Continued Confessions

Is it really Thursday already?

Indeed it is already Thursday as the days fly by at an increasingly alarming rate. I know as we get along in years, the time appears to speed up. As children the summer break seemed to last forever (for those of us who liked school and missed our friends). But now there don’t seem to be enough hours in the day—or at least hours in which I am able to function, particularly since having had Covid, but that’s a story for another day. For today, I really do have two confessions, both involving food items.

The first bizarre occurrence was the other evening as I was fixing dinner and having my usual meal of a protein (sometimes plant-based but not always), a veg, and a starch. That night I had a hamburger patty, some leftover kale, and what I thought after somewhat close inspection was leftover rice. As I sat down to eat (always at the table with a placemat, I might add) I looked again at the “rice” but it wasn’t until I started eating that I realized it was leftover oatmeal instead. Luckily, no fruit or sweetener had been added, and to tell the truth, it was a quite satisfactory accompaniment to the rest of my meal. The laughter as I chewed was quite enjoyable as well. I usually end with a bit of fruit and plain yogurt and my decaf coffee, so a perfectly delicious meal was enjoyed after all. And sharing the story with my friend Carol later brought us both some lightness to an otherwise discouraging few days. Laughter really is the best medicine (remember “The Car Boys”) when genuinely shared.

My second confession about a food item is that I went grocery shopping yesterday mostly for my staples such as fiber cereal and apples, but while I was there I found a honeydew melon on what I call “the rotten rack” but is just reduced price produce or items with a close sell-by date. I do love a bargain, and the fresh melon would be a change up for my dessert menu. Well, here’s the strange story of that melon. I distinctly remember paying for it, and my slip shows that I did. And I vaguely remember having it in the bag of groceries that I put in the car. But somewhere between the store and my driveway, that melon got loose. Or that’s what I thought as I scoured the car to retrieve it. So far no evidence of an errant melon has surfaced. I’ll give another look now that the rain has stopped, but I fear that it never made into the car at all. We all love a mystery, don’t we?

And now on to the real mystery of our time: The fact that women are losing ground everywhere. Not only dancing backwards in high heels (still) but barely holding onto the gains we have struggled so hard to attain. Today’s paper indicates a drop in women executives for the first time in the years we have been inching our way into the boardrooms. And don’t get me started on reproductive rights (which may actually be the saving grace for the coming election so that’s a plus in my book). Meanwhile, serendipitously rising to the top of my reading pile this week was the Fall 2012 issue of Ms. Magazine celebrating what was then their 40th anniversary. The Wonder Woman cover has women holding up signs that say “Stop the War on Women” and “2012 Vote As If Your Life Depends On It.” Can we just say deja vu all over again? Somewhere in my house I believe I have a copy of every Ms. Magazine since its founding. And with Gloria still hanging tough, we will not let feminism die on our watch. Powered by that extra oatmeal, I’m still in the fight.