 |
| Ewww |
When I was growing up, one of the rules of the house was
that we had to at least try a spoonful of everything that was on the dinner
table. The saying that usually followed this was, “You never know when your
taste buds are going to change.” I’d look down at the cooked spinach on my
plate, which always resembled regurgitated grass, and know beyond a doubt that
my taste buds would never change enough for me to eat spinach.
And it hasn’t.
However, it has for other things. Corned Beef Hash is
another one of those dishes I dreaded as a child, but enjoy it now that I am
older, unlike the spinach that looked like it had already been eaten once. Corn
Chowder, Potato Soup, and Great Northern Beans are more examples. Black Eyed
Peas–the vegetable, not the musical group–can be added to that list, as well.
My stomach churned when I saw them sitting on the table. I knew I was going to
go to bed wishing we had ordered pizza, instead, and would definitely be
needing a bedtime snack. My taste buds triggered my gag reflex when I was
younger as I forced these dishes past my palette. I couldn’t wash the taste
away fast enough.
Yet, Mom was right–please don’t tell her I said that–and my
taste buds didn’t change as much as they matured. I may be wrong in that
analogy, but that’s how I see it. When I was a child, I wanted hot dogs, pizza,
ice cream, and macaroni and cheese–the good stuff. Those other dishes my mother
kept trying to force upon me were what I classified as adult fare, not really
suitable for consumption by a child. I still like hot dogs and pizza; ice
cream, too, when the girls allow me to have it. Yet, my taste buds have grown
up. Now, I can not only stomach those meals, but I actually enjoy them. I even
request them on occasion.
I have come to realize that my mother’s rule about food
applies to other things in life, as well.
Events that would have bored me to an early grave when I was younger
have grown on me as I have, well, grown older. Furthermore, my tastes in
clothing, furniture, and hairstyles have changed. Parents who try to dress as
their children need a reality check. It’s okay to feel young and act young, but
not childish. Or if you’re still stuck in your teenage years three decades
later, it’s time for you to grow up and move on.
The same is true with friendships. When we’re younger most
of our relationships are shallow. We’re not old enough to understand depth and
so we talk without thinking, play our practical jokes and sometimes bounce from
clique to clique until we fit in somewhere. Or at least until we are not the
low man on the social totem pole.
But then we grow up.
We expect and even demand more out of our friendships and relationships.
We want depth of personality and trust. We still want to go out and kick up
some dust, but there needs to be more than just Beer Pong and wet T-shirts. We
want honest communication, a sharing of thoughts, ideas. Our taste buds have
matured and we want the friendships that come with being adults. The person who
is always the class clown has become dull. The constant partier is tiresome.
There has to come a time where we grow up and assume the mantle of adulthood
and all of its responsibilities.
That doesn’t mean become boring and sluggish. Life is to
have zest and I still enjoy those nights out drinking and dancing. I’m also
great at the practical joke. Yet, I enjoy the other dishes on the adult
table–career, family, investing in the future. I can turn away the dishes that
do not appeal to me without guilt or regret, because there is plenty that I do
enjoy that are good for me. My taste buds have come alive to what life has to
offer that I didn’t even know existed when I was a child. I’ve learned not to
turn my nose up at things I’ve never tried before and even those things I have
attempted before but didn’t particularly care for. As Mom said, “You never know
when your taste buds will change.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Did you enjoy what you read? Leave me a comment and then join me at The Mess that Is Me on Facebook!
See what you've missed ~ Summer Zones are now in Progress
Thanks for visiting The Mess! Keep chasing your dreams!
Pick up a copy of one of my books today!
No comments:
Post a Comment