Junk Blessings

Language oddities: why couldn't they make the word succinct a little bit shorter? And why does monosyllabic have five syllables?

But on to the subject for today. Yesterday I got one of those emails that shows pictures that compare differences between cultures. This one featured the weekly food intake of families from various nations around the world. Three of them, from second and third world nations, showed mainly fresh foods, vegetables, and rice. The one from Africa was quite sparse. So was the one from Nepal, come to think of it. Whoever started the pictures around ended with the quote, "Seeing these makes me count my blessings."

The picture from the American family shows pizza, chips, soda, and lots of other processed, convenient, and junk food. Is it any wonder we have a national weight problem if this is representative of our food? Is it a blessing to have an abundance of junk?

I tell people I'm not a health nut. I'm not. I smoke a pipe. I don't eat enough fresh veggies. But I have learned to listen to my body. I rarely drink soda, don't use salt and sugar in preparing food, don't buy canned fruit or vegetables, and stay away from things with high sugar content. I eat a lot of nuts, fresh and dried fruits, grains, and have a reasonable supper. The beef counter at the store suffers from my lack of patronage, but I will eat pork, chicken, turkey, or seafood a couple of times a week. While eating I only consume enough to feel satisfied, not full. I may have a burger and fries three or four times a year. I exercise enough to get sweaty several times a week, stuff like competitive ping pong or hiking at a good, sustained clip. I get regular sleep at regular times and refuse to let life issues keep me awake (when I go to bed I'm there to sleep, not to solve problems) (and though I never remember them, I always look forward to how bizarre dreams can be). I don't have to take medications for anything.

In the thirty years since high school I've gained ten pounds, and will attribute that to age.

Again, I'm no health nut. I don't demand that others do as I do. But when I'm raking leaves in the yard and see the overweight man a few houses up using his leaf blower it strikes me strange. He's driving up my health insurance rates. I don't care if his income trumps mine and he can believe he's more successful; he can't climb mountains like I do, and will likely take all kinds of medications way too early in life. Probability-wise he will die before me even though he's about ten years younger.

As a final thought, if everybody went to fast food restaurants as often as I do most of them would go out of business. Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing.