My Very Own Cooking Show!

As I sit here eating my low-carb, vegetarian cauliflower crust pizza and savouring the flavour of pesto, sun dried tomatoes, black olives and feta, I have decided to register a complaint. I hope you are in that department.
I hate cooking.
Do you have any idea how much work eating healthy is?
Due to the diabetes (and a sh**load of other health issues) I am committed to taking nutrition and exercise very seriously. I wish I had taken that step a long time ago.
Thanks to google, there are no excuses for not finding awesome tasting, health-punchy food.
Excellent.

But oh how I miss those days of throwing a Delissio pizza in the oven for 25 minutes, waiting for the oven to beep, and wham! Supper.

So, I am at my computer, typing my frustrations to the world...stalling.

I should be making my homemade almond and coconut power bars. I take some with me every time I head out of my house for more than an hour. And I am fresh out.

You know, I wouldn't mind cooking so much if I was on a cooking show. First off, all the attention would be on me...the cameras, the crowd, they'd all be awed at my beauty and talent. My sequined shirt would sparkle in the bright lights above the counter, on which all the ingredients would be pre-chopped and measured by my minions...I mean, assistants, and I could just dump and stir. Then, magically all the mess would be cleaned up as I whip off my stain-free apron and just sit and chat with a celebrity, charming them with my witty humour, perfect hair, and stellar make-up.

I know, I know. Too far, Susie. Too far.

But seriously...wouldn't it be fabulous to have all the work of cooking done by someone else? (And also for the record...I am truly witty. ;)

Ahh, but bringing us all back to reality, it's simply not that easy.

So, where does that leave us? I'd say it leaves us with a challenge and that challenge is this: Will we put in the effort to do what our bodies need us to, in order to live a quality-filled, energetic life?

With that I will give myself a little pep-talk as my answer.

"Suck it up Susie and go make that power bar!"

Okay. My show awaits.

Too bad my wit will only be witnessed by Bob - one ear up and one ear down. At least he is a loyal audience ;)

 

The Power of Smile

I found myself in the emergency department recently. Interestingly enough, it wasn't for me. A family member had fallen and broke their arm in a nasty way. He's been patched up now and is on the road to recovery.
While in the hospital, I saw a man in a wheelchair, crippled and old. His whole body was badly misshapen, and the best way I can think to describe him was creepy-cartoonish. He was moaning in agony and it was obvious he would not be in this world much longer. My heart melted with sadness at such an awful way to die - slowly and painfully.
A few days later, I was getting groceries at Costco with Mr. Man and I saw a woman sitting crippled in a wheelchair by the door on our way out. This is when my mind seriously started to kick into thought.
Do people who are permanently stuck in a wheelchair feel jealous or angry at all those walking around them? Do they envy the ability to be totally independent and free from the restraint of metal and wheels?
As I walked away, I felt a stab of guilt due to my ability to walk and run and jump while that woman sat trapped forever in a chair.
It was then that I remembered that old man in the hospital. As I walked by and threw a quick smile his way, his face lit up with a grin so big it was probably painful.
Hmm...
Bitterness or contentedness.
An ongoing choice.
Some days, I feel a bit bitter from 30 years of diabetes and disease. I want to feel free from blood sugar meters, my insulin pump, pain, and all the damage my body has incurred from years of chronic illness. Sometimes, I feel tired. Really tired.
And then I think of that man in the hospital hallway, living out his last days in agony and still he has the ability to smile, full and wide.
Bitterness or contentedness.
A daily choice.
With that man in mind, how can I possibly sulk in the mire of self-pity?
How can I not smile?
I still feel sad when I think of that man. But my sadness has changed from melancholy benevolence to a feeling of loss - the loss that everyone who has come in contact with this man's shining light of contentedness will feel when he passes on.
I suppose in answer to my question, some people in wheelchairs probably do feel ripped off or envious of those free-moving people surrounding them. Then there will be others who are living life fully regardless of their limitations.

It is up to me to choose how I will live - Fully, or Regretfully.

Thank you sir for your smile and for lighting up that hallway.

Today, in honour of you old man, I choose...
A big fat smile.
:)