This is blurry, but you can still get an idea of the beautiful bowl of goodness that sat before me. There was only one rotten one in the whole bunch.
Want to guess which one I bit into without looking?
Forget your troubles; come read about mine
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EmailDo you consider yourself lucky? How about fortunate? Blessed?
If you use one of those phrases with any frequency, in my opinion you’re doing it right. By “it” I mean, life.
I am the complainingest complainer who ever complained (Hi, Chad!) and as I told a co-worker today, I worry that catastrophe will follow me because it pretty much does. Of course, my catastrophes are not really bad at all. A little West Nile Virus, pneumonia, meningitis, antibiotic-resistant infection, concussion, congenital heart disease, or threat of pulmonary embolism never hurt anyone. Wait.
But, despite my ailments or those of my son, I consider myself to be a fortunate person. I have great relatives, I married into a family of wonderful people, I have terrific friends, decent health, a job and co-workers I love, a great community – I could go on and on.
Do I have bad days? Yes. Every day has me facing something lousy and I DO complain about it. No sleep, sick kids, no money, car repairs, the stuff we all deal with on a day-to-day basis – and “stuff” is putting it lightly. Or non-cussingly, if you will. Maybe venting helps me deal with what life throws at me. Maybe keeping the little things bottled up would make my anxiety worse.
I think crying is therapeutic, I know my workouts are the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental state, and I’m pretty sure complaining helps me think through my issues. Zoloft doesn’t hurt, either.
Even though I have to do all of those things to keep my mind right, I still tell myself how lucky I am Every. Single. Day.
Because I’m pretty sure the greatest way to straighten out your head is to be grateful that you still have one.
Oh, pop culture. Sigh. I am in your news every day and sometimes you confuse me. Most of the time, actually. Before I burst, these are some things I need to get off my chest. It should be noted that my mother is going to read this and not recognize a single name. Some day, maybe I’ll rant about Doris Day.
1. I don’t care what the Kardashians do. Not even a little bit. Not ever.
2. Why is there going to be a live version of The Sound of Music and why is it starring Carrie Underwood? This question looks absurd, but I can assure you this is happening, people.
3. When I grow up I want to be Jennifer Lawrence.
4. And, I want Jimmy Fallon to be my neighbor.
5. I don’t know what Miley Cyrus is doing, but I don’t approve.
6. Rihanna needs to dump Chris Brown once and for all.
7. Jay Z is awesome. Justin Timberlake is awesome. Now they should go their separate ways.
8. How could AC/DC sell “Back in Black” for retail, commercial purposes? Bon Scott is rolling over in his grave.
9. I’m a big fan of Mark Wahlberg, but even I can’t stand behind him starring in a reality show about his restaurant, “Wahlburgers.” I can’t even stand behind the name “Wahlburgers.”
And, to redeem all of the above nonsense:
10. Downton Abbey’s fourth season starts in 54 days. Not that I’m counting.
I hit a new cooking low tonight – I burned rice. I checked on it a full SEVEN minutes early, yet there was my new stainless steel pot with 1/2 inch layer of crusted grains stuck to the bottom.
In a Thanksgiving cooking class a few years ago, I forgot to put sugar in my pumpkin pie. And, during a Christmas dinner I served brownies iced with Cool Whip and crushed candy canes. Do you know what it sounds like when eight people are eating crushed candy canes at the same time? There isn’t enough Andy Williams in the world to drown out the crunching.
My husband would probably have a much longer list of my kitchen fails. So would my daughter. My son once ate a beet and a radish at the same time so he doesn’t get a taste opinion.
I won’t even mention my cakes.
Cooking is a lot like life. Sometimes it turns out crusty, soggy or just plain rotten, and sometimes it’s smooth and delicious. What I can say for certain is that there isn’t always a quick fix; you can’t come to depend on microwaved meals all the time.
So I’m going to step away from the instant stuff and do a little more slow cooking. I won’t give up on my kitchen dreams, because you just never know when you won’t burn the rice.
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