Dear Hilary,
When we came to your house for dinner eight weeks ago, neither of us had any idea about this new reality we would be living in. I remember we were all hanging out together in your kitchen before dinner, while the kids were playing together, some of them in the yard, some in the house. I remember our laughs about the avocados you were cutting. I remember watching the way you slowly and carefully cut the avocados into chunks to go on the steak fajitas you and Jacob were making. I remember how we were soon talking about how to cut an avocado. I remember admiring the relaxed state you appeared to be in as you worked, never minding that it was taking forever to get those avocados cut.
And then I remember the Enneagram Eight in me coming out, which means I was thinking: “My plan for how to cut an avocado is better than your plan for how to cut an avocado.” Uh-oh. That’s where I have to watch myself. It was your house, your kitchen, your money spent on the lovely avocados, and your kind invitation to us to come over for dinner, so, OF COURSE, you can chop your avocados any way you want to! We had an even further laugh about it, and your perfect 9 personality allowed my 8 in that moment to have a say, for which I want to say thank you even these two months later. I know we will keep cutting our avocados differently, and that’s okay, and probably even good.
I was at a different friend’s house about a month after being at your house, Hilary, and she was chopping avocados for a salad. And wouldn’t you know, her method of cutting an avocado was completely different from both mine and yours! Again, and in spite of the fact that I think my way works best, I had to remind myself that there’s no “right” way to cut an avocado. What is right is this:
And while we can’t exactly be in person to eat each other’s cooking right now, I feel that we are so blessed to keep being able to buy avocados to eat, on salads or otherwise, in times like these.
And now, in the spirit of virtual-everything, I had the idea to get TJ to record me giving a short “how to chop avocados” lesson. Watch it, or don’t. And change your method, or don’t. I promise I won’t judge you, Hilary, or any of my friends, if I see you chopping an avocado after this. I’ll just be so happy we can be in the kitchen together again, standing close, sharing a laugh, and then sharing a meal as families.
Love,
Ginger