My dad loves to talk to people — family, his friends, my friends, the pastor at his church, the guy on the train next to him, the check-out girl at the supermarket, the Chinese exchange student in the class he is auditing and on and on. He is genuinely interested in the ideas and perspectives of each of these folks.
When I was a pre-teen, I found this SO embarrassing. I was convinced that the only proper response when the waitress asked how you were doing was “fine”, so when my dad would actually start to tell her how our day was, I rolled my eyes and wanted to hide under my napkin.
Fast forward to last Saturday: The cashier Whole Foods asked how my day was. I responded, “It’s going really well. I just got a haircut at a new place. The guy did a great job. I feel sort of glamorous.” Pause. “But actually I am just going home to cook and go to bed so it is kind of a waste he spent all that time styling my hair. And you know, sometimes I am just going to the gym afterwards, then I feel really bad because it’s just going to get all sweaty. But usually it for the best because I don’t always like how they do it anyhow. Like when they flip my hair underneath. I don’t really like it. It’s so cutesy — and I like to think of myself as a little more edgy.”
Truly. I said all that to the poor girl ringing up my groceries. So much for “Fine”. I have clearly inherited at least a little of my dad’s chattiness. And perhaps developed a tendency towards over-sharing.
I hope today’s post isn’t a manifestation of that same tendency — but I really want to share some posts and articles I have read during the past week that I adored. I’ve listed them in order of their relationship to paleo eating. The further down the list you go, the more tangential the relationship. I thought they were all delightful and a few of them moved me.
10 Critical Issues the Paleo Community Must Address on Livin’ La Vida Low Carb. This post takes a stab at summarizing all the controversies percolating in paleo-land. Generally, I prefer to eat my meat and veggies and not get my heart rate up over the points of paleo contention – but I do like to know to what the sticking points are for more widespread adoption of the paleo lifestyle.
Food Fascism and the 80/20 on Chris Kresser. This is an old post which you may have read if you have poked around the paleosphere for a while. But I came across it last week and I read it again. Each time I get to the end, I want to stand up and shout, “Bravo!”
The Book of Love on Gluten Free Girl and the Chef. This is the blog of a well-respected gluten-free blogger. Lately, she has granted herself permission to write on any topics dear to her – which has been a gift to all of us. I treasured every word of this lovely story of attending an old friend’s wedding. This post captures everything I love about weddings.
Too Late, or Too Early? On 5 Second Rule. A darling, amusing post from Cheryl Sternman Rule. If you like to drool over marvelous writing, lovely pictures and inspired recipes click through and read this – and every other post she has ever written.
How to Blog: My Rules On Dinner: A Love Story. If you write a blog, read this post start to finish. And if you don’t have a blog, read it anyhow. There are many wise lessons that can be applied to the rest of life. My favorite? Lesson 7: Don’t Not Write Because Someone Else Has Done it Better. Substitute “write” for anything else you want to do – and you’ll have a guideline for expanding your world.
Names and Stuffing/Dressing on Domestic Diva, M.D. This non-paleo recipe blog consistently offers some of the most amusing stories. The author is in medical school (I have NO idea how she has time to blog and cook) and she pulls snippets from her life together for our amusement.
The Race Grows Sweeter Near Its Final Lap in The New York Times. I’m a sucker for any stories about cool old ladies. Cool old ladies who run and write and love life – I want to be that lady.