Courgette Kindness & Community Vibes – A Day in the Life of Chickpea

Some days don’t follow a plan — they write their own.

Chickpea was up at 7:00 this morning making sandwiches for the kids, then snuck back to bed for another 60 golden minutes. At 8:00, it was up again for a quick shower — and that’s when things took a turn. Sandwiches still on the counter. No phone in sight.

Deep breath. Time to troubleshoot.

First call: Tesco. Chickpea remembered placing her phone on the counter yesterday so the agent could scan her Clubcard — and leaving it there. Thankfully, the kind man at the till this morning asked all the right questions before returning it with a warm, reassuring smile. These moments of honesty and care — small but mighty — remind Chickpea that community is alive and well.

Next stop: the school, to deliver those abandoned sandwiches. Then straight on to Sainsbury’s for fresh fruit, veg, and some A4 printer paper (essential!).

Back home, printer paper went in, and out came a printed copy of Chickpea’s favourite summer recipe: Charred Courgette with Garlic Yoghurt from Dr. Saliha Mahmood Ahmed’s Kitchen Prescription. It was for the neighbour who, the night before, received a freshly picked courgette from Chickpea after a late-night return from the allotment. Recipes, like courgettes, are better when shared.

With the printing done, it was back to the kitchen. Chickpea prepped her own courgette for breakfast, sorted beetroot for tomorrow, and got a head start on dinner — a kedgeree-style smoked mackerel and spinach rice (a Gousto recipe, with lentils and green beans added for that Chickpea-fibre-twist). A quick salad powered her through the rest of the afternoon.

Then it was time to sit down and follow up on yesterday’s first-ever nutrition consultation — an exciting step on this new path. Still buzzing from it all.

Next on the list? Reviewing Zoom plans and designing a poster and canvas bag for Chickpea Hub — all part of building the dream. Business cards are packed and ready, and the ever-supportive dentist has offered to display them (once this cold clears — no need to share germs along with gut health advice!).

It wasn’t a perfectly planned day — but it was full of purpose, kindness, and the small joys that make this journey so meaningful.