Ethiopiques 4

I began my day early (5 am) after a family dinner the night before that ended at midnight with cousins visiting from Austin, TX. I was beat, and these days I can't tell if I have the beginning of a cold or just bad lingering allergies. My glands were tender. My throat sore. My nose stuffed up. So, after trying unsuccessfully to catch up on sleep a few times, I threw myself together to have a lunch in Little Ethiopia with a fellow fit model friend.

It's her hood and she selected the restaurant. I simply gave her the request, "I want to see you and I want to get Ethiopian food (so I can eat with my hands and not have it be for my baby)." She accepted the challenge with gusto and said, "Then, we're going to Rahel's."

Off we walked from her apartment to the main drag on Fairfax. We hadn't seen one another since shortly after I had R so there was much to discuss and hear about. She's a pretty busy lady--writing/directing a feature, beginning a documentary, doing a weekly improv class, starting a new fitness class regimen, working the fit jobs and planning for her Burning Man character's story time act. She even bought and designed the artwork for her own custom hurdy gurdy! (which I'm here to report sounds like a cross between a harmonium and a organ grinder monkey, more on it here)

As we entered the restaurant, I heard the beginnings of an old friend of a cd. "Ah, Ethiopiques 4," I said. For those of you who know the compilation, you may immediately know the sound. It's a classic collection of Ethiopian jazz from 1969-1974, and proved to be the perfect soundtrack for our lunch buffet.

Man, I miss Ethiopian food. I love the squishy flat bread (injera) and all those amazing vegetable dishes (Rahel's is vegan) made from cabbage, lentils, yams, carrots and string beans. I think it had been over 13 years since I last ate it. I used to incorporate the fare into my mix of restaurants while living in San Francisco, but somehow managed to completely miss out while in NYC.

Besides a lovely visit with a very positive energy filled friend, I was taken on a bit of an African theme. First off, the food. Next, the music which reminds me of listening to that cd on repeat while living in San Francisco, as well as teasing my brain with reminiscence of my trip to Morocco in 1998--yes, yes, I know it's not Moroccan music, but the feel of its sexy, mysterious melodies and arrangement remind me of wandering souks and getting lost in time. Finally, I heard from my younger cousin who is currently living in Kenya and moving to Malawi. I guess between having a baby and catching up on sleep, I missed that she was there. I had a few very nice exchanges with her and learned of the blog she's keeping about her times there. I was happy to see her doing so well and traveling to such lengths, as I know she's dreamed of doing all her life.

So, I was in a misty African-themed head space and the message I left with from my lunch companion was "Be gentle with yourself." Maybe it's the message I've needed to hear for a while, especially as it relates to finding "me" again, with the new context of "mother" added. And I should add that in the last week or so, R has turned a corner yet again, becoming even more little girl-like and less baby-like. She's begun snuggling and sounding out full belly laughs. She loves her swing, which she refers to as "Weeee!" She's now climbing off the back patio to the ground instead of using the smaller brick steps. She has an assortment of new words that seem to grow daily. She loves playing with the hose in the backyard, the light switches throughout the house and her star turtle. She's a funny, loving little girl who steals my heart all the time.

I'm going to try to remember to be gentle with myself and perhaps I'll return to that Ethiopique 4 soundtrack as my guide to swerve slowly instead of rushing, to remember a cool peaceful approach versus a chaotic anxious panic. And I got in that nap to catch up after the baby went down tonight. Between that and a cup of hot tea, I feel like I may be on the mend.