Three Beautiful Things 01/16/17: The Unsinkable Marsha, LCC Memories, Stir Fry with Noodles

1. I don't know what Marsha, our water aerobics instructor, did to rack up her shoulder. I admired her for coming to class today and directing our class from the side of the pool. Marsha volunteers her time to lead Senior Swim. Her arm was so immobilized by her injury that she brought her husband to class so he could drag the large containers of aquatic noodles out of and back to the storage area. All through class, he sat at her side and watched us flop around in the water for forty-five minutes just so he could be of help before and after class.

2.  After shopping at Costco, I zipped over to MOM's Organic Market. The woman who checked me out at the till took me back in time and space to Lane Community College.  She was young, scrawny, rough around the edges, a drawn, lined face with piercings, pink streaks in her dyed white hair, and worn down teeth. From my two dealings with her, I can tell she is smart, witty, hard-working, and earnest. I worked with several students over the years at LCC who had her look and sounded like her, who worked hard in the face of many challenges outside the classroom and who were deeply appreciative that going to LCC was possibly giving them a chance to improve the conditions of their lives. I got the same sense from this woman, that she'd found a good employer, was appreciative, and was working hard to make things work. Now that I've been away from LCC as long as I have, I can't remember these students' names, but I can see them, hear their voices, hear their laughter, remember some of their essays, and remember the deep respect I had for their intelligence and determination.

3. Tonight I got out the electric frying pan and combined some canola oil and sesame oil and stir fried onion, mushrooms, spinach, and broccoli. I boiled a batch of shrimp noodles and fried them in sesame oil when they were done. I whipped up a quick stir fry sauce, combined it all, and the Deke and I had a dinner we both enjoyed a lot -- nothing fancy, but tasty and satisfying all the same.