Two Thoughts Tuesday: On Rainbows and Unicorns

1) I am sure that I've mentioned before what a finicky eater my son is. Child is not at all interested in widening his culinary palate--he'll stick with pancakes, chicken nuggets, chocolate milk and corn dogs thankyouverymuch. That doesn't mean that I ever stop trying to fandango a vegetable or high quality protein into his system though. I look at it almost like a challenge--as if the the gauntlet has been thrown down and my only recourse is to get the kid to eat a carrot or perish in the effort. Sadly, if my life depends on getting the kid to ingest anything green then I fear my days on this earth are numbered.

I did have a bit of hope this weekend when we took the kids to Benihana.  Chase was having the time of his life chatting up the chef, laughing hysterically at all of his tricks.

 

I thought for sure that since he had watched someone prepare a meal especially for him--with gusto even--that Chase would happily scarf up that chicken and rice. Ha! As the chef was putting the food on his plate, my child says, "No thank you. I don't eat that." Ummm it's chicken kid--just like the nuggets only not deep fried and covered in bread. Oh, I see the problem here. Never mind. 

Now his sister, well she's the garbage pail of the family. She'll try anything. 

I am not kidding. Yesterday, I found her digging moldy strawberries out of the trash and shoving them in her mouth. Appetite for indigestion. 

2) When I was a teenager wrestling with all the drama and horrendously awful days that entails, my mother would always tell me "This too shall pass" which at the time was not overly helpful. But as I've gotten older and wiser (ahem!) it has come to be a great steadying phrase in my head when I'm feeling overwhelmed or sad or angry. It is comforting to be able to put those rotten days into perspective and remember that they aren't permanent. Eventually, I will feel relief again. The pain will subside. The aggravation will alleviate. Nothing lasts forever and this period of angst won't even come close. 

But on the flip side of that are the happy times. The exhilarating moments that take our breath away and fill our chests with that bubble of joy that grows so big we think it will certainly explode inside us releasing a giddy spray of rainbow and unicorn shrapnel. Those too shall pass just as surely as the bad moments. More swiftly even and often before we've had the chance to realize how beautiful that nanosecond really was.   

I just finished reading The Days of Awe by Hugh Nissenson, and it contains the most simple, yet captivating line: "Ah, moment, stay!" Those words have been ringing in my ears for a few days now, and I feel that I must answer their summons and remember to acknowledge those precious minutes of grace that pass through my life and bid them to remain a few minutes more.

"Ah, moment, stay!"