She
awakens
find
another and to what holds
said to yourself, ‘WOW!
her 88 year old vertigo-
meaning and purpose in
That’s the most sour, foul-
stricken
grandmother
our lives. Good humor
tasting,
perched atop a high ladder
has the power to distract
pie that’s ever graced my
reaching
and deflect, to help and to
taste buds!’” I snickered
heal.
as I pictured it, and the
into
to
a
deep
cupboard for something completely unnecessary. After convincing her to descend the ladder, dutiful granddaughter
leaves
briefly to visit her own family. Upon her return, and on a cold, dark, evening, she inadvertently locks
her
grandmother
out of her home, only to find her smiling through the back door window after searching the entire house for her in a panic. Family delegates other individuals to care for gram in the future. Laughter ensues.
Good-natured
ribbing follows. Check.
Cloying? Huh? Recently, a book reviewer suggested
that,
while
funny, my most recent book, Laugh, Cry, Eat Some Pie, “may be too cloying for some readers during these hard times.”
disappointment. I
felt
better
But almost
immediately because the infusion of a moment of lightheartedness created a whole different way of viewing the situation.
But then I realized that
rather
I had no idea what the
introducing more positivity
word “cloying” meant. So
and good humor into
I looked it up. And then I
“these tough times” than
shared the review with
continued on page 71
a fellow writer, who also had no idea what it meant
other) circumstances is
wondering, it means “too
that
sweet”).
connects us to both one
even in the midst of
of absurdity that I’d much
up. (In case you, too, are
body, and that laughter
into full-fledged laughter,
slighted or disappointed.
of these (and far too many
wounded ego to an injured
transitioned
I realized in that moment
and also had to look it
soothes everything from a
snickers
I briefly considered feeing
What I’ve found through all
lightheartedness
pucker-worthy
But then she said, “when’s the last time you ate a pie that you truly loved and
11
be
accused
of