Junk Food and Friends

What I am thankful for this week: Beth Amsbary.

Even though we haven’t chatted in eons, I’ve been thinking of Beth lately because I’ve been recovering from a cold, and coughing a lot.

It’s not the coughing itself that makes me think of her (I don’t associate Beth and phlegm), but because of a piece of folk wisdom* she passed down to me on how to heal from coughing quicker.

And so I think of Beth when I’m hacking out a lung (not breaking a rib, Janet!).

The real reason I’m thankful for Beth, specifically, is the type of friend she represents.

See, Beth and I come from two very different traditions in how we look at life. We could (and did) discuss anything, including the taboo topics of religion and politics.

Here's the key: while we often disagreed, I don’t think we ever fought. We actually discussed; and as a result, I learned a lot.

Let me give you an example in a field more contentious than religion or politics: junk food.

Beth is one of those people that eats healthy, and focuses on natural foods.

I’m the sort that has a second bowl of Cap’n Crunch because I consider the Crunchberries to be a fruit and therefore requiring several servings a day.

For a long while, Beth was trying to get me to consider shopping at Trader Joes, and trying some of the snacks and foods she found there that had more nutritional value than a Dorito/Pop-Tart diet. (But can’t she see that Pop Tarts are fortified?!)

Beth eventually won, not by an intellectual argument or emotional appeal.

She won through action.

On my birthday, I found a present on my desk from Beth: a bag full of groceries. From Trader Joes.

Free food, I will eat; so I sampled many treats. And got a little hooked.

So for garlic hummus and pita chips, chocolate blueberries and Pirate’s Booty, frozen brown rice and turkey meatballs: Beth, I thank you.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

* Here’s the folk wisdom, even though it has nothing to do with the heart of this post: When you cough, it is generally because your body is trying to eject something, or because your throat is irritated. When you are post-cold, and still coughing, the body isn’t trying to get rid of anything, so chances are your throat is irritated.

And chances are your throat is irritated because you are coughing so much. So to stop coughing, you need to, well, stop coughing. So spend a day focusing on resisting coughing, and you get better quicker.