Being fully vaccinated with the Pfizer covid vaccine, I’ve stopped wearing my face mask to the pool. My friends there all are going maskless too.
There has been a noticeable change. We all smile when we see each other. We have longer conversations. And we all seem to be a bit more relaxed.
It also helps that the pool’s side walls are all opened up now to let in the outdoor air and sunshine. It makes such a HUGE difference in my mood that I find it shocking.
We’ve had a few days of rain lately but have strung together weeks of warm, sunny weather. I love it!
The sunnier it is, the more energy I seem to have.
I’ve been thinking a lot about food and memories lately. All my memories of great meals seem to be memories of great meals with others.
- Cookouts with friends in high school.
- Sharing bananas and peanut butter when we cut school that day and took a day trip to Lynn Run State Park.
- Chicken Campignole and fried zucchini on Friday night dates at DeLallo’s with Ellen.
- Watching a Blockbuster VHS Movie and eating handfuls of microwave popcorn on a Saturday night with Ellen and the kids.
- Dining on Cobb salad and homemade potato chips on the outdoor patio of Relish Cafe in Raleigh with Ellen (and Snickers under the table) on a warm summer evening.
- Burgers at Burgify accompanied by 3 hours of laughter with a group of friends in Pittsburgh when I came up for a work trip.
- Teaberry Ice Cream and French fries with Aunt Es and my sister Jen after an evening of miniature golf at Heisler’s Dairy Farm 45 years ago.
- Chowing down on a Grande Pizza, “thick and chewy” style, with my family in the summer of ’74.
I don’t miss eating the way you might think. You might think I miss the taste of foods I no longer eat. I don’t.
You might think I miss the variety in my diet. Not anymore.
I’ve gotten used to the carnivore diet and what’s more, I’ve gotten really accustomed to feeling fantastic nearly 100% of the time which is directly related to not eating sh*t food and not eating food that causes adverse reactions in me (no matter how good it tastes).
Now though, I find myself thinking abut how many memories I have around food and wonder when that will change.
When I quit drinking in 2004, I had many great memories of times when I was pleasantly buzzed to quite drunk because that was how I spent every night for about 10 years. Some of those memories I still cherish today. But I have no longing to drink either.