Kitchen Ramblings

Today’s ramble mostly takes place in my kitchen.  A nice triangular path from the fridge to the pantry to the snack cupboard.  Lots of looking, some naughty nibbling, but a meal of nutritional merit? Not so much.  As if this virus thing is not kicking my ass a hundred different ways, it’s especially hitting me in a place of great vulnerability. 

I am forcing myself to walk or bike ride everyday if it’s not raining or miserable out in an attempt to curb my stress eating which has gotten out of control these days.  In full disclosure though, I am currently listening to the thunder and suffering a belly ache from a handful of milk chocolate almonds, a bowl of pita chips, and a few spoons of peanut butter, which got stuck in the back of my throat!

I’ve fought the “Battle of the Bulge” my whole life.  Back when I was in grade school, we would get measured for height and weight every fall and the numbers were put up for everyone to see.  Of course, the guys were hoping to see their names as the tallest kids. But let’s be real, everyone was looking to see who the fat kids were, and my name was right towards the top. This set up how I have viewed myself for most of my whole life: overweight and unattractive.

However, about 7 years ago, I was determined to lose weight and become more fit in preparation for a trip to the Holy Land.  I didn’t want to miss a single thing because I was too out of shape to climb the steps or hike the hills. I did lose a fair amount of weight, had a great trip, and enjoyed healthier living. 

Over the past few years, 10 or 15 pounds of it has crept back on.  Crept, as if the pounds are lurking around the corner and waiting to jump back on my rump. Not!  No, it was a willful sliding back into bad habits. Stress eating ramped up what had already begun.  It roared with a vengeance at the dawn of the Coronavirus outbreak. 

So, while I’m out on good behavior, I appreciate whatever sights or stories the Outside provides for me.  The neighborhood white squirrel, the pairs of ducks cruising the shoreline, the first daffodils of the season have never held such delight for me as they do this year. 

I’ve also made a promise to myself to get serious with my writing, and out of that promise the blog ‘River Ramblings’ came into being.  I am hoping to share a few laughs and a few insights that perhaps resonate with others. I’m a firm believer in sharing our absurdities. And, in laughing at our stories, we laugh at ourselves, which is a very good thing. Especially now.  

I will part with just such a story.  Ever have those days you are too tired or too overwhelmed to cook and decide to just have a bowl of cereal or toast?  Just the other day, I had one of those. And the big dilemma was choosing which wine, white or red, goes best with toast and peanut butter.  After a brief moment, a nice Cabernet was the winner. And, really, neither answer would have been wrong, right!!