Dear Food

Dear Food: 

     So many songs have been written for you. To name a few: "Wind Beneath My Wings", where Bette Midler sings of her love of beans; "I Can't Live if Living is Without You", sung by Harry Nillson when he had to say good bye to gluten and dairy; "You Look Beautiful Tonight", Eric Clapton's homage to the chocolate-covered strawberry; and of course, the Beatles' "In My Life", where they sing of their love of many foods, but how they have loved bacon more.

     You have bewitched many throughout the centuries, and I have not been immune to your charms. I fell for you, hard. Memories of walking  along the beach with my hand caressing the warmth of your plump bun cause me to smile to myself. I picture you, darling homemade warm apple pie ala mode, as I lovingly cradle you on my fork. I devoured you, the ultimate act of love. 

     But I have broken up with you. Pastas, cream, cheeses, breads, ice cream, rice, baked desserts, pizza; you are all dead to me. You were beautiful in my life and will never be forgotten. I am not over you yet. Especially you, cheese. We can't keep acting as if we are friends with benefits. I hear you saying, "I can't quit you," and though I kept breaking up with you, your unearthly charms would eventually draw me back to you. But I am saying it again. We are no longer a couple. This time I mean it.

     I don't want to say goodbye. I truly love you. But you don't love me. Basically, you're just not that into me. And I have really been into you. I could live with that in the past, I could settle for being your mistress, always second best. However, that was before I received the gift of multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia. These reminded me that my life was up to me to live and my life was up to me to love. Food, you can no longer be king. You are medicine or poison. It is that simple. And, that hard. 

     Let me sing a few lines of some break up songs to you to let you know how serious I am. ""Bittersweet memories / that is all I'm taking with me. / So goodbye. Please don't cry. / We both know cheese is not what I need."(I Will Always Love You); "We could have had it all, / rolling in the cream sauce. / You had my heart inside of your hand / and you played it like a boss." (Rolling in the Deep); and, of course, "Go on now go, walk out the door, just turn around now, 'cause pizza's not welcome anymore. Weren't you the one, fettucine alfredo, who tried to hurt me with goodbye. Did you think I'd  eat berry crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die? Oh no, not I. I will survive. Oh as long as I know how to love vegetables, I know I will stay alive. I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give, and I'll survive." (I Will Survive)