Lambeth Climaco My First Sombrero

My First Sombrero
by Emily Lambeth Climaco
This is a wonderful day,
I have never seen this one before.
-Maya Angelou
When I was a kid, I never imagined myself at age forty—or fifty or sixty. I mean, that
just seemed so old, like my ancient teachers at school. Nor could I ever anticipate the thrill of
having my very own sombrero or successfully folding a fitted sheet. I suppose such pleasures go
hand in hand with the wisdom of age. But now I'm getting ahead of myself.
First I should tell you for my fortieth birthday, a friend took me out to lunch at my
favorite Mexican chain restaurant, Chevy’s. It’s the best, not because of any particular menu
items, but because of the chips and salsa. The chips are fried on the spot and arrive at the table
warm and golden and salty. Hold one up to the light—it’s almost transparent. The salsa is green,
made from tomatillos instead of the traditional tomato base.
The chips and salsa are special; they are crave-worthy.
Whereas I usually stop eating when I’m full, Chevy’s chips and salsa are the exception: I
cannot stop. Both an appetizer and a dessert, they are so addictive I can and will finish the entire
overflowing basket myself.
When my friend mentioned to the waitress that we were celebrating my birthday, she
asked if I’d like them to sing to me. Mouth full of chips, I demurred.
“But you still want a birthday sombrero, right?”
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“I can have a birthday sombrero?” I asked, way too enthusiastically. I’d thought the
sombreros were just for kids.
“Of course!” she said, and returned with a giant straw hat just for me, with Chevy’s
embroidered in vivid red across the front.
“Oh wow!” I said, “This is my first sombrero!” (Again, too much enthusiasm.)
Immediately I thought: what a goofy thing to say.
This is my first sombrero? Am I expecting a barrage of sombreros, of which this is only
the beginning? Are sombreros the traditional fortieth birthday gift? How many years has my
subconscious desire for a sombrero gone unrealized? Finally, at long last, the day had come.
It may have sounded goofy, but I was genuinely excited about my first sombrero. I hadn’t
even realized I’d wanted one until that moment.
Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “This ain’t my first rodeo.” People tend to say it with a
smirk, as if to show their experiences have made them a bit cynical about people’s motives.
The dog ate your homework, you say? Son, this ain’t my first rodeo.
But here’s the strange thing: I’ve used this phrase myself, although I have never been to a
rodeo. Somehow, I managed to reach the age of forty but have yet to witness my first rodeo.
On the bright side, if someone were to give me another sombrero, at least I could say:
Thanks, but this ain’t my first sombrero.
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Turning forty hasn’t hit me hard—yet—but it does serve as a useful reminder that this life
is limited. David, the poet behind Psalm 103, offered this reminder:
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The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more (Psalm 103.15, NIV).
It’s no secret that we each have an expiration date. Given the life spans of my
grandparents, forty is a fairly accurate indicator of middle age (barring fatal accidents or
illnesses). But how can I be middle-aged, I wonder, when I have so many things left to do?
###
I have been doing my own laundry for many years. When I was a kid, my mom wouldn’t
let me use the washer and dryer, since she considered laundry her domain. I didn’t mind.
However, since college I’ve been washing and folding shirts and underwear, jeans and sheets,
and everything in between with varying degrees of success.
It wasn’t until recently, nearly two decades out of college, that I figured out how to fold a
fitted sheet. Although I had seen Martha Stewart demonstrate it on TV years ago, it had not sunk
in. Until one afternoon when, suddenly, I had a bright epiphany and took hold of the corners:
inside out, outside, outside, inside out, and voila! I had a fitted sheet that looked more like
deliberate, neat origami than the usual flattened wad of cotton percale.
I realize it’s probably yesterday’s news to you and Martha Stewart, but it was a moment
of revelation to me. My first fitted sheet!
Also manifest in my fitted-sheet feat was this truth: that I've reached middle age and still
have so much to learn.
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First sombrero, first successful fitted sheet folding—these are only the tip of the iceberg.
Even though I thought by now I'd feel like an authentic grown-up (I do not), I genuinely look
forward to many more firsts.
Maybe, like me, you’ve noticed that the more you know, the greater your awareness of all
that you don’t know. I’m convinced this is a gift. Know-it-alls, in a misguided effort to appear
better informed than the rest of us, may miss the golden opportunity to be lifelong learners. A full
cup has no room for more water. But a steady habit of learning throughout life may lead to the
very best outcome: wisdom.
We may be short-lived, like flowers that fade or grass that withers—all the more reason
to seek wisdom while we can. We may be dust, and to dust we will return, but while we live and
breathe we are God’s beloved mud-pie children, worth cultivating firsts—and middles and lasts.
God, after all, invented firsts. God said, “Let there be light,” and the first light shot
through the watery void. For every one of us, God has decreed, “Let there be . . .” And it was.
The joy and challenge of life is to become ourselves, to live the life for which God made us. And
it will be.
Keep in mind this encouragement Paul wrote to the Philippians, “that he who began a
good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (1.6, NIV). For
lifelong learners, for those who pursue wisdom, life can be a series of many wonderful firsts. It’s
a comfort to know that the work God first began in our lives will be completed, faithfully.
My first sombrero currently sits atop of pile of stuff in the basement. As much as I like it,
I really don't know what to do with it. Maybe I’ll wear it while working in the garden this
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summer. My first fitted sheet feat, however, has carried out its purpose every time I wash sheets.
It’s not second-nature yet, but it is a skill I won't soon forget.
And as I trust God to bring worthwhile things to completion in and through my life, I
encourage you to put your trust in God. For He who began a good work in you will be faithful to
complete it. After all, this ain’t His first rodeo.
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