Aging is a physical adventure. Simply waking up in pain without having done anything too strenuous or different the day before reminds me I’m middle aged.
My newest pain indicator started occurring about 30 minutes after lunch. My usual routine was an hourlong noontime yoga class followed by lunch with a glass of red wine and a piece of chocolate. In this case, a Hersheys Kiss, either the classic silver-foiled kisses or the fancy gold-foiled kisses that enclosed an almond. I’d mixed both types in a bag, which I kept in the refrigerator. I’d just reach into the bag and let mathematical probability choose which kiss I had to accompany my last sips of wine.
Seemingly overnight, one of my favorite desserts, chocolate and wine, rallied knee pain. As soon as I made the association, I looked it up and confirmed that sugar could trigger inflammation.
Now, I’ve hit another age milestone: no excessive sugar. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean I can’t indulge my sweet tooth, just not overly sweet things. After all, there’s always dark chocolate!
But not all dietary changes have been for the worse. In my mid 30s, I discovered I loved eating steamed or baked broccoli, which no longer had to be smothered in cheese. And don’t get me started with baked Brussel sprouts. I can only say that maturity caused that vegetable to taste delicious.
On the other hand, there are many nonfood related things I’ve stopped doing. Take rollercoasters for example. No, seriously take all the rollercoasters. I’ve got no use for them anymore. At first, on the advice of one of my older sisters, I first stopped riding rollercoasters with wooden tracks because they shook too much. Eventually, even metal-tracked rollercoasters were out as well.
Around the time I made the association between too much sugar and knee pain, I received an invitation to a wine and dessert happy hour. I packed up my gold- and silver-foiled kisses to share. En route to the party, I was stopped at a traffic light when a man approached my car, asking for money. Even prior to the pandemic, I didn’t believe in giving money to panhandlers, preferring to give them food or water. Yet, since the pandemic, I’ve not taken out cash. These days, businesses emphasize contactless payment.
I reached into my bag of chocolates, grabbed a handful of kisses and handed them to him. As I drove away, I wasn’t sure how much of a treat he considered my donation, but he thanked me for it nonetheless.
As soon as reached my destination, I hugged everyone, bypassing those outstretched hands, which were meant for a handshake. I didn’t care whether I’d previously met them or not. We were in a safe space and not merely in terms of COVID. I poured the kisses into a container where all the other desserts were.
We had a very entertaining and productive networking happy hour. Upon reflection, that was was the first time I’d ever brought both hugs and kisses to an event.