Tales from Rural Maine: Sunrise breakfast

I've started hanging out at the senior center with my grandmother recently. Her husband, the love of her life, passed away last year, so she's on her own and I started going to lunch with her because I wanted to do something to help her feel less alone. But I immediately began to love the experience for its own sake.


We eat lunch at 11:30, but other than that it's great. The food's fantastic and it's only $4 for a delicious home-cooked meal. Because we live in a small town, *of course* the meals are prepared by the former stepfather and half-sister of a high school friend/ex-boyfriend of mine. On my first visit, my grandmother took me back to the kitchen so I could say "hi" and while I felt shy about it, it turned out to be wonderful.


I see people there--like my other grandmother and the parents of high school friends--that are so happy to see me, and I them. And I have all these new friends there now. Like Jeannie, who is in her 80s and always brings a container so she can take half her lunch home for later. We say a prayer before every meal, usually something we can sing set to a familiar melody, like Jingle Bells ("Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, for this food today.") We pledge allegiance to the flag and I always get all teary and choked up during that part. 


I love America. I can never say the Pledge without feeling the beauty and sacrifice that went into creating this great democratic republic. Where some people might keep a Bible in their nightstands, I keep a pocket copy of the Constitution signed by Dennis Kucinich. But, I digress.


I generally drink coffee at the senior center because the meal is so early in the day, but there is always something sweetly kindergarten-like to choose from, as well, like lemonade or sparkly pink drink.


I've started dragging Pete with me to the senior lunches. Because they happen at 11:30, he calls them "sunrise breakfasts."


I finally realized: being unemployed is like being a senior citizen. I'm on a fixed income, but I have all the time in the world. And it feels really nice to have something planned in your day, like a sunrise breakfast, if for no other reason than to have a chance to visit and smile and eat something nutritious, delicious and affordable in the company of friends.