Stand Sentinel

Know Your Words

Sentinel-a guard, a lookout, a person keeping watch Stand sentinel-act as a guard-watch over so as to protect

On this day, Darlene went out to the main Polo pony barn to take some pictures and meet with Clem regarding the equine ambulance schedule for the new year. Clem said it would just be a brief overview meeting. She snapped a few pictures of the quiet pitch before going into the barn. The beautiful expanse of a Polo field was, to Darlene, breathtaking-but she had to admit it was the moving canvas of horses and riders that created the beauty. She looked out over the field and briefly thought about the past year and the new year on the immediate horizon. Darlene had learned about the pace of a Polo match and as she reflected on the past year and a new year coming she thought about halftime activity of stomping the divots-smoothing out the damage all while sipping a flute of champagne…maybe this was a good way to consider getting ready for the new year-stomp out what didn't work this year… smooth it out-ready the pitch…get back in the game….begin the new year with a leveled playing field. Reflect (with some champagne), repair without lingering, sound the horn and get going on the new year…

Darlene’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted when Clem hollered from the barn: “Hey Dar…I’m here but I have to leave. Just got a call from a vet who needs an emergency horse transport-we’ll meet later.”

Darlene waved and asked Clem if he wanted her to come along. “No-thanks…you enjoy your time off.” He waved an envelope up in the air “Edna Pilsner asked me to give this to you. I’ll set it on the table by the tack room…” Darlene yelled back “Thanks” and “Okay!” She was betting the envelope was a Christmas card.

When Darlene opened the envelope, she saw that it was an invitation. As she read it, she thought there might have been a misprint. The invitation said:

The invitation caused a bout of anxiety for Darlene which led to a string of inner thoughts: New Year’s Eve Toast Party? It feels like homework is involved and ‘protocol’ sounds serious, and I am not sure about my goals…and I’m not up for sharing them…and surely, they mean 9:15 pm…I bet it will be a beautiful party with so many flowers…but what’s a Rose Pull?....

A groom walked by and upon seeing Darlene read the all familiar Pilsner invitation he quipped, “I see you are invited to the Pilsner Toast Party...this is the best party even though Edna is so strict with the way she runs it. Whatever you do, don’t be late. She means what it says about flutes up at 9:35 sharp!”

Darlene was glad to have someone to ask about the possible printing error. “Oh…yeah…thanks but is it supposed to be at 9:15pm? My invitation says 9:15am?”

The groom shook his head and smiled. “No-it’s 9:15am….Edna serves toast and then we have to say a toast…and then there is the Rose Pull. Don’t worry Darlene, the Pilsners will teach you…see you there…”

Darlene loved toast…this was her thought… I love toast…but what is this party and this groom-he knows my name and I don’t know his…

“Thank you so much and I apologize, I don’t know your name?” The groom picked up a feed bucket and started to walk towards the stalls… “Lonzo….my name is Lonzo…some people call me Zo…I know your name because one of the owners talks about you…Trent…I am on the team that takes care of Armani and all of his other Polo ponies. He sometimes mentions that a conversation with you is like a vocabulary fencing contest or something…something about En Garde….he’ll be at the Pilsner Gathering…see you there and hey…thanks for asking me what my name is!”

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Darlene pulled into the driveway of the Pilsner Farm at 9:08am. Ed Pilsner was using a bright red flag to point and gesture for everyone to park in an open paddock-(small field where horses are kept). Cars were parked in rows and Darlene could see that everyone was in boots and heading directly to the barn. She followed suit. (that phrase originates from card games where players are required to play a card of the same suit as the one led by the first player….now you know…). Darlene followed suit and headed to the barn.

Stepping inside of the barn was magical. There were strings of tiny white lights sparkling like faint diamonds…it was daylight…but still the small lights set a tone. Large trays of toast lined tables as well as clear slender champagne flutes. There were four kinds of toast: Cinnamon, Strawberry Jam, Blueberry Preserves and Melted Butter. The slices of toast were cut into four rectangles. The champagne bubbled in the flutes…a silent symphony encouraging celebration. There were flowers galore: pink peonies, white baby’s breath, green hydrangeas, all arranged in farm buckets.

Off to another side of the barn were large silver trophy vases of American Roses. The roses were sorted into three options: dead, fully bloomed, and tight buds. Darlene felt as though she had fallen down the rabbit hole…she tried looking for Trent and didn’t see him until Edna Pilsner began speaking into her green paper megaphone. “Good Morning Everyone and Welcome to the Pilsner Toasting Party…so glad to see you all…please do grab your preferred slice of toast, a flute of champagne and stand somewhere on the circle line. We will, as always, begin our toast on the upswing side of the hour-so please, just like ‘riders up’ at the races, ‘flutes up’ here, at 9:35! Following our sprint toasting I will share a few words around the Rose Pull and off you will go to finish this year and polish yourselves up for the arrival of the New Year.”

Darlene watched Trent pull a strawberry jam toast slice from the table (probably because I said he had the same swoon factor as a strawberry macaron….) and then a flute of the bubbly. He was chatting with some of the other attendees as he walked to stand on the circle line. Edna made her way to Darlene, slipped her arm around Darlene’s shoulder, gave a warm hug and said, “Darlene, I am so happy to see you here. Now listen, this little party goes quickly and don’t fret dear if you feel like you don’t know what to toast to-just say what comes to mind and enjoy the energy of all of us trying to make our way…” Darlene thanked Edna and nervously asked “What do I do, Mrs. Pilsner…and oh thank you for having me…everything is so pretty…”

The circle line was filling up as Edna told Darlene to grab a preferred piece of toast, a flute of champagne and stand next to her, in the circle. “This way you can be second to last. I always say the last sprint toast and then we say a collective ‘cheers’ and move on to the Rose Pull.”

Ed Pilsner stood next to Edna and precisely at 9:35 he began: “Good Morning Everyone! Thank you for promptly taking your places. I will get us started but let me remind you of Edna’s rules.” He smiled at Edna, put his glasses on and pulled an index card from his pocket. There was a collective laugh around the circle. Trent, seeing Darlene standing next to Edna, caught her eyes and gave a three-finger wave from his champagne flute. Darlene smiled and returned the three-finger wave. Meanwhile Ed Pilsner began to read from the index card. “This is sprint toasting…no loitering, lingering or philosophizing. When it is your turn, take one step into the circle, raise your flute and make a toast to whatever you are grateful for-large or small. Do not take a sip of your champagne or a bite of your toast. Swiftly step back into the circle. Soak up all of the other toasts that get made. Edna will say the last toast and we will then collectively raise our glasses, say ‘cheers’ and drink from our flutes. THEN you can eat your toast and reflect on all the goodness you just heard….After that please make your way to the Rose Pull line… So…. I shall begin.” Ed Pilsner took his glasses off, folded his notecard and stuck it in his pocket, took one step into the circle, held his champagne flute up and said, “To the most beautiful rose in my Garden…to Edna.” Edna blushed and patted Ed’s back as he stepped back beside her. The sprint toasting got underway with toasts of: to health, to a beautiful Polo Pony, to good friends, to the Pilsner Flowers, to laughter, to homemade cavatelli, to winning trophies, to a freshly cut pitch. Trent raised his glass, stepped into the circle and said “To competitive friendships” as he looked over at Darlene. Darlene was tapping down a desire to toast “to learning new words.” She realized this would cause a weird lag in the momentum of the event. When her turn came, she stepped forward and said, “To the wellbeing of all animals”. Edna patted her back and whispered, “very good dear”, then she stepped forward and said, “To us…all of us…we make a most beautiful bouquet!” A collective “CHEERS!” ensued. Lonzo stepped into the circle again and shouted, ‘To the Pilsners!” A drone shot would have captured a circle of the bottoms of champagne flutes. The partygoers took bites of their toast and sipped their remaining champagne as Edna made her way, paper megaphone in hand, to the tables of roses.

“All right friends,” she began, “please enjoy the remainder of the prepared toasts and have some fresh coffee or sparkling water. I would like to say a few words about the Rose Pull, so you can have a moment to know which rose you should pull. As many of you know I take the Rose Pull very seriously and encourage you to do the same. I will recap the guidelines for the Rose Pull for those who are new and for anyone who needs a refresher. The vases are full of American Roses. This rose is the designated national flower of the United States…so we begin this agenda with a flower that represents beauty and courage. You already have beauty...all of you…but my dears it is of utmost importance to have courage as you set your intentions for the new year. Don’t be sloppy with this life. Have the courage to live with intention.”

Edna looked over the top of her glasses and peered out at her guests. She looked a little stern…and continued: “I’ve got three kinds of roses in these vases. 1-dead roses-pull this rose if you need to work to say goodbye to something that is holding you back…or pull it if you need to celebrate someone you have lost to keep them close for the year and weave their gifts into your being…death has its own virtues, dears. 2-full blooms in this vase…pull this rose if your intention is to live the year at full bloom capacity…you will bloom wherever you go whatever you do…this rose is for the strong of positive heart…whatever you do, you will do it well…and rose number 3 is the tight bud…this is for the person who is learning something new…learning takes courage dears, but it yields beauty…..so there you have it. Chat, eat your toast, sip your drink and contemplate. Ed and I wish you a very Happy New Year and we hope you will stand sentinel over your goals, and let your rose symbolize your courage.”

Darlene had made her way over to Trent, who raised a glass and said “Hear, Hear” at the end of Edna’s speech. “Wow,” Darlene started, “This is pretty amazing-this party…I feel like the Pilsners are Pillars of wisdom…so different from how I saw them as a little salt and pepper set upon first meeting them! Pilsner Pillars…almost sounds like I have had too much champagne….but ‘stand sentinel’ does it mean stand tall?” Trent leaned in and whispered to Darlene- “It means watch over like a guard-protecting something…”

People started filing in line to pull a rose. Darlene saw Lonzo cross himself and pull a dead rose. He spoke softly to Edna “Thank you Mrs. Pilsner…you have encouraged me to take the best of my deceased uncle and carry him with me. I am grateful for you…Happy New Year…”

Darlene and Trent stood in line together…it started to feel like communion. People were quiet and respectful of each other’s space. Trent gestured for Darlene to go ahead of him when his turn came. She stepped closest to the full bloom roses and pulled a beautiful deep Bordeaux colored rose. Full bloom, she thought, this is my style and my commitment to the new year. Darlene hugged Edna, who complimented Darlene’s rose choice by saying, “Perfect choice dear….you certainly are a constant bright light…”

Trent stepped up to the table as Darlene turned to try to catch a glance. He embraced Mrs. Pilsner and shook hands with Ed Pilsner. “Always my favorite party-your beautiful toast party…the double-sided coin of finish and start. Thank you for having me.” Ed patted Trent on the shoulder and said “It’s our pleasure son. Happy New Year to you and many wins out on the pitch.” Trent lingered for a moment and then pulled a bright pink bud rose from the vase. He had realized that he had fallen in love with learning…lexical learning….En Garde learning brought to him by Darlene Deane Davenport. He laughed to himself thinking about her complaints around having a triple D monogram. Darlene brought curiosity to his life via the Weekly Word En Garde. He intended to stand sentinel over that competition….Stand Guard over En Garde….this is going to be my mantra this year…watch over-protect-and stand ready for the duel…protect things that matter Trentcoat…

Happy New Year to my special reader….may you stand sentinel over all that matters….