I am. I really am. In my line of work I’ve hung out with presidential candidates, with high-ranking officials of other countries, with the wealthy, and with the local celebrities. I have no problem with staying calm, cool, and collected with all of them- just people, you know, like me, with a hundred times more power and money, sure, but just people. I feel confident that if a movie star walked past me, I’d either simply not recognize them, or, I like to think, I’d quietly say hello. I would certainly not be so gauche as to ask for an autograph or a picture. I would emphatically not be one of those fans being dragged away, holding their pinky finger to their mouth and their thumb to their ear, simulating a phone, saying “I love you! Call me!!” as the celebrity is very careful to not make eye contact. You know what I mean- you’ve all seen it on TV.
But apparently, I’ve not tapped my star-struck geek potential. I have to find the right person, I’ve learned, to make me go all idiot on them. Yesterday’s post of mine featured a few recipes from Gena, of
Choosing Raw fame, and I linked my blog to hers. And she read my post-
and commented on it!! Do you comprehend this? It’s
Gena, for crying out loud. The blogger I have followed for months, the one that taught me salad dressings and chia pudding and almond milk and vegan-beyond-delicious enchiladas. Gena!! So she commented on the one thing that hadn’t worked out for me- I’d sort of dissed an almond meal cookie recipe that didn’t work for me (my fault, I know! I love you Gena! Call me!) and I got all dorked out that Gena was reading my posts. It was hysterical. I called my husband in the room and excitedly said, “Gena’s reading my blog!” and he looked at me as though he wasn’t sure whether to sedate me or just back away slowly (both wise choices). I read him my gaga response to her comment and he just laughed at me. Appropriately so. But clearly, he didn’t
understand. Now, if it had been a Maple Leafs hockey player, or an Indianapolis Colt (sniff sniff- Peyton? really? a
Bronco? too sad. but I digress), that would have geeked him out for sure.
It has made me think about how we select our celebrities- the people we’ve never met but that we feel we connect with. People that impact our lives and have no idea they are doing so. The blogging world has opened us up to “meeting” some pretty incredible people who live their lives in such a way that they are an inspiration to us. Gena has become, without ever having met her, a “go-to” person for me- someone I trust for nutrition information and good food and creative ideas. I enjoy her sense of humor and her writing and her take on life. I have “met”
Ann,
Coco,
Sarah B.,
Katie,
Elise,
Matt (love my No Meat Athlete shirt!),
Nada,
Kristen,
Yvonne, and
Steph.
Sonja and Alex. Heidi. I have
actually met another
Katy, (she’s a neighbor!) and
Ashley (talk about an inspiration). There are SO many others.
So, I started out a bit embarrassed at my somewhat silly reaction to Gena’s comment last night, but I’m not any more. I
like that I get geeked out at the thought of connecting with these people. They are my teachers. My guides. I may never meet them, never so much as shake their hand, but I hope they know how much they bring to me and to the world. They are important to my growth as a human being. I laugh and learn, and sometimes cry, along with them. I root for them. I admire their work and their pictures and their writings.
What a gift it has been, and continues to be, to learn from these amazing people. They don’t just share my interests, they expand my interests. The world gets bigger for me and for you as they share their stories and talents with us.
My final words on the subject: Go read Gena’s blog. And Coco’s. And Sarah’s. And Katy’s. Read. Learn. Attempt. Leave comments for them. They are people, just like you and me. They are living life to the full, which challenges me and inspires me and, apparently, geeks me out.
Expanding my horizons makes me happy, and sometimes, even, a little silly. That is okay by me.
Seriously, this is SO good. And the picture doesn’t remotely do it justice, but it’s amazing I stopped eating it long enough to hold my phone over the baking sheet. Cupcakes and Kale did a fantastic job with this recipe. I promise there is no actual bacon in it- in fact, it’s vegan- but it’s got a taste that is reminiscent of bacon. Well, I think it does. My husband disagrees but he was snarfing it down rapidly all the same. You’ll need liquid smoke on hand, as well as tamari, maple syrup, and sesame oil. That and some coconut flakes (not shreds) and you’ve got a topping for salads, eggs (my husband tried that one this morning- delicious!), pasta, anything. Or just eat it by the handful, as we all did last night.
