spiritual life

I should have eaten more cheese

JOY journal

“The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” Willie Nelson, American musician

Not long before my bodily self went utterly lactose intolerant, I stood in a market in Pittsburgh’s Strip District and eyed an aged cheese hanging from the ceiling by lovely twists of rope.

Sigh.

We were already loaded up with walnuts and dried spices and leftover Thai food from lunch. It was more than enough to carry given the fact we weren’t in our car. We were travelling by light rail, pleased with ourselves as parents for teaching our small-city-bred children how to use mass transit with style.

(We had very little style, in truth. Unable to buy passes in advance and not familiar with the city, we got so confused as to how to actually pay for the light rail the conductor let us ride gratis — both ways.)

Anyway, I stood and looked at that cheese with longing. I even tasted a small shaving from the plate of samples that was resting below it. It was wonderful. A pungent white cheddar that was everything, absolutely everything cheese is supposed to be.

But, deciding to stay light on my feet and heavy of wallet, I walked away. Without buying so much as a crumb. “I’ll get some another time,” I thought. Another time never came. Within days, I developed a lactose intolerance so sudden and severe I was convinced I had appendicitis.

Sigh.

At least I learned a lesson. Whenever I am faced with a choice of whether to make the leap, have the adventure or simply take the time — excluding the soul-destroying stuff, of course — I try to remember that day. I don’t always leap, adventure or take — but I do contemplate the temporal nature of, well, cheese.

I have to. Sometimes now is all there is.

Published by JOY journal

After a long career writing for local newspapers — and, on rare occasions, for publications such as The Washington Post — Nora's word life is now focused on blogging and occasional writing projects of special interest. Also the author of several books, Nora lives in Appalachia with her husband and a goodish dog named Finn, who is delighted whenever the family's two adult daughters are home from college.

21 thoughts on “I should have eaten more cheese”

  7. it always seems to me when you “can have sample” but when you look at the price tag…you walk on by. Some time later you are still savouring that taster…(this of course food) but often there are other delights, you’ve always wanted. It took me well over year to buy a new sewing machine, I kept thinking the other one could be fixed…I’m still learning to use a modern computerized machine, but it’s so much more enjoyable than the old fiddly one…

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    1. Happy sewing!! It is so funny how we put off doing things that are within the realm of doing. Right now, I need to replace my everyday winter coat and I’ve been dragging my feet because I like my old one even though the trim is getting tattered! Maybe I’ll get a cape for myself (from my husband…) for Christmas. 🙂

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