Our Most Vulnerable

Yesterday kicked off Mitochondrial Awareness week. 

I am a day behind in making you aware of the importance of your mitochondria. 

But if you know me and you know my blog, you know that mitochondrial function is pretty darn important. 

Love your mitochondria. 

Seriously, right now....take that thigh in your hand, give it a little wiggle and say "I love you little mitochondria, yes I do, yes I do, yes I do." 

Because sometimes you don't know what you got until it's gone. 

When we lose something, we feel so vulnerable. 

We feel it in the simple little things, where did I put my phone? Did I leave my wallet at the restaurant? 

And those suffering from this disease feel it in the ginormous things, I can no longer feel my feet, my baby cannot make eye contact, what the freakin hell has happened to our life? 

It is hard to be vulnerable. 

On Saturday, I volunteered at our Community Food Bank. I did it as a favor and grumbled through the day until I showed up to help serve the Saturday meal. 

If you have never done this, you should. It's kind of awesome. You are there to do the most primal of gracious acts.....to FEED someone a MEAL. 

At 2:20 we started pulling out desserts, cupcakes and cookies from Krogers and Safeway that had expired. At one point an entire birthday cake was pulled from the freezer and sliced up. 

Meals on Wheels brought spaghetti and meat sauce for 50 at 2:30. Food was served at 3:00; so we started to heat things up. 

At 2:40, there was a knock on the door....a door which I happened to answer. 

"Can I come in?" 

I didn't know.....it was 2:40 and we don't start until 3:00....so I asked someone else...

"Can he come in?" I asked

"We serve at 3:00." 

"I'm sorry," I said, "We serve at 3:00." 

"I just want to sit. They usually let me come in and sit." 

Oh for pity's sake! 

"Yes, please.....please come in and sit." 

And so this man came in. 

And sat. 

And then got himself a big stinkin bear claw. 

As people filed in, some collected loaves of bread for later. Some coveted several desserts. One man went into the bread pantry and got a whole loaf of Safeway buttered garlic bread, sat at a table and shared slices with his friends. 

I have always wanted to dive head first into a loaf of Safeway buttered garlic bread.

I was a tad envious. 

We fed 65 people on Saturday. Not bad for our little town of  Loveland. Some were crazy gracious. Some wondered where the Parmesan was....how the hell can you serve spaghetti without Parmesan???  

I have no idea

Some seemed in good shape, others not so much. 

Some came, ate and left, others stayed, roamed from table to table with a cup of coffee and a piece of leftover birthday cake. 

We ran out of spaghetti, had to reheat the meatloaf and finally onto the chicken ala king. 

 note; get to the community kitchen before the chicken ala king. I beg of you

The kitchen also gives out snack packs to those who ask. One man asked for a snack pack, "But make sure the drink is Capri Sun, none of that Kool-Aid Crap." 

I wholeheartedly agree

It sucks to be an outlier in our society. We talk tolerance, we talk diversity but to live as an outlier can be horrifically isolating; whether you are homeless, impoverished, disabled.....it's not so fun to be on the bad end of the bell curve.

So on this week of mitochondrial awareness, I ask you to give us a seat at the table, let us in early, listen to our stories and feed us a bear claw.  We are a community shouting to be heard: grieving, under represented, searching desperately for a voice and so amazingly beautiful 

And in the words of the fabulous Berne' Brown....what makes you vulnerable makes you beautiful 

I leave you all a Kroger pastry and a world void of chicken ala king.