I was watching my granddaughter and thinking about the peace that overcomes a child’s face as they feed. The concentration they have on a mother or that bottle is something else. And then when they really start with food it’s looking at that spoonful of bananas or another type of mush that they become fixated on.

I like the smile that comes to their faces after each bite when they first start to eat food as I saw her do for the first time. You can see the mind just exploding with different sensations from the taste buds. And in watching some of my friends eat after the steaks come off the grill I can see we never lose that enthusiasm for eating.

Watching a child learn to eat new things will never get old for me. It reminded me of my own children when I was watching my granddaughter eat spoonfuls of mush the other day. I see and intensity and focus. I see the enjoyment and as the third spoonful misses its mark a bit because of her excitement I see her discovering my favorite phrase “food fight”.

Speaking of feeding, twice this week I have gotten food to go and both times it’s been incomplete. I think I’ll eat at home for the rest of the week. As Joe Pesci said in one of the Lethal Weapon movies “you always get F’ed going through the drive-thru.”

Anyway, back to eating in an enjoyable sense. We all enjoy a meal. Some more than others. Some foods, more than others. Sometimes its the timing of meals. Other times its who you have shared a special meal with at a special time in life. 

For instance the first steamed Chesapeake Bay crabs of the season. Or the first harvest of that Maryland sweet corn. The last snowball on the last warm day of the year before the snowball stand closes for the season.

Maybe that steak off the grill while it’s snowing outside. And yes we do that because we like grilled steaks. Whatever it is and where ever you are I’m sure there are seasons of food and specialties.

There are times when its the company or topic of conversation or special feelings. The meal with friends that descends on unending laughter so hard that you hurt when you go home and the next day you talk and say that was a great meal together.

Or maybe that 1st or whatever number meal together with your better half, that you both realized you were in love. Or the time you felt so comfortable to eat ribs or corn or crabs in front of them.

There’s the meal that you just feel so relaxed afterward from a conversation with a half a century old friend about life, where we are now and where we would like to go.

And how can I leave out the importance of a meal with a child after they have grown into adults and have started their own families and have their busy professional and social lives? That one on one time over a meal and place you enjoy meeting and talking in. Wow, those are great.

And tonight is Sunday. And my better half has always made the best feast. Well, its almost dinner (feeding) time so off I go.

Random Thoughts of the Day

• I wonder if “get over it” will replace “forget about it” in the mob dictionary.
• Brought a smile to a brother-in-law today with a framed photo.
• Sorry about the 2-day break from posting. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to or didn’t start a few posts, just didn’t finish any ideas. Then again when does my rambling complete an idea?
• I’m also feeling that I haven’t been interacting as much as I should with the blogs I follow and have yet to discover. My reading time has been cut in half recently. Time to correct.