As you may already know, I’m a little crazy when it comes to eating healthy snacks. I’m always prepared with a high-protein snack in the most desperate of circumstances. Once, my friend Kate and I got shut in waiting for a tornado to pass—luckily my purse was fully stocked. When the fresh snow peas were gone, I pulled out the dry-roasted wasabi edamame. When our faces were burning off, we polished off the dried cherries and toasted almonds. Thankfully, the tornado passed and we were able to grab some dinner. Admittedly, I was a little nervous that I had depleted my snack arsenal and hoped I would be able to restock before the next big storm of life. Rarely do I plow through my entire snack pile in one afternoon.
As I sat in the car on a chilly morning with the sun soaking in the windows, I listened to my new Bangladeshi friend tell a weary tale of her current life struggles. She sat next to me, also enjoying the warm sun, and explained in her stilted English that she was ready to give up on her circumstances. She likened her struggle to a marathon. She said, “My knees hurt. I am tired and I am hungry and thirsty. I want to stop running.” Though her English was slow, her imagery was so clearly understood.
I felt the weight of her story and the weariness in her voice. As was our usual pattern at that point, we prayed. When I closed my eyes, I imagined a 5K race. I pictured the moment I took the wrong turn during one 5K and ended up on the 10K route. I wanted to give up. That’s when I recognized one of the water volunteers, a friend of mine. She cheered me on by name and gave me a cold cup of water. It was just what I needed to keep going.
With that image in my head I prayed for my friend. I prayed that God would give her a splash of water, a cheer, and a high-protein snack, so that she could persevere in her life-marathon. I closed out my petition on her behalf and she looked up with a big smile and a glimmer in her eye. She declared with joy, “You are my high-energy snack!”
I lifted both arms in a victory cheer. What a great compliment! I love great snacks that keep people going in unexpected or dire circumstances. I’m grateful for the snacks that have gotten me through and kept my attitude cheery till the next meal. I love being the one prepared with such a snack at just the right moment. It may not be the snack of choice, but it always packs a nutritional punch. And now my friend was likening me to such a snack. Her comment fed my soul, because she understood the way I’m wired both in the physical and spiritual realm.
Three cheers for a healthy snack!
the crazy edamommy 