It's All About the Frosting

Stick with this one… the point is not what you are expecting…

I enjoy the pleasure I get from eating, I love the taste of food, the texture of food, the way some foods squish between your teeth….but there are certain foods that, while I love the taste of them, I just don’t like eating because they are complicated or messy. Like fried chicken and ribs… there is just not a delicate way to eat them without getting your fingers or face messy….

My doctor has recently advised me to add more citrus fruits to my diet to help with some problems I have been experiencing. Most citrus fruits rank high on my list of messy food. I love grapefruit, but I feel like I need a shower after I eat it… and I love oranges, but they are just so messy to peel. I don’t like getting my hands dirty. So my typical self would rather suffer with my medical issues, than deal with the messiness of eating citrus fruit. Today, I was sitting at my desk working away, not eating, because I am a work-a-holic and it just takes too much time to eat. Without me saying a word about it, my main squeeze walks up to my desk and sets down a peeled orange… that’s true love I tell you! LOVE THAT MAN!!!! He might as well have given me roses or chocolate. Peeling my orange spoke volumes to me of how much he loves me!

Anyway… back to my thought…

There are a few edible creations, however, that I will make an exception for, because it’s just worth the effort. Such as licking the beaters when there is frosting on them. There is no way to do that without getting frosting on your nose or cheeks, but it is worth the mess and the effort it takes to get the frosting off the beaters. I will say though, that I have recently discovered that it is not nearly as messy if you turn the mixer off before you try to lick them! Unbelievable how much better that works!

As I have pondered this today, I have thought about how it relates to the relationships in our lives. I can think of several people whom I have avoided having a relationship with because I perceive that it might be messy. You all have these people in your life. The ones where  you might have to put forth the effort to peel away what’s on the outside to get to the deliciousness on the inside. Those people who you keep at arm’s length because enjoying their friendship might be complicated and difficult and uncomfortable and yes, you might have to get your hands dirty once in a while.

Those people whom I have let into my life are like the frosting… most are still messy, but in a very rewarding kind of way and it’s worth the effort to enjoy them… sometimes it can even be an adventure  if you forget to turn off the mixer first... LOL!

Thinking about this today has made me determined to try to enjoy more “fried chicken and grapefruit” in my life, even if it means getting my hands dirty. We all need the variety because, as with our diet, I believe that more variety in our circle of friends will help us be more mentally and spiritually healthy and well balanced. We all need  expand our comfort zones and move past what we see on the surface and plow through the complicated and messy parts of relationships by “getting our hands dirty” to find what’s hiding beneath the surface of the people that we keep at arm’s length. I know that there is beauty there and that we are only denying ourselves the privilege of being able to enjoy the strengths of those around us.

 I want more frosting in my life… chocolate frosting… pink frosting… butter cream frosting… cream cheese frosting…with sprinkles on top!!