[2023-05-31] Mango moment
Like many families (I imagine), we have expressions that have become useful shorthand in our household. One such expression is "ice cream story." It came to be following this brief conversation with my daughter many years ago:
— Guess what, Mom? Ice cream was on sale today.
— Oh really?
— Yes. But we didn't get any.
We started using the term "ice cream story" for any tale that starts out with promise but ends, often abruptly, with no story at all. We apply the term most frequently when we've been out somewhere and thought about doing something but ultimately returned home without doing that thing at all.
Following my recent exchange with the couple who gave me a mango in the self-checkout line of my local supermarket, I coined a new expression: mango moment. It's any encounter with a stranger that leaves me feeling happy, appreciated or amused.
My latest mango moment occurred at the same supermarket as the original mango moment. This time, I was in the produce section, looking for grape tomatoes. A man approached me and said:
— Not to intrude, but could I make a suggestion about tomatoes?
— Sure.
— I really like these mini san marzano tomatoes. They have way more flavour than grape tomatoes.
— Are you Italian?
— No, I'm Irish.
— OK, I'll try them.
I grabbed a package of the san marzano tomatoes. He continued:
— It's important to check that there are no wrinkled ones.
I grabbed a different package. He approved, then added:
— Now, I'm not going to tell you my name in case you don't like them.
I laughed at that, and we went our separate ways.
One of these days, I'll make a list of all the expressions unique to our family, along with their origin stories. In the case of mango moment, the idea is to recognize instances of joy in our day that remind us of the good in humanity.
