Two Stories. First, the promised caramel rolls one, about the caramel roll recipe in my daughters cookbook (If you want to order it, go to ebay and put in EAB cookbook). When I was 27 years old, I was living in Evanston, Illinois and cooking a lot, and I liked challenges. I thought Chicken Kiev was a challenge, so I made that. I though challah was a challenge, and so I made that, too. Then I found a recipe for caramel rolls and made those and I thought I was a genius. They were so good I could hardly stand it. I loved everything about making them: the feel of the dough, the smell of cinnamon sugar and the caramel, the way those rolls tasted coming right out of the oven. I wanted to give one to everyone and then I thought, Wait! This could be a money making venture! I could stay home with my daughter yet still have a job! And the job will be selling these fantastic caramel rolls at the el stop. I thought about how I could bring a TV tray to be my store, and sit in a lawn chair and sell my caramel rolls and EVERYONE would want one and soon Id run out of them and have to make more and everyone would be telling everyone else about it and then my little business would grow and grow and I was a little worried about how I would have time and space to make the bazillions of caramel rolls I was sure I would need, so I told my then husband about the idea because he was very practical and he would surely have the answer for how to expand the TV tray into a larger surface, for one thing. Heres what he said about my most excellent idea: Are you nuts? Or equivalent. And though he probably had a point, still, it MIGHT have worked and then I would would be the rich caramel roll lady. However, I am glad Im a writer instead. Second story. Once, I was trying to parallel park and I clanged into another car and dented it. I left a note on the windshield and the woman, Debby was her name, called me and I apologized profusely and said Id pay to have it fixed (though to be honest I was not exactly rolling in dough in those days and I was plenty worried). But she said, Ah, dont worry about it. Ill get it fixed. And then maybe someday youll buy a house from me, Im a realtor. I did buy a house from her a few years later. Come forward in time with me to last October. I have my grandkids in the car with me and Im driving my daughters car. I back out of the garage, and were happily talking about the Lego store were going to. Suddenly theres a sickening (familiar) sound: metal smashing into metal. I had backed into the neighbors car, which was parked on the street and I had not seen it. I put a note on the windshield: Call me. I messed up your car. Woe was I. Here came Katelyns little voice from the back seat: Will you have to pay for this? Yes, said I, mournfully. Well, she said, maybe when they see how cute we are (she and her brothers), you wont have to pay. Calls to the insurance company. Mine wont pay, as I was driving my daughters car. Insurance goes with the car, not the person. So when I finally reached the woman whose car Id hit, I told her Id pay for it myself. I apologized again. She said, Oh well, at least you left an note. Yesterday, the woman sent me an email about the estimate she got and I just now sent her a check, and heres what else Im going to do. On the day she has the repair done, December 14th, shes going to get a big bouquet of flowers. With them will be a note saying something like, Thank you for being kind when you could have been cruel. I dented your car, and you lifted me up. I ask you, What kind of a deal is that? Ill tell you what kind: a deal that shows the generosity of the human spirit. We can all be such splendid beings when we reach into our hearts and pull out the good stuff.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 16:34:58 +0000
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