Monday, March 28, 2011

IT JUST MAKES SENSE


Not long ago, I was having lunch at an Italian restaurant with a group of my peers. This restaurant had a Wednesday lunch special with all you could eat soup, salad and fresh hot bread.  This is what we all swore was a light lunch because there were no main courses involved.  There were four of us, and we were discussing all the things that women of our age discuss; weight gain, diets, recipes, surgeries and other maladies, husbands, children and grandchildren.
 
Jacqueline had decided that she was 25 lbs. overweight because of her grandchildren. “Yes”, she said.  “I’ve gained this weight because the grandchildren come over here at least once a week, and they always want me to bake, and of course I bake extra for Rick and myself.”   She captured the waiter’s attention.  “Could we please have some more butter?”

Karina chimed in that she had gained 30 extra Lbs. over the past 3 years sitting at a desk.  “Ladies, that’s ten lbs. a year!”   It was a demanding, thankless job.  Someone always brought donuts or breakfast burritos in the mornings, and everyone eats out at lunchtime. The workload was grueling, and by the time she got home, she was hungry, and  too tired to work out.  “Bogart always has dinner ready for me when I get home….usually something fast, and sometimes ordered out, like pizza or fried chicken.  I’ll be retiring in three years, and I’ll start working out then.”  Well, I guess it makes sense, to wait until you’re finished putting it all on.
 
We all ruminated on that a bit, while eating our diet lunch of soup, salad and bread.  The waiter brought out a basket of freshly baked bread to replace the empty bread basket. “Could we please have more of the olive oil for the bread and 4 more soups?”  Georgina asked.  “And we could probably use a little more salad.” 

“You know”, continued Georgina, “It’s a damn shame that we have to age this way….I mean look at how much weight we put on!  And, it’s so hard to take off.”  “Harlan just doesn’t seem to understand that we cannot continue to eat like pigs….especially at night. He insists on a bowl of ice cream every night…..And, of course, he knows I simply cannot resist having a little ice cream as well.  And, he doesn’t even gain an ounce! No wonder I’ve gained 35 lbs.!”  It just makes sense, doesn’t it?

It’s so true! Year after year, and holiday after holiday, our husbands, children and grandchildren demand that we cook all of the seasonal delights.  Our jobs donate sedentary assignments and projects that hobble us to our desks.  We fall into a routine that’s really hard to change.  Even the dog gets fat with us.

I finally had to add my two cents worth.  “You know, girls, I think we’re all in the same boat.  The older we get, the easier we gain weight, and the harder it is to take off the extra weight.  I’ve been thinking about this for a while now.  We are definitely less active and our metabolisms have slowed down dramatically….waaayyy down.  I think there must be a perfectly good reason for this extra weight. Girls, I’m pretty sure we’ve gained all this extra weight over the years to fill in all the wrinkles.  Y’all don’t laugh!  I’m serious about this!”  Georgina almost choked and laughed her wine through her nose.  Karina laughed so hard that she had to excuse herself to the bathroom, and Jacqueline fanned herself wildly…..”Stop it!  I’ll wet myself!”

After two solid hours of soup, salad and bread, there was usually only room enough for the four of us to share a dessert.  The favorite of which was the frosted, nut filled brownie pie a la mode.  To be honest, one person could not (should not) eat one alone.  I said, “I don’t know what I’d do without you girls to help me through this on Wednesdays.  Honestly, this dessert is just really to die for!  Dig in, ya’ll!”  With that, we all grabbed our spoons and started in on the chocolate delight; and it all started to make sense.  After all, we had some wrinkles to fill in.