BulgingButtons

September 5, 2013
by BulgingButtons 9 Comments

Daily Prompt: Imagine All the People

The next time you’re in a public place — a coffeehouse, a park, a store — observe the people around you. Pick a person, a couple, or a group, and imagine what their lives might be like.

This is today’s daily prompt, and it was a perfect fit for me, as I found myself playing this little game just this morning. Today was unusual because I was able to have breakfast at Starbucks with my son. We had enough time to calmly sit down and have a conversation over our outrageously priced meal. Aside from the guilt involved and the nearly broken toes from his enormous feet stepping on them, it was very pleasant.

This was a new location for us, and we had fun taking in the scene. The woman in the orange dress was clearly on her way to work. She was wearing heels and make up and her hair was done. She was on a mission to get in and out of there as quickly as possible. I imagined that her entire life was similar to that snapshot. She seemed no nonsense and on the move. The thing that got me though, was that her stride and overall appearance seemed very loose. It was as though her skeletal structure was made of noodles. She sort of oozed. She didn’t seem unfit or overweight, just kind of wobbly. It was like her joints needed a bit of tightening up. I wondered if she was always in a hurry, and I wondered if she had someone to go home to at night.

I also wondered about the three gentlemen. First there was one. He was sipping coffee and reading a newspaper. A real one, made from actual paper. After a while, the second gentleman joined him. They greeted each other warmly and began to chat. A few minutes later, the third gentleman arrived. He pulled up a chair and again greetings were exchanged. I imagined these gentlemen had once worked as businessmen or accountants or sales reps or insurance agents. I imagined that they put kids though college, bought their wives necklaces for Christmas, and took trips every summer. I imagined that they once hosted barbecues in their neatly maintained backyards, and enjoyed the occasional round of golf. Sometimes their wives would drag them to plays or antique stores, but usually the weekends were free for sports and mowing the lawn.

The three gentlemen looked happy to see each other. They were obviously old companions. I wondered if any of them still had their wives. Were they divorced? Widowed? Did these gentlemen live alone? I think they did. Did they still own those houses with the backyard barbecues? Or had they downsized? Maybe they lived in condos where someone else would take care of the landscaping. Maybe they would have loved to go to a play or poke around in an antique store. How well did they know each other, anyway? Did they know each other’s kids?

They reminded me how important it is to have connections in my life. I wanted to share this little gem of wisdom with my fifteen year old, but at his age there’s really no need. I just hope that as he grows up, he maintains those connections with others, and spends time to nuture his real life relationships with flesh and blood people.

September 4, 2013
by BulgingButtons 8 Comments

The Devil, Karma, and Frito Pie

You know those little angel and devil guys from the cartoons? The ones that sit on your shoulders? Well I think I have a pair of them hanging around me lately. Not only do I think I have them, I think they’re sparring like crazy. Recently it seems like when I do something positive, there’s something negative right on its heels. Maybe life is usually like that, but I’m just noticing it more, or maybe something is afoot in the cosmos.

Let me give you an example. The other day I did a favor for someone that involved a fair amount of time and effort. It wasn’t difficult, and I didn’t really mind doing it, but it did take a chunk of time that I would have rather spent doing something else. Regardless, I did it and was kind of patting myself on the back about what a nice person I was when I discovered, hours later, that I left my phone behind. Damn. It was nobody’s fault but my own. It took another hour to remedy the situation. Again, it wasn’t difficult, but it took time and effort. It made me think of the phrase, “no good deed goes unpunished.” Which I don’t even believe!

It got me to thinking. Is the universe attempting to achieve some sort of balance, or is it just me being an idiot?

The same has been true for my approach to diet and exercise lately. I’ve been doing my workouts with enthusiasm and gradually increasing their intensity. This is a good thing. I’ve also upped my intake of fresh fruits, and gotten in the habit of taking all my meds when they’re due. I used to forget doses, but I’ve changed the way I accomplish this task, and the new method has proven successful. I know what you’re thinking. So, what’s the problem? Well, it’s just that I can’t quite work out my portion control or say no to the delicious dinners my sweetheart has prepared. Recently we’ve enjoyed meatloaf, a shrimp boil, spaghetti, and fried chicken. It’s all delicious, and I’m truly grateful that he cooks. The thing is, though, that it’s so good that I have trouble limiting my intake of these wonderful foods.

And then there was the Frito Pie.

Have you heard of this? I hadn’t. And no, it’s not made of Frito’s and pie, just so you know. The recipe is simple:

1. Frito’s

2. Canned Chili

3. Cheese

Heat the chili, pour over the Frito’s, and top with as much cheese as you can grate. O. M. G. Yeah, it was that good.

Seriously, this girl does NOT need Frito Pie in her life. At all. Ever. (So says the angel on the shoulder) But, DANG, it was so yummy (the devil is enthusiastically nodding and grinning).

Maybe this whole plus minus thing is all the universe’s way of reaching for balance. I can respect that, but right now I need to shake off that devil and challenge the status quo.

September 3, 2013
by BulgingButtons 3 Comments

Feeling a Little Less Wobbly

Remember that scene in Shallow Hal where Rosemary ends up on the floor of the ice cream shop because her chair breaks? You don’t? You didn’t see it? That’s ok. Rosemary is extremely obese, but Hal can’t see it because he’s under a spell that allows him to see people through the lens of their inner beauty. In other words, he sees Gwyneth Paltrow while the rest of the world sees her in a fat suit. While they are on a date, her chair gives way and she ends up on the floor. It’s a common fat person nightmare.

It’s a nightmare that until yesterday I was in danger of living. You see, we had these extremely cheap-o chairs around our kitchen table. They were the Swedish assemble it yourself and save type, and they served us well for about a year. After that, they started to wobble. All of them, not just mine. Tightening screws didn’t seem to help, so we got used to sitting in chairs that were a little wonky. Then one morning about two weeks ago, it happened. Mine shifted. It was like an amusement park ride, only it wasn’t amusing. All of a sudden I started listing to one side. My cat like reflexes steadied me, but I was shaken. A screw had broken, and the whole thing now resembled something Salvador Dali might have designed.

Now the good news is that there are three of us who use chairs in our household and four chairs. A shift was made, and we carried on. However, I couldn’t get the image of Rosemary on the floor out of my mind. It was only a matter of time with these wonky chairs. I was just too much for them.

Yesterday I decided that enough was enough. My errands took me to a warehouse store, where they had exactly what I wanted. They were sturdy, inexpensive, and similar in style to the old chairs. We brought them home, set them up, and I’ve been sitting pretty ever since. One less fat person thing to worry about. Now I can comfortably sit at the kitchen table and catch up on my work that I’ve put aside in favor of blogging. What a relief.