S-L-O-W!!!!

Ok – as I get older, I will reluctantly admit that I am moving slower. Let’s just say that the mind is willing but the body is in age revolt. I used to be able to take care of a family of 11, including cats. In one day I cooked, cleaned, washed, grocery shopped, and car pooled.

Now with the family grown up and living in their own houses, I don’t have to do any of my old jobs. Much of the time, I write or babysit and when I need a meal, it is just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Right now I don’t have to do a lot of different jobs, so I can pick and choose whatever I want to. I do babysit and in between that job, I help out at my daughter’s catering kitchen. I’m not quite sure I am much help because sometimes I get my assigned jobs done on time. At other times, I move and I work like an old turtle. I amaze myself as to how slow I move and do my work.

So, I wasn’t surprised at the outcome the last time I was helping out in the kitchen. I came in and was ready to work. I finished both of my assigned jobs…cutting up red pepper, green peppers, and a purple onion to make tortellini skewers. Then I skewered the 5 dozen pieces of chicken for chicken satay.

I stopped occasionally to sample the freshly baked goods – a cupcake, a bagel, and a sweet roll. That seems to be the perks for working in the kitchen; a delicious perk, indeed!

Maybe it was all those delicious samples that I ate but my output started to slow down, as I tackled my next job – cutting ciabatta bread for small sandwiches, along with the mini buns for 65 sandwiches. I assembled four different varieties of sandwiches. After two hours, my daughter looked at me, told me that I was S-L-O-W, and that I was done and could go home.

I was a bit miffed but I left. Yeah, I was slow because I wasn’t feeling 100% like myself and I was nursing a cough due to allergies or asthma. Yeah, I was S-L-O-W because, just because all those samples of pastries and bread S-L-O-W-E-D me down. Then again maybe age has something to do with it. With age comes being wise and a little bit of being S-L-O-W.