This week my day is starting out with a cold, steel cut oatmeal “parfait”.  Let me say, I am not a fan of oatmeal…. I am a cream of wheat kind of gal.  I can even do the instant cream of wheat …in the microwave.  Used to eat it every morning for breakfast.  It is kind of a comfort food – my mother used to make it for me when I was a little girl.  But oatmeal… not so much.

However – I was willing to try this “new way” with oatmeal and have gotten several suggestions from both Pinterest and friends.  I ended up with these famous steel cut oats, chia seeds, greek yogurt, milk and honey. Then I added fresh fruit… set them in the fridge.  Here is the good news… I have NOTHING to do in the morning to get breakfast, except to stir!  Here is the bad news… while the flavor is ok, the texture is a bit weird.  Like masticating paper – or maybe cardboard.  And that takes some chewing. And re-chewing.

So I attempt to get a wonderful piece of fruit in each bite.

Something sweet, or tart, depending on the fruit of the day.  And that little piece of fruit gets me through the chewing. And the next piece of fruit helps with the next spoonful of oatmeal. And the next, and the next….

The problem is, and you know what it is before I tell you, there is NEVER enough fruit.

Some part of this healthy addition to my day has to be eaten fruitless.  Without the savory flavor of a raspberry or strawberry or even a blueberry.  Some part of it is just oatmeal. And for some reason, that doesn’t feel like enough.

Isn’t that just how life is?

I mean, really? Don’t we want a “flair of fruit” in everything that we do and experience?  Don’t we want to “stir” life up a bit and make sure that we evenly dispense the “fruit” in our lives so that it graces every “bite” that we consume?  Isn’t it true, that we really get tired of “chewing” on the cardboard of the oatmeal of life? And that the everyday just never feels like enough?

Everydayness can get tedious.

We tend to get into the pattern of get up – get going- get busy- get exhausted- get in bed.  And the next day we do it all over again. And again. And again.  Whose fault is that?  Ours. It really is.  Yes, I understand that there are life things that dictate direction and tasks, but it is up to us to decide if we are going to allow ourselves to be handled by that monotony. We can keep our eyes open for a small piece of fruit each day and enjoy the fun that brings into the schedule. And we can find satisfaction and contentment in the nutrition of what seems to be the bland cardboard oatmeal.

And yet, there will always come a time when we run out of fruit. Where we need to find that the oatmeal is the part that is filling. The part that has tons of nutrients (not that the fruit isn’t good for you-but you will be starving quickly if you only had the fruit), and it is the part that sustains us.  And that the oatmeal, without the thrill of the fruit, needs to be enough.

So we need to be diligent with the oatmeal in our life.  The everyday, the constant sustenance, the things that over the long run fill us up, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Welcome the fruit, stir it around a bit, and savor the sweetness and the tartness. Remember how it tastes, how it makes you feel and how it changes the oatmeal. You have to have the oatmeal.  Without the oatmeal, we would be weak, hungry and we would have never “chewed through” the issues life gives us. Never, never give up the oatmeal. And savor the fruit.

What is the oatmeal in your life that gives you the nutrition and sustenance that you need to get to tomorrow?  What is the oatmeal in your life that fills you up and allows you to enjoy the small splashes of fruit?  We need to know the answers to those questions – so if you don’t know them… go looking for them.