trying new things.

So back to brooding on life things that are swirling about in my head.

I have been praying more, and I know need to learn how to listen better.

I have been noticing the incredible changing shades in the sky, from deep purple, to red, to pink, and then a myriad of blues.

I have been compelled to write and paint again.

I know I need to become more decisive and bold.

Why do I have such a hard time deciding on things?

I am learning more about the incredible beauty of marriage. How marvelous it is to entrust all your insecurities, failures, passions, and dreams to another human being-that despite all the bad and bizarre, and in light of all the fervor and blessing, they love you, and you them.

I am realizing that it is okay to be silent. In fact I think I need to rest in silence more.

I hate being silent.

The simple things in life can truly be the most extraordinary.

I am frustrated at Oregon's lack of assistance for refugee families. I want to help more.

I think that I am supposed to take part in helping refugee families, specifically women getting more acclimated to living in the U.S. The Seattle area has the fifth largest refugee population in America, I know I am supposed to be involved, but how?

What are my dreams and hopes?

My mind is constantly racing with dozens of thoughts at once. Tonight the theme seems to be self-reflection. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.

I have a lot of questions, many without answers at the moment, and that is just fine. Life would lack adventure and zest if we had all the answers to our questions. However, one thing I do know- honeycomb left sitting in milk for an extended period of time tastes foul. The texture is simply squishy and awful.

...and yes, in the top picture Sean has mutton chops and I have bangs. Chops are gone but the bang are staying....although I've never seen so many older men do a double take of Sean, their eyes filled with both pride and envy...