Constant Craving

Did I telepathically summon a TV star to show up in an Atlanta ice cream shop?!

Let's rewind to last week. I was talking in the green room of my radio station with Atlanta's City Council President. I told him, that after 11 years of living in the A, I still haven't had a random celebrity run-in. Bizarre, as this place is crawling with celebs filming movies & tv shows for cheap. They don't call it Y'allywood for nothing.

I have crossed paths with A & B-listers who showed up at the various Atlanta newsrooms I've worked for (Chrissy Metz, Awkwafina, Speech - the lead singer of Arrested Development, Dionne Farris, Wanda Sykes, Marlon Wayans, etc.)

But the random celebrity run-in remained the one unchecked box on my Atlanta bingo card...until last week!

I had been craving Jeni's Ice Cream. And after the week I was having, a sweet treat was more than called for. So, a few days after the green room chat, I got my fix.

As euphoric as the sugary love of Brambleberry Crisp might be, I'm pretty sure it can't stir up an hallucination of one of the Desperate Housewives. And in walked Eva Longoria!

Did I play it cool? Of course. I know the drill, plus she was with her kid. But was I freaking the f**k out on the inside? Oh yeah. I mean - HELLO!

1. She's an award-winning actress.

2. She's walked the red carpet at the Oscars, the Met Gala, and the Cannes Film Festival.

3. She's besties with Posh Spice!!!

Fortunately, she trusted me enough to not assume I was a freak and sat down next to me. We exchanged smiles, then my lips returned to their love affair with a waffle bowl.

This blog isn't meant to be a humble brag about a celebrity sighting (although, OMG!) Did I have a burning desire to meet a Hollywood star in the city that MLK and Outkast built? No. Although, if I spot Dave Grohl, Duran Duran, or the cast from House of the Dragon in Buckhead, I might pass out.

This is actually a story about wondering if anyone (specifically, God) actually hears what my heart is saying. My faith in many things has been lukewarm in recent years. Yearning or hoping for anything has felt slightly foolish after what I've overcome during and since the pandemic.

But can I still be happily surprised? Because, I've come to realize even I've been ignoring what my heart is asking for. And in your 40s, you're constantly reminded that life is too short to ignore what your heart is telling you.

It's encouraging to know that a low tier, 16-seed, kind of dream like seeing a celeb in public can become a Cinderella story and actually come true. It gives me much needed optimism for the bigger dreams in the dysfunctional bracket that is my life.

Finishing my novel, living abroad, finding love, and having a do-good pursuit that I'm passionate about are among my top seeds. I crave them more than two scoops of Brambleberry Crisp, even if life, disability, and excuses slow me down. But I'm clinging onto those dreams that will hopefully surprise me someday, even more than Eva Longoria walking into an Atlanta ice cream shop. I just hope the right person/deity/whatever hears what my heart is trying to say and takes action. Including me.