….bacon. Who doesn’t love bacon? Yeah, I’m sure there are some that don’t, but being the baby boomers that we are – it’s almost a part of our American heritage. myDarlin’ Robert Kenui Pope and I were right there with the rest of you…. Bacon cheeseburgers, bacon for breakfast, BLTs, potato salad with bacon, bacon bits, deviled eggs with bacon…… and the best ever was meatloaf wrapped in bacon.
As tasty as it is, we also know that bacon isn’t good for you. In January of 2013, Robert & I embarked upon a diet to lose some excess pounds in preparation for Jessie & Sky’s wedding in Hawaii. Bacon was one of the first items to go as it is also very high in calories, but Sunday’s were ‘free days’ so there was the occasional bacon sighting on our plates.
After his miracle heart surgery last year, we soon learned that Robert suffered from hypertension and would have to watch his diet on an ongoing basis. It is a real eye opener once one starts reviewing nutritional labels for sodium. Needless to say favorites such as bacon, Spam and soy sauce were out on a permanent basis (not just the Hawaii diet), in addition to many other items. I used to call myDarlin’ as I was headed home from work to ask if he wanted me to pick up anything, and his response was invariably ‘a bacon cheeseburger’, to which I replied, ‘nice try!’
There are two days a year in which I believed that Robert should be able to eat anything he darned well pleased; his birthday and Father’s Day. On his birthday last October, I decided to surprise him and began to drive to a restaurant we had never been to before. He really thought that we were going to Taqueria del Sol when we turned onto Howell Mill Road, but I had something else in mind. As we turned into FLIP Burger, he almost flipped out! (pun intended) He had heard about this wonderful venue, but we had never ventured there before. Imagine his surprise when Becca & Chelle also joined us and when we also told him he could have anything he wanted on the menu. He really did think he was in heaven at that very moment.
One of the birthday gifts the girls gave to him was a sign that says, ‘I love you more than Bacon’ which was so appropriate! Bacon became a regular theme in our conversation as he was always seeking an ‘OK’ from me to have some, knowing that I wouldn’t give in. This Father’s Day found us back at FLIP Burger with an ecstatic Robert ready to order his bacon cheeseburger. We joked about this twice a year celebration of bacon, as he savored every last bite… We snapped pix of Robert with the girls, us and yes, his bacon cheeseburger…. Such a wonderful memory.
Today I am filled with gratitude as I remember myDarlin’ and how he approached a new limitation in his life with laughter and a glass half full attitude. When we are no longer able to enjoy something or someone that we've had in our lives, how will we approach our everyday life? Will we lament what is lost, or celebrate what was and apply the resulting joy going forward?
What is your bacon?
#KeepLookingUp
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