Do You Want it to Taste Good, Or Do You Want it to WORK?

Today I had a nearly perfect hour. I put on some Christmas music, sat down on the couch, and watched my girls dance. Decked out in full tinkerbell regalia, I was serenaded by two prima ballerinas who were delighted by nothing more than an audience of mommy. The pace of life often feels so frantic that those moments don’t come nearly as often as I’d like.

I am beginning to feel better, but I have a horrendous cough—the kind where it feels like you have done 200 sit-ups because your abdominal muscles have had such a workout. This is another way to work on your abs!

Do you know what my helper brought me? (As I mentioned last time, her promised “dish” to cure me?) She was right—it was spicy and sour and sweet and salty, all at the same time. It was ginger—straight-up, raw, peeled ginger. This is a common Chinese spice, and I like the flavor of it, mixed within a whole dish. But have you ever tasted it on its own? If you’ve ever bit into a piece of it, you surely spit it out! Wasn't she sweet to want to help me, though?

Can I make a confession? When my helper brought a whole large jar full of them, I knew I needed to eat at least one… For 30 minutes I belabored over one 3 inch slice as she told me of all its healing properties. I got about 2/3 of the way through it, and then I couldn’t take it anymore. I flushed it down the toilet. How’s that for cultural sensitivity?

Amazingly though, while I was eating it, I wasn’t coughing. There must be something to it. But I just can’t stomach it. So all day long, I have been sipping hot honey lemon water. It tastes a whole lot better. I just doesn’t work.