Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

I have put into operation, beginning this week, my new life motto.  “Eat dessert first”.  This was not a lighthearted, fortuitous, fly-by-the-seat resolution to implement.  I have already gone through a phase that I did eat dessert first, in trepidation that I may not possess the stomach capacity at the end of the meal to enjoy what I really wanted.  By snarfling down the sweet stuff first, I was ensured instantaneous satisfaction and ecstasy.  I could be too distracted by the anticipation of others finishing their 4-course meals, that would drag on endlessly, and the hope they would have room for dessert, that I thought it just better to get what I really had come for… the oozing, creamy, chocolately concoctions that my heart skipped a beat (besides, you can tell much by the kind of desserts an establishment offers – if they are handmade exquisite works of art by their resident pastry chef or if they seem to be precut, frozen and slightly cardboard boxy tasting – will ultimately let you in on the quality and portions of the other “real food” goodies that are offered.  This theory, too, can be easily applied to people you encounter and desire information regarding their being and integrity.).

Besides the obvious meaning of “eat dessert first”, I have expanded my thinking and feel that it can be quite useful in ones approach to life and living.  Sometimes we get tangled up in the process so much we do not have time to enjoy the results.  Not that I am saying that the cork should be popped before any effort is put forth, but more of an “enjoy the fruits of the labor” along the way.  You know, “stop and smell the roses”, and take note of the exertion that is being put forth.  Life is good, and you are good at it – all we need to do is learn to take the time to enjoy living it.

When we start taking ourselves a bit too seriously, “eat dessert first”, becomes a useful justification to laugh.  Nobody will stay sedate in the eyes of a hot fudge sundae.  Think of all the possibilities if you share an Amaretto cheesecake with a business associate prior to negotiation and the main course.  Digging in to warm peanut butter cookies before the appetizers will bond a friendship and ditching a board meeting to head for an ice cream emporium as a replacement for the usual chicken and carb dinner is soothing to the soul.  And the occasional topsy-turvy dining day (start the day with dinner and end it in the evening with breakfast) will certainly spice up the doldrums of every day life in your household and the kids will think you have flipped your wig.  The raised eyebrows are worth their weight in gold, the laughter is priceless.

Take the challenge, start a trend, “eat dessert first”.  Rethink the whole “why we save ourselves for the good stuff at the end” theory.  To the best of my knowledge, there are no rules to break as to not eating your dessert first.  Go for it!  Live dangerously!  If you play your cards right you can have dessert last, too.

Cynthia A. McClelland, curious observer of the obvious with interpretations of the oddities of daily life.  Mother, wife and lover of the furry, resides in the north Lake Tahoe area.                      

Cynthia A. McClelland © 2003-