Standing The Test Of Time

Last weekend (November 23, 2025) Judy and I attended the 11th annual Home Grown: A New Mexico Food Show & Gift Market at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum. About sixty vendors from throughout the state showcased their wares, from salsas, nuts, candy, wine, and so much more.  This event is on our calendar as soon as we know the date, and we have attended perhaps all but one. Sampling and buying some of the best products New Mexico has to offer.

One very special vendor, for which I have had a soft spot since our very first encounter, goes by the name of The Bossy Gourmet. While we purchase and enjoy her salsa throughout the year, our face-to-face visits occur but once a year. This year, much like every other year, when I saw the large, colorful banner on the wall behind her booth, my pace quickened just a tiny bit and a smile began to form on my otherwise stoic face. As she saw us approaching, she smiled and waved. (A reaction I hadn’t anticipated.)

This year, after a brief chat, I requested a jar of one of my favorite salsas and began to reach for my wallet. “Bossy” placed the jar on the counter in front of me and simply said, “Just take this with you.” Feeling slightly overwhelmed, I mouthed the words, “Thank you.” As we walked away, Judy said, “You are about to cry, aren’t you?”  I knew better than to look her way, as a tear or two had already started to trickle down my cheek.

Our annual visits are seldom more than five minutes in length – maybe a minute or two longer. But it’s obvious to me, Bossy might be her persona, but she too has a soft spot – probably a really big one. And I am honored and thrilled that she recognizes me so quickly. We know very little about each other, but I think it’s safe to say, we share an appreciation and an admiration for each other – in different ways, for different reasons.

Proof once again, there is no expiration date on real friendships, even the simplest, most casual ones. If only more of these tiny, innocent moments, these tiny precious connections could occur - here, there, and everywhere. The world would truly be a better place.

Maybe I am a dreamer, maybe I am just an old man living in a fantasy world. Maybe. Nonetheless, the euphoria of that moment was real, and it returns time and time again – without hesitation, without warning. Within an instant, I am transported to a better time, and a better place. Thank you, Bossy – you are, after all, one in a million.