 I mentioned in an earlier post that I went through a phase of my life now affectionately deemed by many as the “Angry Amy” years. I didn’t come up with that on my own, I adopted it later.
My friends called me that behind my back, and rightfully so. Every fiber of my being exuded hostility and resentment for the better part of a decade. In fact, a more accurate name for that time of my life would be, “The Epoch of the Bitter Bitch.” Ha! Sure, I can joke about it now because it’s long over, but it wasn’t funny at the time … for me or for anyone around me. Just ask my mother.
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 I feed people. It’s what I do.
One of my greatest joys is making the bellies of those I love very, very happy. Preparing and serving comforting meals and desserts is one of the core ways in which I express my affection. And I gotta say, nobody has ever complained. It tickles me to death when friends and family compliment my cooking. (And the fact that I just said “tickles me to death” should tell you that there’s a direct line between my culinary prowess and my Southern roots.) I'm pretty proud of the fact that there are people in this world who refer to me as "a good cook."  Dear Ethan,
Dude. So you’re going to be 18 years old in just six months. My maxim for a while now has been that you’ll be getting luggage for your birthday. I say it only partly in jest, and you know where that comes from. … The past few years have been rough on both of us, and we’ve had our share of, ahem, challenges. To say that high school did not work out for you would be an understatement. Our family drama did not help that, I know. I’m sorry for not handling things a little better on my end. All told, I think we’re past the worst of it now, though. Thank God. I’m really proud of the initiative you’ve started to take. Studying hard for the GED test and committing to a new job at Kroger are huge strides in your maturity. I don’t think you’re quite ready to run a Fortune 500 company, but you are a hell of lot more prepared for the real world than you were just a year ago.  J.D. Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye” has become such a cliché in popular culture. It’s a shame, really, because it’s an incredibly well-written novel. I’m not embarrassed to admit that it’s my favorite book of all time. And that’s saying something … anyone who knows me will tell you that I read a lot. Like, two- or- three-books-a-week a lot. A LOT.
Anyway, I’ve been thinking about why this book means so much to me, and why I feel compelled to revisit it again and again. (I re-read it for the 23rd year in a row this past weekend.) I discovered Catcher in the fall of 1989 – my senior year in high school -- during 4th period in Mr. Chet Day’s classroom, slouched behind towering bookshelves at a cluttered table piled high with ancient, rumpled tests and essays. I was his teacher’s aide that period, and also was in the morning session of his advanced senior English class. I will always be grateful for the time he spent cultivating my love of the written word that year. He is one of two teachers who helped shape who I am as a writer. |
About Amy HiggsA former newspaper columnist, Amy takes her random, slice-of-life stories to the web. After 12 years, she's still just saying. Archives
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