When I was a kid my sister Myra had a pet gerbil. I think his name was Midnight Star. (Hey, we didn't have ponies or horses so our cool names had to go to rodents instead.) Midnight (for short) was black, cute and fuzzy, and Myra loved him.
As kids getting a treat made us feel really special. Many of my good childhood memories revolve around food, and food became a sign of affection in my mind. When my parents were in a good mood, there were "junk runs" to the grocery store to buy something either salty or sweet, or if we were lucky and they couldn't decide...both. For me anyway, getting a treat was like getting a big hug and an I LOVE You!
Myra loved that gerbil. She would feed him little treats. Treats a gerbil is not really supposed to be eating. Things like candy canes, chocolate and etc. Well...Midnight started to get a little bit paunchy. It was okay because that just made him round and cute and chubby. Then he stopped running on his exercise wheel. One day he just died. Mom and Dad figured that Myra had fed him to death. He got so fat he didn't want to exercise and he just up and died.
Midnight has been on my mind lately. Because I learned that food=love as a child, I enjoy feeding my family. It makes me feel like I am expressing my love for them if I bake them something special, or buy them a treat, or make their favorite meal. I REALLY love my husband. I'm always buying things like peanut butter cups, ice cream and M&Ms. I enjoy making foods he will love, which aren't always the healthiest. Like Midnight, both my husband and I have gotten a little paunchy. It doesn't really make us cuter like it did for Midnight, but it does make us chubby. We often don't feel like exercising...
So the thought has been going through my head...What if I am feeding my husband to death? What if one day he has a heart attack or something, and the Doctors ask me what his diet is like? The thought of it has been worrying me a lot lately. So what shows more love for him? Feeding him the things we both love to eat? Or feeding him things that will extend his life? I'm not saying I will totally give up the special treats and such, but perhaps they will be more special if they don't happen every day. Maybe there is a better way for me to show my family that I love them.
I feel that I at least have to try...