TRADITION!

As I get ready to have a Thanksgiving feast at our home, I’m a little troubled. I have so many questions and I’m not sure I’ve come up with the answers that make me happy.

This is my first low-carb Thanksgiving! If it were just Terry and me, I’d be fine, but I wonder if I should impose our new lifestyle on our family, especially when I’ll be messing with TRADITION?

How will they like mashed cauliflower and gravy as opposed to mashed potatoes and gravy? Should I make both? I’ve got a wonderful new cookbook Marla gave me entitled Paleo Comfort Food and there’s a recipe for bread using almond flour (which we love) and I could make dressing out of it, BUT what if it isn’t as good as what we are all traditionally used to? And how dare I break tradition? Is it too late for me to start a new tradition? What if all the new dishes I make flop and no one will ever want to come back for Thanksgiving? Am I willing to risk that?

Dare to mess with "tradition"!

Well, now that my troubles are on the table, I’ll address each one. How will “they” like mashed cauliflower? I don’t know because I’ve never mashed or tasted it mashed. I heartily believe in the cardinal rule (does “cardinal come from the bird or the high up guy in the Catholic Church?) to never try a new recipe on company.

William James said the words in the title. We really do see through the eyes of our own experience and each of our experiences is different, so when we come onto a situation we see it from our perspective. It’s almost like we all wear different lenses.

While on a radio show an older woman called in and told that when she was very young a doctor told her parents that she was autistic. The parents had not heard of autism and they thought the expert said their daughter was “artistic.” Their child was obviously not displaying “normal” child behavior, so with all the care and concern of devoted parents to help their child thrive, they proceeded to fill their “artistic” daughter’s life with crayons, paints, art supplies and crafts. The woman is a college graduate, articulate, joyful and successful.

I know there are degrees of autism, but my point is; there is power in labels.

Using the internal timer

Terry and I went to the beach on our anniversary last week (23 years) and while he was driving I suggested we play a game.

This weekend my husband and I attended our 50th high school class reunion. We were in the same class together and were good friends, but we never kissed or anything. We just liked each other. Terry was the emcee at the party and we had 180 class mates and spouses who seemed ready to play and enjoy the night. It was a delightful evening and I had to really reflect the day after, why it was so magical to me. I figured it out!

One of my adult relatives who shall remain nameless has SES (Squeamish Eater Syndrome). I love her in spite of her affliction. As a mother, I’m familiar with squeamish eaters. Out of my three kids, only one was a real squeamer, Joanna. The list of foods that could bring on her gagging reflex was endless. The best way to get the gaggers into her, with their valuable vitamins and nutrients, was to buy a food processor and purée the identity out of them. Most children are not as bad as Joanna was and I’m pleased to report that as an adult, she has made friends with many of her childhood food enemies.

As adults, most of us have a fairly tolerant palate, but there is a line that is drawn somewhere right around giblets. That’s probably why we call them giblets and not vital chicken organs, and why we call squid, calamari, and calves, veal.

While on our summer vacation in July, I made notes about the events I wanted to share with you. This one was on the top of the list.

My husband Terry loves to watch professional football and I like to watch it with him, however, I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch every single game throughout the entire season if he didn’t care or wasn’t here. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed learning the rules of the game from him and of course I get a kick out of some of those adorable quarterback bodies in their tight uniforms.

In the beginning I had a couple of terminology misunderstandings cleared up which Terry found particularly amusing. My comment after hearing the announcer exclaim, “So-in-so is a pro bowler,” was, “Wow, imagine being a great football player AND a professional bowler!” Terry explained a pro bowler is a player who is so good he gets to play in the pro bowl (some big deal game once a year). Another time during a game the announcer said, “So-in-so is ‘playing hurt,’” and I said to Terry, “If I were that cry baby’s coach, he’d be off the team before he knew what hit him!!” Of course I learned the player wasn’t “faking being hurt,” but was actually playing with a terrible injury.

Leilani, one of my subscribers to Inner Kiddies wrote to me in response to one of my daily surprises (a free email I send out that is either uplifting, humorous, thought provoking or just plain silly. Here was the message she responded to followed by her response: Einstein said, “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” While I helped create an unhappy marriage for 15 years I NEVER took advantage of my sense of humor as a powerful tool to change my circumstances. We can't be angry and joyful at the same time. Pick between the two today and watch your problems resolve or escalate.

Leilani wrote: “No kidding! I have a special talent. I can see the bright side of absolutely anything. I’m not an eternal optimist. Those people drive me nuts. I’m just drawn like a magnet to silver linings—even when they’re rusty.

My Young@Heart took a SHE turn with an email from a Flybaby and it prompted me to find a very funny article written by a columnist for the Seattle Times who in turn went on to become a very famous food critic in the Northwest. His article gives you the man’s view of a SHE. The article follows this email.

Dear Pam and Peggy,

Many of you struggle with disorganization as I do. Remember I am in nervous remission. But in that nervousness, I don't let my messy tendencies get out of hand. In other words my home is never more than 15 minutes to company ready (and that is for the whole house).