Vegetables.

“Eat your vegetables!”  It’s the quintessential Mom line. 

Why is it that moms want kids to eat their vegetables?  What is so special about those magical green foods?  Well, of course, they’re good for you. 

Some of them are yummy.  I love asparagus.  And sweet potatoes, even though they are technically considered a carbohydrate.  I love zucchini, and tomatoes, and cucumbers, and broccoli, and yes, I know that biologically speaking, tomatoes are a fruit.  But they rarely make yummy desserts, so I lump them in with the vegetables.

So, yeah…there are some vegetables that I actually like and want to eat.  But there are also those times when I have to force myself to eat them.  Sometimes, I don’t want vegetables.  I happen to like cheeseburgers, and apple pies, and chocolate ice cream, and donuts—ooohhhh, donuts.  But sadly, I have to limit my intake of those delicious foods because my metabolism is not what it used to be, and sometimes, I’ll choose vegetables instead.  Even when I don’t want to.

You know…like when I have to force myself to sit down and work on my resume and job hunt, even though I still have so much anxiety about going back to work full time and finding childcare for my kids.  That right there is a heaping helping of vegetables.  Or when I really want to sit down and curl up with a great novel, but I realize that I haven’t touched my self-esteem workbook since last week’s counseling session, and I have to go back to counseling again tomorrow.  I don’t want to go back there without having done any of the work I was supposed to do.  That's a green salad with low-fat dressing.  Or when I would prefer to be chatting online with my friends or reading posts on Facebook, but I have to work instead.  Brussels sprouts, I say. 

The thing is, good health is the ultimate goal, so even though vegetables are not always appealing, they are always going to be good for me.  The resume is going to help me get a job that may actually help improve my self-esteem and hopefully my financial situation as well.  The counseling workbooks will help me to believe in my ability to build the life that I want for myself and my kids, and maybe even in the possibility of finding love again.  Those things are worth the effort of choking down the vegetables, but it doesn’t always make them taste good.

Tonight, for dinner?  Salad.  And maybe some tomatoes for dessert.

Even though I really want a cheeseburger and some homemade chocolate chip cookies.