The Wandering Heart

Sometimes it’s not the destination that stays with you. Sometimes it’s the sandwich. Back in April, my husband and I spent a night away in Petersham, MA, at a charming B&B we’d visited a few years ago – Clamber Hill. It is one of those places that immediately makes you exhale. Quite roads. Small-town charm. The kind of place that reminds you that life doesn’t always have to move so fast. Funny how a few months later, I found myself on these same back roads for a day trip in western, MA that inspired this blog.

Before checking in, we scheduled massages in town at Seeing Hands Massage, which was the right move to set the tone for the day. We only had half an hour to grab lunch, so we stopped at The Country Store that we had browsed last time, but didn’t have lunch there. I quickly ordered the California Turkey, not knowing that this was where I would find the sandwich.

At first glance, it wasn’t anything particularly fancy. Turkey. Swiss. Avocado. Lettuce. Tomato. Home-made Dijonaise. Served on soft sourdough bread. But somehow it was perfect. One detail worth mentioning: the sourdough wasn’t toasted. I’ve learned through my recent wanderings that many sandwich shops insist on grilling or toasting everything. Apparently, that’s what the people want. I am not those people. I prefer to save the hot turkey for Thanksgiving. Give me fresh, soft sourdough every time. Even if the edges are tough and I make a mess.

The sandwich had the perfect balance of textures and flavors. Nothing overwhelmed anything else. It was simple and exactly right. The kind of meal that quietly and quickly becomes the standard by which all future sandwiches are judged.

I slammed the sandwich down and went off to my massage, satisfied. While my husband was enjoying his massage, my heart wanted to go back to the store, so I wandered over to the country store within walking distance. The store is exactly the kind of place I love discovering on these little adventures. Now that I am writing this, I am realizing that it has also held a standard for future country stores. Shelves lined with locally made soaps, candles, pottery, jewelry, and gifts. A cozy café serving breakfast and lunch. The sort of place where you walk through the door and instantly feel at home.

I ordered my usual travel-day treat: a hot latte with two shots of espresso, one pump of mocha, and almond milk. Then I wandered the store. I found a beeswax aromatherapy candle called “Goddess” made with Rose Geranium & Sage, which immediately caught my eye. Over the past few years, I’ve spent a lot of time exploring different goddess archetypes through my healing work, and a friend and I even host a small goddess study group. Finding that candle felt like one of those little winks from the universe.

Then I discovered something I had been having trouble finding: myrrh incense. Something about that scent brings my soul back to ancient times. So not one, but two types of this incense went into my basket. Along with a bar of sage and fir soap that somehow managed to smell like a walk through the woods and brought me back to this experience every day in the shower.

By the time I left, I had a latte in one hand, a bag full of treasures in the other, and that warm feeling that comes when you’ve stumbled upon somewhere special. The sandwich was so good that the next morning, on our way home, we stopped and got another one to split later that day. Naturally.

Since then, I’ve been trying to recreate it at home, but it hasn’t been the same. No toasting! I have made it countless times since April, and while it is close, there’s still something about that original sandwich that I haven’t quite been able to duplicate. Maybe that’s the magic of discovering something in exactly the right place at exactly the right moment.

So if your travels ever bring you through North Western Worcester County, make time for Petersham. Visit the country store. Order the turkey sandwich. Browse the shelves. Take home a treasure. I know I’ll be back soon. And if you happen to find a sandwich even better than the one I’ve been chasing, let me know. I’m always willing to take the scenic route in the name of research.