Tag: dessert

Dessert Menu Please

The other day, my husband and I got our calendars together to try to figure out and schedule fun “empty nest” plans – events, weekends away, etc. It was then that I noticed that our weekends in September were already filled up with plans with one or more of our grown kids. (Plans our kids came up with – not us.) If you are at all worried about loneliness in your soon-to-be upcoming empty nest, don’t be. My friends and family who have grandchildren (and yes, I’m so jealous) always say that having grandchildren is THE BEST. They always say that it is like getting the “dessert” part of raising kids. It’s so sweet and delightful and fun and easy and breezy. With grandchildren, you don’t have the worries, the everyday mundane stuff, the constant responsibilities, and when you are exhausted, the grandkids go back home. Everything that happens with grandkids is easy to laugh off as adorable, lovable, and easily solvable (by somebody else). Interestingly, I’ve been noticing lately that the empty nest also seems to give you the “dessert” part of your own kids, now that they are grown adults, with their own separate lives. It’s a lot of fun. It’s easy and breezy. The worries and the mood swings and having to juggle everyone’s crazy schedules are no longer on my everyday plate. And when we all start to get on each other’s nerves, we all head back to our own homes, to make our own meals, and to do our own laundry. Once you get past the “wow, that whole raising a family bit, it really went by so fast” existential shock of it all, empty nest is truly lovely. And the hatchlings still fly by the nest for visits, here and there, and sometimes even more often than you would think. And that’s when you get to savor being with the “dessert versions” of your own children, and they, too, get to experience the sweetest part of you.

“Desserts are the fairy tales of the kitchen – a happily-ever-after to supper.” – Terri Guillemets

“Dessert is a necessity of life.” – Adrienne Posey

“Work is the meat of life, pleasure the dessert.” – B. C. Forbes

“I love dessert. I can’t be guilty about it because I have to taste everything. I experiment.” – Martha Stewart

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Pitcher is Full

Image result for there is a difference between giving up and knowing when you have had enough

Last night, I was reminded of the above wisdom, as I was sitting at one of our city’s iconic restaurants, staring at my unbelievably delicious chocolate peanut butter torte, around midnight last night. We were at the restaurant celebrating my son’s high school graduation. I had already eaten a third of my scrumptious dessert, plus a bite of everyone else’s choices. We were in a separate dessert room. Seriously. Before the dessert room experience, we all had enjoyed a heavy, gluttonous three-course meal. This particular restaurant is known for its throwback nature. It glamorizes the times of pre-gluten, pre-dairy, pre-cardiac health concerns. My All-American sticktoitiveness was telling me to finish what I had started. Finish the damn dessert. But wait, isn’t that what doggy bags are for? Wouldn’t a bite of the torte in the morning be a wonderful reminder of the previous night, a night filled with laughter, nostalgia and decadence? (The bite that I just had a minute ago was delectable!)

It’s okay to know when you have had enough of anything. It’s okay to know when your “pitcher is full, filled to the brim.” We all have different sized pitchers. Saturation points happen. It’s not giving up. It’s knowing that you have had enough and honoring yourself enough, to just stop with the madness – even if the madness is in the form of a fabulously, unbelievably delicious dessert.

The Best Half

I think I need an attitude adjustment.  I think I have been “resigning” to aging.  I think I have fallen a little into to that “it’s all downhill from here” trap.  I got to thinking yesterday that the second half of anything is always the better half!  The Second Half of Adulting is going to be amazing!

I live with a lot of men and a very athletic daughter.  So despite the fact I didn’t own a good pair of tennis shoes until my thirties, I have come to be a sports fan.  I have watched a lot (A LOT) of sports games over the years and to save time, I’ve come to believe that you only need to watch the second half of any game.  The second half is better and way more exciting.  By the second half, the players “get each other”.  They are in their groove with their teammates and they know what they are up against with their competition.   At halftime, they’ve reviewed their mistakes and they have experienced trick plays.  The players know that there are more trick plays to come, but they are better prepared and not surprised when these plays happen.  They get that “time is of the essence”.  The players appreciate that they don’t have all the time in the world to meet their objectives, so they play with urgency.  They play ALIVE!  It’s exciting, the second half of any game!

Think about movies and books and plays.  Once again, the second half is always better.  How many times when reading a book have you snuck ahead to the second half?  The second half of any good story is where the rubber hits the road.  The second half has all of the action, the climax, the moral of the story and the happily ever after.  The first half is just about character development so that you can get to the excitement of the more meaningful second half.

What about a really good meal?  The second half has the dessert cart.  Need I say more?  Pregnancy?  The second half comes with the baby!!!

So, here’s to all of my fellow Second Halfers!  We’ve made it!  The best is yet to come!  Go over your game plan, make sure your character has developed the way you want it to and enjoy your just desserts!!