LET'S EAT DESSERT FIRST!

This phrase has been used many times. Some dieticians believe if we eat dessert first, we won't eat so much of the entire meal. Therefore, a person can lose weight using this method. This pretty much astounded me, because sugar is the main cause for adding pounds.

But let's not go there.

I Googled the question, "Should we eat dessert first?" I found no true answers except "Life is short--enjoy the good things first."

At first glance, this doesn't seem like the greatest idea in the world, and a little depressing, but I believe the phrase does carry a deeper meaning. That meaning is probably different to each person.

How do you feel about this concept?
 

Consider this: In elementary school, what did we do as soon as we got to school? We sure didn't have recess first. Our teachers placed us in our rows of desks, and we began working right away. After a couple of hours of toiling over numbers or letters, we were rewarded with recess. Suppose we had recess at the beginning of each day? Then, we'd have nothing to look forward to except school work.

My dear sister-in-law lives in an assisted living facility. When she sits down to eat, if the dessert is beside her plate she'll push the plate back and move the dessert forward. Nurses have the tendency to say, "No, no, eat your meal first." Her family replies, "What's the harm? Let her do what she wants to." I love this attitude for the elderly. Let her eat dessert first.

A lady I know in town said they eat dessert first when they eat out. The reason--just to enjoy a treat first--a little present for themselves. When we eat out, the waiter/waitress always asks at the end of the meal: "Did you save room for dessert?" No, never. However, I have eaten lunch out with friends, and instead of that standard salad or soup or sandwich, I only have dessert. Why not?

I wonder, as busy as we all are, if we stick to the same mundane routine day after day we will soon become burned out. Why not close the computer, get a bowl of ice cream or a cup of hot chocolate, kick back in your recliner and read a book?

Why not treat yourself once in a while? My generation--certainly not Generation X, because mine goes back just a little bit further--was taught to do chores before playing. We had to dress and make our beds before coming to the breakfast table. We had to dry the dishes before playing.

Now that I'm older, I don't feel guilty when I let something go. In my late twenties, I worked on a four-year degree while being a wife and a mommy. During the day at school, my mind was only on classes because I knew my children were cared for or in school, too. When I arrived home with books and study assignments, those were put aside. My children, my husband, and the housework came first. At night, when everyone else went to bed, I sat at the dining room table in our small West Texas house, spread my books and papers out, and worked and studied, often until two or three am. I had to. There was simply no time to treat myself. During this time, my husband worked two jobs, often sixteen hours a day. Of course, he had little downtime, too, but he could go to sleep at a decent hour.

At this moment thirty minutes before lunch, a pie I baked this morning sits on the stove. It's a buttermilk/coconut pie, and the smell of the sugar, vanilla, and toasted coconut is driving me crazy. We'll have a snack of peanut butter and crackers and a banana. But first, I'll cut a thin slice of that pie and eat it right there at the stove. I cannot resist.

Anyway, I have learned very well how to kick back and make myself happy. Really, I'm very good at it.

Do you ever eat dessert first? Or just have dessert for lunch? Try it if you haven't--it won't hurt you.

And your day may be just a little brighter.




Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas
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