most every morning...

... when I get up one of the things I do is go to the kitchen to get food. Even if I have to be at work at 5:00 a.m., and barely conscious at 4:15, I know I need to eat, put in some fuel to start the day. When I was still living at home, in my high school years, my mom demanded that I eat before going out the door. Not that I ever did what she wanted me to... you know how they are, right?

The nature of teenagers: what ever you tell them to do - they don't. She thought I needed a substantial meal in my person to head out for a day of using my brain.  All these years later, I will admit that I agree, believe it is true that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But then - not so much. Probably the standard, usual, obstreperous teenager, who was disagreeable on general principle.

Our compromise was drinking a sort-of milkshake. A semi-nutritious drink that was probably chugged as I charged out, combing my unruly hair, tucking my shirt tail into my skirt (long before the era of wearing pants/jeans to school), tugging up my socks. The company, Carnation Milk I think, that makes 'Instant Breakfast' packets you add to milk in the blender: Instant Nutrition! A brand-new, novelty item that had just come out as a highly touted, well advertised supplement. Pretty much the only option available for adding to milk other than Nestle Quik or the Carnation product that turned white milk into chocolate.

All this is a confession that results from my surprising realization that I am back to Square One.I make a shake/smoothie each morning before groggily making my departure for work at 4:45 a.m. It is not the original version, from long ago school daze (as well as not being loaded with sugar!) but I am cranking up the blender most mornings to churn together a drink that will keep me going until a lunch break around 11:00. Now it is a cup of Almond milk, a ripe banana, a scoop of oatmeal, a spoon full of powdered peanut butter protein and a bit of flax seed. I try to drink it before I leave the house, as I have discovered it turns into concrete if I leave the dirty blender container/canister in my car to sit all day. Which should make me wonder what goes on within my digestive tract when I consume my homemade version of smoothie.