EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN and EVERYTHING NEW IS OLD AGAIN
After January 7th, it is too late to give “HAPPY NEW YEAR” wishes, or you can say, “HAPPY NEW YEAR” until the end of the month. Those with a stubborn streak can chatter an obsessive “HAPPY NEW YEAR” the first six months of the year, then it is obviously no longer a new year. New is old again.
I’ve been a senior citizen—for a long while. However, lately I’ve been looking into the mirror, whispering, “Old is new again,” hoping my “mirror, mirror on the wall” is the path to a youthful magic spell.
Wiggling my nose for superpowers, like the old TV program “Bewitched.” hasn’t worked. It only makes me sneeze. Maybe if I start looking up all my sleeves, I’ll become a magician, and presto change-o, old is new again.
I did have a strangely magical day, back in October 2023. I found the perfect parking place, close to PCC for grocery shopping, with the spot next to me empty, ready for me to swing open the car door and gracefully get out of the car. Luckily, I noticed a fast-moving car zip into the vacant space. A young man, wearing a pink hat shaped like a bucket, or a lampshade at a wild party, looked at me, backed up his car, and gave me extra room to open the door. I felt like I had experienced some kind of “Star Trek” mind meld.
As I rolled the grocery cart through the store, I noticed the pink hat, now in my mind, looking like an elegant sleeping Flamingo on top of his head.I walked over to the young man and said, “I want to thank you for noticing I was going to get out of my car, and you moved, giving me extra space.”He gave a little laugh, bowed, and said, “I appreciate you.” After our moment of connection, I did my shopping, and on the way home, smiled. “I appreciate you” seemed like an exceptional thing to say.
A few weeks later, on the evening news, I saw a commentator tell someone, “I appreciate you.” Then I seemed to hear it over and over. No doubt a phrase started on the internet. A youthful change in communication. Oh and, that doesn’t take away the charm of the nice young man in the pink Flamingo hat. It still is magical to remember the first time I heard, “I appreciate you.” Language: everything new is old again.
Speaking of language, in the mid 1980s I worked at a Seattle hotel as a part-time banquet server. Years of restaurant work gave wisdom enough to know when a new chef was hired, he would make changes. It could be said, “marking his territory.”
One day a new chef arrived, demanding we call the wheeled worktable a “mise en place,” allowing him to huff and puff his authority with fancy French words.One of the gals rushed in late for work, asking,
“Where is the menopause?” From then on, when the chef had the “Mize en place” wheeled in for setup, he was greeted with a smile and giggle. Celebrating the magic of words, an old memory is new again.
After note: Mise en place is a French kitchen phrase. It means “putting in place” or “gathering.” It refers to the discipline and organization that a good chef displays in a kitchen. It means that a qualified chef has all ingredients and supplies prepared and ready before cooking begins.This 9th century phrase is still used in professional kitchens, as well as classes in cooking, and many other places. Following the rules of mise en place ensured a cook had everything needed at the workstation. This eliminates extra traffic in the kitchen and brings success in a fast-paced environment to a competent chef.
April Ryan has done many stories and poems for Northwest Prime Time. Here is another one on a topic that most of us relate to…getting used to aging.
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