​Enjoying the Sweetness of Life by Pennie Hunt

Pennie's Grandfather - "Gramp"

I remember looking at the jungle gym of chains that hung over the hospital bed. My grandfather would roll his wheelchair next to the bed, reach up to grab the triangle handles and using only his arms to lift himself out of the chair, swing back and forth until he landed in the middle of the bed. The handles would continue to swing the chains after he released them making a clanking sound until the chains and my grandfather rested in silence.

In photographs my grandfather was a vibrant man dressed in overalls standing next to his prized horses. He loved horses. I vaguely remember the pony he had for us grandchildren. He would put us in a small wagon and the pony would run in circles around the property as we giggled and squealed with delight. I struggle to remember this version of my grandfather.

I am not sure when it began, but diabetes attacked him. First, a toe was removed, and eventually, he became a double amputee. Most of my memories are of this grandfather. The one in the wheelchair with the jungle gym over his bed. The one that was not supposed to eat sugar but would occasionally wheel his chair to the kitchen and sneak Oreos from the cookie jar – only to be scolded by my grandmother.

The words sugar and diabetes were overused in my life as I grew up. Because of this, I was raised on artificial sweeteners. We never had candy in our house. But I craved sugar. I am a girl who believes ice cream should be a food group. I believe everyone has an addiction and for me it is sugar. I am not sure if it was because I rarely had it or if the artificial sweeteners made my brain want more of the real stuff.

As with everything in life, it seems the studies and recommendations change over time. Artificial sweeteners used to be a miracle. You could have the taste of sugar without the side effects. Then we were told the chemicals in artificial sweeteners are dangerous. Stevia became the natural answer -until it wasn’t.

Sugar is bad so we lessen it. Artificial sweeteners are bad, so we avoid them. So how do we enjoy the sweetness of life?

Maybe the answer ​I​s in the way we live. If we were in a constant feeling of joy and happiness, we may lose the appreciation for the feeling of happiness. If we are on a constant sugar high, we may not notice the sweetness of a cookie – we just eat it. I have gone through long periods of not eating sugar- zero, nothing, not one taste. And, I have gone through times of bingeing to excess. I will say neither situation makes me feel great.

I remember watching my grandfather eat a forbidden Oreo.​ The joy on his face. I understand the danger of too much sugar. I can appreciate the natural sweetness of an apple. I also believe that the occasional taste of ice cream satisfies a sweet craving. It teaches me to enjoy the special taste of sweetness as a luxurious treat.

I have lived through joyful times that filled my heart. I have suffered the deepest tragedies, which made those joyful times even sweeter. It is in the up and down, the ebb and flow, the balancing of life that we realize and feel the difficult times and appreciate the good times. It is noticing the small, sweet moments in life that make us appreciate the joy.
This is how we enjoy the sweetness that life has to offer.
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                                                  Pennie’s Life Lesson:
      Appreciate the balance of life and enjoy the sweetness of each moment.
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YOUR TURN...        
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