rising Mountain

Indian Potato Stew w/ Naan and/or Rice-Lentil Croquettes

Cannelloni w/ Cashew Ricotta, Tomato Sauce + Garlic Bread

Snobby Joes w/ Fries or Onion Rings + Slaw

Persian Potatoes + Rice w/ Dried Cherries + Roasted Vegetables

Tofu w/ Fried Thai Rice Noodles

Circles + Mashed Potatoes

St. Pats: Soda bread, Colcannon, Baked Beans, Pickled Vegetables

Stuffing Cass + Green Beans

Vegetable Rice Bake + Biscuits

Potato Pie

Chickpea Salad Sandwiches w/ Cucumber Sauce + Lemon Roasted Potatoes

Rosemary Bean Soup + Cornbread

Lentil + Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Stuffed Peppers w/ Cornbread and/or Avocado

Boxty Pancakes + Baked Beans or Stew

Enchiladas + Rice

Fenugreek Chickpea Dumplings + Basmati Pilaf

Nacho Fries

Fried Gluten-Free Seitan +Slaw

Black Bean Tacos

i am, or aspire to be a…

wife

runner

pilgrim

explorer

knitting designer

gardener

mother

writer

mountaineer

cook

fiction author

teacher

chaser

student

giver

investor

…and that’s just at this moment.

“Someone says to you, ‘Let’s have lunch.’ You clench. Your sinews leap within you, angling for escape. What others thrive on, what they take for granted, the contact and confraternity and sharing that gives them strength leaves us empty. After what others would call a fun day together, we feel as if we have been at the Red Cross, donating blood.

This is not about hate. I did not hate the individuals at the air show. Not the man leaning over the rail, a tattoo on his back of a baby-faced devil above the words Born Horny. I don’t hate my relatives or those whose names fill my address book. But I do not want to have lunch with any of them. It is not personal. I am not angry. Nor is this about being afraid. I am not shy. I do not have terrible manners.

…Being a loner is not about hate, but need: We need what others dread. We dread what others need”

— Taken from “Party of One, The Loner’s Manifesto” by Anneli Rufus

But all that time spent, trying to force myself into excitement about the latest dinner invitation, party, or community event; wasn’t it for some higher purpose? Shouldn’t I want to take part in the often inexplicable ‘magic spark’ of community. I do cherish the romantic notion of villagers working together in a communal garden to put food on the, er, communal table…but oh, I’d like to be at that back table, the one alone, the one over there, all by itself, in the corner.

I feel the pressure to enjoy what is deemed good: groups of people meeting together with a common goal, having friends to share life with, people to go places with. Oh, but I want to care and love. And, I do! But how might I show it and experience it without taking you to Starbucks to indulge in overpriced beverages and a frenetic atmosphere? Is it telling that I consider Starbucks’ atmosphere ‘frenetic’?

I am not a total ‘loner’ in the same way I am not a complete ‘introvert’. Boxes can’t contain my circle of being. But, I do have a slight preference for each over the alternative, and it’s only recently that I’m beginning to wonder if that’s okay. With me. But, even more so, is it okay with others; which is kind of a strange worry for a supposed loner.