Digestible Friends

I hosted a big party the other day. One of those things you do when face with a choice of wallowing or celebrating. It was a big celebration – 65 people crammed into my little apartment – people from all corners of my life and I needed to get a lot of food. There was fruit, cheese, sushi, dolmas, samosas, lots of dips and then the inevitable chips, beer and cookies. In international and overflowing feast.

So it occurred to me as I looked at the food and at the people all enjoying each other then back at the food that the people in our life nourish us or fill us up with empty carbohydrates just like our meals. I saw a lot of healthy nourishing friends there – some basic proteins, a lot of raw veggies and some succulent peaches. Not a Happy Meal in sight, though there were several bags of organic non-gmo corn chips, a steady diet of whom would not be particularly healthy.

My people diet has become so much healthier. The carrots and beets were always there but I neglected them for the seductive chocolate ice cream and fried chicken. I no longer eat that kind of food and I’m spending less of my energy on that kind of person, though some can’t be avoided.

It leads me to wonder what kind of nourishment I offer to my friends. I hope I give them energy to sustain them and something sweet and salty to keep them interested as well. I hope above all that I am a healthy alternative and don’t leave them with a vague sense of malaise such as I experience with some (though fewer and fewer) people.

Okay, enough of the too- cute food analogy. Suffice it to say, I’m growing up and the people around me reflect that. Lucky, lucky me.