Week 142: Flora North Park and some Thoughts

Week 142: September 14th-21st, 2025

A wise person once said "Brunch makes the world go round." That wise person was probably me, or anyone with a brain and a love for food. There is something about a leisurely brunch on a sunny day that makes the rest of the day infinitely better. A brunch date is something to look forward to and something to remember fondly, especially when the food is good and the conversation is better.

It was long overdue, but this week I met up with one of my friends, Syann, for a brunch date so we could catch-up. It had been a couple months since we'd last been able to hang out, so brunch was needed. We went to Flora, in North Park, because I'd seen it on Instagram, hadn't tried it before (great SNEW contender!) and thought it was cute.

Thankfully, I made a reservation for us on OpenTable (love that app!). It was super busy when we showed up, but we were seated almost immediately. I didn't get a chance to see the interior of the building, because we sat out on the patio in front, but from the Flora Yelp page and Instagram posts, it is definitely cute inside.

I ordered a matcha espresso martini and the chicken and waffles. Syann got a lychee spritz, caesar salad, and the pink vodka fettucine. The menus were nicely designed, but best of all, they were written by someone with a sense of humor.

Some of my favorite little blurbs from the menu:

• Under the peach & jalapeno margarita: "My brother is allergic to peach. I wanted to piss him off."

• Under the acai bowl: "Okay skinny legend, we see you."

• Under the fettucine pink vodka sauce: "A little vodka never hurt anyone."

Whoever started Flora must like words, because even our drinks came with little blurbs on slips of paper. It was almost like what you'd find in a fortune cookie. Both Syann's and mine said, "A great change is coming. It involves a lot of snacks and a very confusing group chat." Who knows what that could mean?

Our bill was presented to us in a book, which I thought was cute. I'm unsure if the book has any meaning, or if it was just Old Looking™. Either way, despite the weird egg stain on the front cover that agitated my inner germaphobe, a book was a nicer way to find out we are still in the economic trenches where a brunch for two is over $100 with tip. Oh well!

Because my mom's words still echo in my mind, and because the little blurbs at Flora inspired me, this week I am deciding to share a bit more on some thoughts I've been having. Don't worry, this is more than just a restaurant review. My time with Syann at Flora was great, and I'm glad the food was yummy, but I can spare some deeper thoughts every so often as well.

As I get older, I'm experiencing a sort of bittersweet sadness with the realization that we're all growing up, and living our lives, and Doing Things™. However, most of the growing, living, and doing is being done separately. Over the years, I have had many friends, and still think of some of them like family, regardless of distance. I've been lucky enough to have made connections with people that have lasted over 20 years (shoutout to An-Ya!) and I often think about these illustrations by Olivia de Recat that show "Closeness Lines." Some of these lines are compiled below for you to see, but there is also a specific post on Olivia's Instagram, @drawingolive, with even more.

by Olivia de Recat (@drawingolive on Instagram)

It strikes me that something complex can be illustrated so simply, but I see a lot of truth in these little lines.

There are many articles, thought-pieces, studies, and infographics online that explore the timeline of human connections. This Wall Street Journal article called "The Trick to Keeping Friends as we Get Older," by Diane Cole, Andrew Zuckerman's exploration into the people we meet over time, Rohti Bandri's piece on Medium about "Circles of Friends," and more are all interesting if you want to read more about human connection and how our friendships evolve throughout different life stages.

This period of time where I am actively noticing and experiencing myself evolve and change alongside my friends is odd, and at times, uncomfortable. I miss when there weren't weeks or months to catch up on when I would get together with my friends.

When I first saw Olivia's "Closeness Lines" illustrations and read those articles, I felt a sad little ache in my heart for friendships lost and connections passed. I know it is cheesy, but the saying, "Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened," does actually apply in many situations, and this is one of them. We grow close to one another and we grow apart, and that is just part of human nature. We are all who we are because of the people we've known and the lives we've lived, whether separately, together, or however squiggly our two lines can be.

I still miss the period of life where I wasn't feeling constantly in "catch-up" mode with my friends and the lives we're all living, but I understand this is part of growing up. I may do everything in my power to avoid being a "grown-up," since that feels quite out of reach still (WTF even is a "grown-up," anyway?). I don't think a friendship in my mid-20's is any less meaningful than a friendship in elementary school. It's just different, because we're different. And that's okay.

See you next week.

Bonus: After my disappointing low hematocrit during Comic-Con Blood Drive back in July, this week, I was able to donate blood again at my favorite San Diego Blood Bank location at Liberty Station. Big shoutout to Gladys, Melissa, Aileen, Wilma and the entire staff there!