Overheard at... home

“I’m take Summer for a walk.”

Let’s get it out there…. Oh yeah, the Giants won, Baby! It was an awesome (if a bit strange) game and we were at home, in peace, able to completely focus on it. The better news, an attempt at healthy snack food kept us from the typical Super Bowl diet of beer and Dorritos (who, btw had the best commercials of the game in my opinion).

The bad news was that it came on the tail end of a weekend of overindulgence. We are truly blessed with a circle of friends who, for the most part, are gourmands. Truly, it is scary the quality of food I was served this weekend; beautiful stewed chicken over collard greens and white beans with a fennel gratin one night and then prosciutto stuffed turkey breast with garlic  spinach, wild mushroom risotto and roast potatoes the next. Add to it the  wonderful wines to match and you can see where my husband barely got our daughter on the bus before heading out on a marathon walk (I am sure he’ll still be out walking even after I am long finished with this blog.)

So, when my daughter, in a fit of pique, tells me that money is the most important thing in the world because it buys food, water and shelter, I find it very hard to sympathize (she was miffed she didn’t win the Superbowl pool). While I agree that for many in our world this is true, I had to wonder when the last time was that she actually felt any kind of real hunger pang… probably not since she was a baby in fact.

I like to think I am raising a child who has compassion and Christian values, but every now and then I get a glimpse of her inner thought process and am confused. Can she really imagine that happiness comes from her toys and other things? The answer, sadly, is yes. 

Things clearly need to change and I hate to tell her, but I think there is a painful purge in her future. The overflowing playroom reflects the binge of her early childhood years. Now though, it is time for all of us to practice a new diet and exercise routine. Ours will include long walks, while hers will be an exercise of compassion. 
 
And at last this is something I can sympathize with. Workouts are never easy or painless, but the results are worth  it.