Queen Flaky

I have a hard time following through. But hear me out ...

I’ll be the first to verify anyone who accuses me of being flaky.

Friends, I am good-croissant level of flaky. We’re talking flakes that chip off and fall down the front of your bra, where you’ll find them at the end of the day, level of flaky.

Still finding flakes of this 2023 croissant from Antoinette’s in Tulsa in my old bras.

I am laminated from my soul on out to create the level of flake I’m capable of accomplishing.

All of this is to say, I cancel a lot of plans.

And I need a pastry.

Last week, I canceled my upcoming New Orleans trip for my birthday in two weeks.

Your flaky girl can make a hella flaky pie crust when she stays home for long enough.

I didn’t cancel out of any flight of whimsy. I did it because of money. This week marked seven months of unemployment. All told, it could be a lot worse. I’m doing a bunch of financial recalibrating to get better aligned with my priorities. It’s a growth period.

Canceling New Orleans didn’t hit as hard as cancelling/postponing Monterey County in August. I think I was surprised by needing to do that. Now, I consider everything on my schedule penciled in.

This isn’t to say that I’m not bummed about cancelling/postponing New Orleans. It’s so beautiful there in the autumn when the potholes are at their perfect depth. Allow me to list what I was looking forward to doing that I won’t be doing as planned:

• Tramp-stamping with Joel

• Café du Monde in City Park on an 80-degree autumnal day

• R Bar Monday night haircut—I need a trim

• Birthday breakfast at Elizabeth’s

• Lots of last-minute sno balls at Hansen’s and Snoball’s Chance in Hell

• Spending some time with both Mark and Jonathan

Me with Mark on the left, Jonathan on the right.

• Frozen pineapple mojitos at R Bar

• R Bar

• Making groceries. Last year’s Louisiana pecans are getting stale. I’m out of jambalaya mix, red bean seasoning, red beans, mayhaw jelly, satsumas, French Truck coffee beans, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

• Roadside boiled peanut season

• Memphis

Is it flaky to cancel something you really want, for a very legitimate reason? What if you have a history of being a canceler?

Either way, I’ll be fine. I make trips and cancel things I planned to do on those trips because something else caught my eye, or my body or brain decided to do something else.

Maybe I’m not flaky, but rather I make plans based on what I want under perfect circumstances. And that’s not a bad thing because when the circumstances and the plans work, it’s the absolute best! And when they don’t? I can adjust.

But without the plan—dreams expressed in tanks of gasoline, frequent flier miles, and yes, dollars—there’s no chance at all. Making plans is an act of optimism.

Meeting my flaky match: a biscuit at Elizabeth’s.

Buy a coffee to keep me on task.