Life has many paths, and I’ve discovered traveling any of them takes a lot of energy.
For years, I’ve tried convincing wife Martha, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, of the value of an apple fritter, at least for me. We’ve had this argument — or rather discussion — and I’ve tried to prove that an apple fritter is a fruit. After all, an apple is a fruit, and shouldn’t we be eating fruit?
On the other side of the dining table, Martha gets energy from eating broccoli. I don’t even like pronouncing the name, let alone seeing it on the table.
But for her, broccoli is the queen of all vegetables. (Yuck) I argue that I’m a fruit guy, but she misuses that phrase and calls me a fruity guy.
For me, apple fritter provide the energy I need to build up my attitude of excitement in life. Nothing does that better than apple fritters.
She argues that because of my health condition, my food has to be sugar-free. I don’t know who came up with that idea, but a sugar-free menu certainly is not appealing.
“Don’t you know,” she’ll explain, “that there’s sugar in apple fritters? And you need to be on a sugar-free diet.”
After years of debate, I finally thought of a solution. I talked to the baker where I get most of my apple fritters and we both came to an amicable agreement.
I asked him how much sugar was in an apple fritter, and he told me. I asked if he could make the sugar free instead of paying for it. After all, if all the sugar is free, then according to her, it’s OK for me to eat.
I tried explaining to her that sugar is always free whenever I buy an apple fritter, so technically speaking, the apple fritters I purchase at my bakery are sugar-free.
How to be simpler than that is beyond my resources. She didn’t accept that argument and seriously said, “That’s not what I’m talking about. The sugar in that apple fritter is dangerous to your health.”
Controlling my diet at my age is very important. I’m not as young or skinny as I once was. I understand that and realize I can’t eat like I’m 18.
But sometimes, I need to enjoy something that will nourish my current enthusiasm. Several things come to my mind, but first is an apple fritter.
I’m not sure who invented the apple fritter, but I’d like to meet them someday, shake their hand, and thank them.
Martha and I will celebrate our 54th wedding anniversary in August. Amazingly, our only disagreement during this time has been the apple fritter/broccoli controversy. That’s a remarkable accomplishment, especially in the day we live.
So, if I gave up apple fritters, we’d have no disagreements. What kind of life would that be?
While thinking about this a favorite verse of Scripture came to mind.
“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” — Amos 3: 3
It’s not so much what you don’t agree on but rather on what you agree on. That’s what brings people together.
Dr. Snyder is a former pastor who lives with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, wife Martha, in Ocala, Fla. His email is [email protected].
