In his collection of essays, The Book of Delights, Ross Gay shares a story about carrying a tomato seedling on board a flight. At one point he describes his paternal instinct to protect such a tiny thing, and recounts a moment when the plane touches down and, as the brakes engage, how his arm reflexively extends across the seat and across the plant beside him (the way his father did for him as a child, in a car without seat belts) in "one of [his] very favorite gestures in the encyclopedia of human gestures".
I've held on to that last line and smile often thinking about it. Something I've observed in the past year is the increased gesturing the pandemic has required. With faces obscured and our unique voices and some of our subtle tones more muffled, I noticed these vibrant exchanges and have adopted some of my own I suppose. The thank you gesture isn't new obviously, but the frequency of seeing that real-life emoji (palms pressed together, a gentle shake, like some brief blessing or a tiny prayer) reverberates with a particular sweetness.
The other I see more often these days, and perhaps my new favorite, is the hand across the chest. Distinct from being sworn in or the statuesque allegiance pose, this more emphatic hand(s) over heart gesture was previously reserved for star-crossed lovers, for surprise party or marriage proposal recipients, for grandmothers feigning offense, for Colin Firth. But I now see this gesture weekly when I'm out and about: masked meetings on city sidewalks, concerned neighbors nodding and reacting. The gesture again at market and restaurant registers and in cafe doorways. And often here, just outside our shop. An expression of gratitude, of sincerity, of understanding, of good intention. It also reminds me of the tomato story. How the hand is almost like a seatbelt for delicate hearts, when the road is rough and we're required to suddenly brake. We feel it, check for it briefly, settle ourselves before continuing on our way.
This gesture, this communication of kindness and shared sympathy, is one I hope lives on when the last mask comes off.
Happy Thursday,
Daniel
OAKLAND YARD is OPEN TODAY and all weekend for CURBSIDE PICK UP from NOON-7. New Spring arrivals, new vintages of old favorites. New delights here, always.
To Watch Ross Gay Reading "Tomato On Board" CLICK HERE (3 minutes of delight)