Yesterday, we decided to hit the Stanford Mall out of sheer boredom. The stomach flu has finally subsided, and we wanted to celebrate the results from latest X-ray for Agam’s leg. After some serious bargain shopping at Pottery Barn and Mujji, we decided to grab a bite at Terrains cafe, inside the new and gorgeous Anthropologie store. The lines were out the door and the wait time was over an hour. And the same was the case with True Food, Tender Greens and even CPK. You probably know where I am going with this. If not, let me say it loud. There was no healthy food to our avail and we were famished. So we decided to eat at The Melt. Something light for our wobbly tummies.

We ordered our meals using their super intuitive iPad like devices, and started to look for a table indoors. Tara was excited about sitting in a high chair, for a change. I spotted a few tables where people were finishing their meals and watched over them like a hawk. I know how annoying that feels when you are the one finishing your meal. At least, I was not hovering over them. I was watching from a unique vantage point.

I was so busy watching over those tables from a distance that I was unaware of a slightly bigger table of four that was also finishing their meal, right under my nose. Before they left, one of the girls tapped on my shoulder and said, here you can have this.

I apologized profusely to them. I did not want them to feel like I was waiting for them, or intending to rush them through their meal. She smiled at me and reassured that I had not. They were just amused at how unaware I was about an opportunity right under my nose.

Now that’s a rookie mistake we have all made at some point in our life. We are so fixated on the larger goals and dreams, that we miss the opportunities that are right in front of us. Sigh!

Apart from this the mall was packed with people and the lines at the return counter was longer than the checkout at most stores. Now what does that tell you about all the Christmas shopping you did for your loved ones? More on that a little later.

The hoards of people at the mall had left me feeling a little empty. I needed a dose of culture. And Tara was sleeping in the back seat, so a little longer drive would ensure she got her afternoon nap. So on our way back from the mall, I went to the butcher to buy goat for Biryani I want to make a week from now. I know his goat holds well in the freezer. So I was asking him how fresh the goat was. Given that it was Christmas the day before and markets were closed.

“You look like someone who will come back for fresh goat. Won’t you?” said the grocer.

He made my day. Of course I am someone who will come back for a better goat. I have my special places I buy things from. It makes me feel less suburban than suburbia can sometimes make you feel. I got my dose of love for the day.

Sleep did evade me today as well. And The Hymn to Murakami is still going strong.

If you are working this week. Take it easy. All three of us are taking off and spending some quality time together. We don’t have any plans 🙂