Tuesday, June 7, 2011

I Still Want a Set of Ginsu Knives

Apparently I've been remiss in providing my faithful followers with their periodic news of the Life of Joe.  My family's asked when the next post will be up, my neighbors have wondered - but it wasn't till I was stopped in the grocery store and accosted by a blog-addict suffering thru the DTs that I realized just how long it's been since I've posted.  So here it is - your latest Dose of Joe.

In one of my earlier blogs I wrote about the fantastic meals that Betty was cooking for me.  Well, I am proud to say that, due to circumstances beyond my control, *I* am now the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.  True, it helps that grilling season is here, but it's nothing for me to come home from work and whip up a quick chicken picata for Ryann and I.   And even Betty was impressed with my gluten, dairy, egg, soy, sugar-free banana bread (if you ask real nice I just might give you the recipe). 

I've always joked that I would like to go to culinary school just so I could learn to use knives like the guys at a Japanese steak house, but now I realize that the simple joy of combining fresh, healthy ingredients and creating a fantastically delicious meal is completely energizing in itself. 

I make a dish - and then critique it afterwards, deciding that the next time I make it I should add a bit more spice, a bit less broth.  I find traditional recipes and figure out how to make them healthy for me - and am thrilled when my version rivals that of the original.

My relationship with food has never been particularly emotional.  Food's just been as a source of fuel - I was a skinny kid who ate everything and anything in an effort to gain weight and that mindset of 'food is energy' stuck with me most of my adult life.

Until now.  Because of my MS (and because of the MS Recovery Diet) my food relationship is more mature; I go to Whole Foods and see aisles full of health, full of hope, full of the promise for a fantastically bright future for Ryann and I. 

Every meal I make, every banana bread I pull from the oven, every bowl of cereal with almond milk (unsweetened, of course) - it's all just moving my body forward on the path to recovery.  The better I am to my body, the better it is to me.

Do I "miss" any foods I no longer eat?  Nope.  Well, maybe just one: Choward's Violet Mints.  And for those of you who know you want to know how my recovery is going: slow and steady.  I can't measure my progress in terms of days or even weeks but I can tell you that I feel better than I have in years.  My energy, my stamina, my tolerance - it's all there.  Life is good.

"Life's what you make it, can't escape it."
                                                     TALK TALK

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for your new Blog. We are happy to hear

    you and Ryann are doing so well. Missed you.

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  2. Thank YOU so much for the quote from
    TALK TALK... I am a huge fan of Mark Hollis and the band! Also, I appreciate that beautiful puzzle piece that was made in honor of my son! That was so touching Joe! Love the blog!

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  3. Getting real in the whole foods parking lot DAWG!

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