Columnists

Facing down the big feelings crowd

From two blocks away, I can hear the loudspeaker emanating from the Stark County Fairgrounds. They’re setting up rides, food vendors are prepping and my taste buds are gearing up for my first time at this fair. We’re not “fair” people per se, but I like to eat. We will most likely attend one day and call it good. Maybe we can get the grandkids up here for Labor Day when all the rides are $1. Maybe we will even walk the two blocks.

The streets have quieted down as school has started. I can hear the kids yelling during recess at the elementary school half a block away. During summer neighborhood kids would walk up and down the sidewalk. Every once in a while, I’d see them playing on the bent-over pine tree in our yard. They’d climb up and sit on the branch, yelling and laughing. I want to place an old bench out there in case someone needs a breather, a cool canopy to sit under.

My potted flowers are blooming profusely, but I can smell fall in the air despite the heat. I’m itching to bring out my terracotta pumpkins and hanging ghosts and am excited to see if this neighborhood decorates for fall. It’s my very favorite time of year.

I mostly mix and mingle ghostly decor with my still-blooming flowers. I only have myself to blame for the amount I buy, so I want to enjoy them for as long as I can. Nothing wrong with a jack-o’-lantern peeking out from behind an ivy geranium. It’s the best of both worlds.

I don’t grow tomatoes, but I am overrun with them in my kitchen. I’ve made cucumber salads galore, sliced and diced them into zucchini and scrambled eggs, and eaten them fresh. They never rot in this house because we love them fresh.

I heard a voice call out to me as I got out of my car the other day.

Missy! Missy!

And I wondered who in this neighborhood knew or remembered my name. But there she was, my neighbor two houses down on our same side of the street. We met in the middle of the yard and chatted for a good 15 minutes about the neighborhood. She wondered if I needed any tomatoes, and I couldn’t say yes fast enough. It was wonderful to chat and get some neighborhood drama. I liked that she remembered my name and asked how George was recovering.

The red orbs she gave me were charred and blended into a fresh table salsa. We ate the entire bowl in one day. I’m not a canner of salsa because I want it fresh. My suegra (mother-in-law) would shake her head at jarred salsa.

I know, Eva, I know.

My friend and I sat at my table yesterday sipping coffee. I had whipped up some pumpkin muffins, and we savored them over talk of our lives. We discussed acknowledging “big feelings,” which is simply a term identifying we are feeling something big. It’s usually used for kids and sometimes feels cringey to say, but it’s a very real term.

I’ve been having big feelings lately toward what I want to continue doing in my life. She was having big feelings toward inevitable changes that should happen. I love a big feeling that gets me excited and a bit edgy.

I’ll always have thoughts about new pathways, a reinventing of sorts. But one thing I know I’ll always continue to do is write, despite some folks having big feelings about it. Writing about my life, my family and the things that affect our existence, well, that’s something I’ll do forever.

I’ll set my pumpkin candle out and light it for the big feelings crowd, letting what bothers me (and them) float away in the smoke. Hanging onto it does nothing but make us unhappy.

Melissa Herrera is a published author and opinion columnist. She is a curator of vintage mugs and all things spooky, and her book, “TOÑO LIVES,” can be found at www.tinyurl.com/Tonolives. For inquiries, to purchase her book or anything else on your mind, email her at junkbabe68@gmail.com or find her in the thrift aisles.

Facing down the big feelings crowd

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