My Life With Fast Food

As a child I rarely ate fast food. Home cooked meals are so much better. Happily I had an abundance of those growing up. Many of the dishes contained elk and deer meat my family had hunted. When I was old enough I also contributed to the stock in the freezer. The only time I can remember eating fast food was on extended road trips. Like when we visited Grandma. Her house was eight hours away in eastern Montana. My dad didn't like to stop for too long along the way. He wanted to get there as soon as possible. Fast food fit into that philosophy: get in and get out and maybe use the bathroom if you needed to. It wasn't until high school that I really started to eat fast food. Depending on what was available in the cafeteria dictated whether I ate fast food or not. Because cafeteria food came with the stigma of being in the cafeteria I found myself eating out more often than not. When I got my first car it made it even more likely; the greater range meant more food possibilities could be obtained. Even then it was just for lunch. I still had mom's cooking to go home to. After graduation I ate even less fast food. I moved into my friend's house who happened to be a chef. So if I did the dishes he would feed me. I also found that I liked to cook. So if I didn't want to do his dishes I fed myself. For work I brought a bagged lunch most of the time. Though I did indulge in the occasional frosty with fries. Fast food rarely factored into the equation at the time. When I joined the US Navy I never ate fast food. Having matured I no longer had a stigma for cafeterias and regularly enjoyed food at the galley. It wasn't until I got married and left the Navy that I once again found fast food.

Presently I try to avoid fast food. Besides the fact that I know it's not healthy for me; most of it doesn't taste very good. It's a fast paced world today. Which unfortunately means I have to partake of fast food sometimes. I find myself spending most of my food making time on my kids. Their nutritional needs come first for me. I would much rather they didn't munch on the unmentionables lurking in fast food. So if I only have enough time to make them something I'll tide myself over with fast food. Even though I would prefer anything else. I do like Popeyes and Chick-fil-A, while a frosty and fries still wouldn't be turned away from my stomach. That wraps up my fast food experience.

From Start to Finish

Your past is your foundation. It is not who you are but the mold from whence you came. For me it explains many things. Why I love the outdoors for one. I grew up in the mountains. Which means a host of dangerous activities were at my fingertips. From some of the more hair raising moments comes my fond appreciation of life. The final influence being that life is worth living well, if not boldly.

If the past is the bedrock then the present is the chisel that shapes you. Every day brings new experiences. For me many of those involve tiny people driving me crazy. Not literally of course, but anyone with kids can attest to the difficulties. I have a daughter who is starting kindergarten this year. Very exciting for her. I know because I hear about it incessantly. My boys will be two shortly. If you ever hear anyone proclaim that they want twins you should stop them there. I am subjecting myself to the rigors of college for a purpose. In part for those three little sets of eyes. In part for myself.

I want to see what the chisel can achieve. What masterpiece can be made out of my life. The end goal of all the tests is an engineering degree. I have always loved to tinker with things. Picturing myself taking apart in the creation of said things is easy for me. The future will hold much more than that for me. I am looking forward to the many surprises coming my way. When it's all over I hope I can look back and be as gracious about life as Don Corleone; without all the drama.

Honestly.......