I live in a pretty cool section of town.
I use to be afraid of what I would see when I drove down the main avenue.
When we moved in it was a seriously depressed neighborhood, that often had multiple police cars stopped and arresting/questioning people, ambulance sirens every 10 minutes speeding in one direction or another up and down the main street. There was a high level of visible streetwalkers and drug dealings but all that seems to have subsided.
The neighborhood is a mix of residential and commercial and industry now. We had huge, tall propane tanks as our view for over a year parked next door. Now it seems to be long term parking for a tow company or something and the tanks are gone. The sirens have faded and the police arrests are now a rare site.
I find my section of town a colorful one now, at dusk a whole group of taco trucks push open their windows and the avenue is dotted with shop lights and busy with people eating street food and walking to and from home and the markets. The building are brightly painted and decorated. There are open doors to all the churches that are often overflowing with people....
but I have found a market, a market that I love to visit and buy produce from. I have taught myself how to make enchiladas and I go to a particular market to by the cheese and toppings.
Yesterday I went there and it was alive with activity, buzzing....it is the biggest tamale weekend of the year and there were long lines of people buying meat and corn husks and masa....the butcher counter was taking numbers and the all the ingredients were on sale.
This is what a market use to be...this is why I think I love this store, it reminds me of a time before Super Mega Stripmall grocery stores...markets where people really cared about what the food looked like and how it was presented and a community they are serving and feeding.
My wish for all of you out there is to find that place in your lives that feeds you, literally and emotionally and spiritually and savor it!
Happy Holidays
