Life Experiences Add Up

Life’s Too Short

How many times have we all heard this in our lifetimes? The phrase is like a broken record – the perfect thing to say when justifying anything we do. Go for it – Life is Too Short! It works for me – it’s a phrase that I reiterate when I want to justify something I’m doing, especially when it is something that I really do not have time for. However, I don’t think I ever truly live by it.

I was at my nieces wedding a few weeks ago in New Hampshire, and I found myself looking around the room at all the young couples and wedding party guests, thinking – How did I get here? Wasn’t that just me yesterday with babies, toddlers, worrying about buy a house, discussing play dates with my kids and dealing with all the issues of that age? Didn’t I just get married and go to friends weddings and feel so lucky I was young and alive and had my whole life in front of me? Am I actually 50 and having discussions that I heard my parents having…health…retirement….

This post makes me think of the quote by character Andy Bernard on the series finale of the office:

“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”

That’s how I feel about “Life’s Too Short” in a nutshell – when I heard that quote I about jumped off the couch. By the time you get the “Life’s Too Short” philosophy it is, in fact, too short. Back when I was raising kids this fact could have come in handy. I was in the good old days and I was too busy to notice it. As I age, I really get the importance of that comment.

I wish I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours” ~ Bernard Bereson

What to do about this?

Enjoy yourself. It’s later than you think. ~Chinese Proverb
Spend the afternoon. You can’t take it with you. ~Annie Dillard
Be happy while you’re living, for you are a long time dead. ~Scottish Proverb
To change one’s life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions. ~William James

Aging

I had LASIK a week ago and typical me, after 4 days I expected to see perfectly. I had no idea that there would be issues for a few weeks while you wait for your eyes to heal (it’s been a little over two weeks and I am actually thrilled with the results). As I sat in the eye doctors office for my 4-day LASIK follow up in a panic, the doctor assured me that it takes time for the eyes to heal, especially given my age. She compared me to someone younger and said that twenty-somethings heal in 24 hours – she can hardly get them to come back for a recheck. She assured me my eyes will get there but just not as quick as the youngsters because with age comes lower tear production levels, and moist eyes are the key in facilitating healing. To determine the moisture level in my eyes, the doctor gave me the “Schirmer’s Test “. This involves inserting paper strips into the eye for several minutes to measure the production of tears. Named for Otto Schirmer, a German ophthalmologist , Schirmer’s test determines whether the eye produces enough tears to keep it moist. A normal result is ≥15 mm wetting of the paper after 5 minutes, and mine was ≥5 mm which is considered moderate to severe. The culprit in my case? • Aging – strike one

As I felt slighted that I was no longer in my twenties and could spontaneously bounce back from LASIK, it brought me back to a comment I heard from my orthopedic surgeon. I was struck by a car as a pedestrian at age 24 and landed in the hospital with a broken pelvis, hip, and compressed vertebrate in my back. The surgeon on call that night told me I was very fortunate to be young because at an older age, my injuries would be life threatening and recovery would be difficult. Researchers have known for 30 years that aging interferes with fracture healing. The skeleton loses the ability to repair itself as we age due to a decrease of “cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2)”, an enzyme that drives stem cells to differentiate into cartilage and then matures into bone. Once again, aging depletes the COX-2 levels. • Aging – Strike Two

A young woman stopped by our office last week – she is part of the auditing staff that we use on a yearly basis. She had the smartest, cutest hair cut that was enviable but definitely something that would not look the same on me. As I have gotten older my hair does not lay as straight as it used to or look nearly as healthy. With age comes low melanin (pigment) production which also means low oil production. This results in coarser hair. • Aging – strike three

Three strikes you’re out so I must give in to my age bracket. This is an interesting place to be in life – a place where our age starts to affect our physical condition. Aging might place physical restrictions on our bodies, but I have come to believe that it is also a catalyst towards emotional and behavioral growth.

THE SUNNYSIDE OF AGING

Yes – there is a upswing to this aging process. The benefits this list provides to mental health is the positive side of what can seem like a scary place to be in life.

•Age allows you to manage emotions better – in other words, don’t sweat the small stuff.

•Negative emotions such as sadness, anger and fear can become less pronounced than in our drama-filled younger years.

•Happiness improves with age – you just know what you want.

•Parts of our brain work better. In areas as diverse as vocabulary and inductive reasoning, our brains function better than they did in our 20s.

•Tranquility – enjoying the moment more

•Acceptance of what you cannot control

•Willingness to be wrong

•Increased appreciation and gratitude

•The love of family becomes even more pronounced as we realize that life is but a blink of an eye.

“He who is of a calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition, youth and age are equally a burden.” Plato (427-346 B.C.)

St. Patrick’s Day

A few weeks ago I was out to dinner with my husband at our favorite local haunt and the place was all geared up for St. Patrick’s Day. There were decorations everywhere, Celtic music playing and we ordered from a wonderful Irish menu. The atmosphere was so festive and fun that I realized as I have gotten older, I tend to shy away from St. Patrick’s Day. It generally falls during the week, I have to work, I no longer party like I used to, blah blah blah. I have been kind of a scrooge about it. Having St. Patrick’s Day on a Sunday this year might just be the ticket to celebrating the event in a low key style, given that Monday is a work day. The theme of the party would be easy to pull off with all the Irish food and drink that goes with the holiday. So, once I got home, I emailed my friends the details of my first St. Patrick’s Day party –

…drop by anytime after 4 pm on St. Patrick’s Day for some Irish Fare – Guinness, Jamison, Irish Stew, and Corned Beef and Cabbage.

WHAT DO I WEAR?This is generally my dilemma with anything I do. I decided to wear green every day until St. Patrick’s Day which equaled nine days. It was a struggle but I found nine shirts that I really liked and wore one each day – it got me in the St. Patty’s Day mood. Why do we wear green on St. Patrick’s Day? One reason is because the Catholic side of Ireland is identified with green, and St. Patrick is a Catholic Saint credited with converting the island to Christianity. The Protestants are identified with orange, and are often called “Orangemen,” The clashes in Ireland between the Catholics and Protestants are often clashes of the green and the orange. So green it is for me.

DECOR
Setting the tone for a party helps me build anticipation for the event. Decorations are a must so imagine my excitement when I came home from work to find my husband setting up shamrock lights outside. I guess you can purchase just about anything these days. Now instead of candy canes lighting my front walk like I had for Christmas, I have shamrocks.

FOOD
As the week progressed I realized that I had hit on a good idea because I not only got RSVP’s, but comments such as “I’m researching Irish food to see what I can bring.” I planned on making corned beef and cabbage (a first for me) and Irish Stew – the rest of the items on the menu were generously provided by friends.

MENU
Irish Stew
Corned beef and cabbage
Irish Soda Bread
Irish Cheese
Irish Car Bomb Brownies

STOCKPILINGNow for the shopping. I began with the alcohol. I am definitely into specialty beers and the Irish have some good brews. I purchased a fifth of Jameson Irish Whiskey, a case of Guinness, a case of Smithwicks, a case of Harp and 12 bottles of A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ (not Irish but so good). The feature of Guinness that makes it so special is the burnt flavour that comes from the roasted unmalted barley. Smithwicks is a clear beer with a rich ruby colour and a creamy head. Harp is a lighter lager that has a distinctive refreshing taste and is brewed by Guinness LLC. A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale is brewed right here in the good old United States by the Lagunitas Brewing Company in California. It’s not Irish, but it ranks up there as one of the best pale ale’s I have ever had. Jameson, a traditional single distillery Irish whiskey, contains a combination of malted barley with unmalted or “green” barley distilled in a pot still. I am not a whiskey drinker, but those who are, love Jameson.

After the alcohol purchase, I headed off to Sunset Foods, a locally owned grocery store chain that has every specialty item available, and loaded up on all the ingredients for Corned Beef and Cabbage and Irish Stew. I found both of the recipes on Allrecipes.com. If you have never visited Allrecipes, you really should. You can find pretty much any recipe you desire. Each recipe has a 1 – 5 star rating system and contains really good reviews from users. It’s extremely helpful, especially when making something new. I always choose 5-star recipes as that is the highest rating – you can’t go wrong.

CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE
3 pounds corned beef brisket with spice packet
10 small red potatoes
5 carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces
1 large head cabbage, cut into small wedges

I boiled three 3-pound corned beef brisket roasts in three separate pots, adding the spice packet that came with each brisket. This took approximately 50 minutes per pound which came to 2 1/2 hours. At the 2 hour mark, I removed the corned beef, sliced it along the grain, and placed it on a cookie sheet and covered with a glaze. This way I was free to boil the veggies. To make the glaze, I combined on the stove until smooth and poured over the brisket:

1/3 cup brown sugar
2 t. butter
2 t. prepared mustard
1/3 cup ketchup
3 T. apple cider vinegar

I placed the corned beef in the oven for 40 minutes at 350. I added the veggies to the water to cook – the potatoes and carrots first and then, about 25 minutes later, the cabbage. The result was a tasty twist on corned beef. I served the brisket with a side sauce consisting of a mixture of horseradish, apple cider vinegar and sour cream.

IRISH STEW
For the Irish Stew, I prepared the following ingredients and I doubled it – not the best idea since I ended up with enough leftovers for a single family of Irish Catholics – which is equal to the army of a small country. I browned 2 pounds of stew beef in olive oil with flour, salt and pepper and then put the beef and remaining ingredients in the crock pot along with:

1 large onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into large chunks (optional)
4 cups water, or as needed
3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
1 cup coarsely chopped leeks
chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

IRISH SODA BREAD AND CHEESE
Guests brought Irish Cheese and Irish Soda Bread. Carefully aged and hand-selected, Ballyshannon cheese is a flavorful Irish cheddar made with pure, creamy fresh milk. The beauty of Irish cheese is that most Irish farmers follow the traditional farming practices of their ancestors, allowing their herds to graze freely outdoors on green pastures for most of the year. The result is a cheese that is so delicious. Irish Soda Bread is a variety of quick bread traditionally in which baking soda is used as a leavening agent instead of yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, bread soda, salt, and buttermilk. The result is a wonderful chewy bread – this bread contained raisins.

IRISH CAR BOMB BROWNIES (recipe guest blogger Kim Seebach)I loved making the brownies – they were easy, quick and the result was a perfect bite size brownie. I used a dark chocolate brownie mix.

Mix as directed on box, except substitute twice as much Guinness for the water. The recipe I used called for 1/4 cup water so I added 1/2 cup Guinness.

Spoon/pour into mini muffin pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 325. This makes 20 brownies. Cool for a few minutes. Transfer to cooling rack placed over a baking sheet (to catch drips). Spoon a little leftover Guinness over the top of each brownie.

Mix 1-1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon Baileys and 1 tablespoon Irish whiskey. I used 2 tablespoons of Baileys instead of the whiskey. I needed to add an additional 1 tablespoon of water to get right consistency. Add a few drops of green food coloring. Drizzle over the brownies.

LESSONS FROM THE DAY
About sixteen people came for some Irish fun. The corned beef cooks down quite a bit, so 9 pounds for 16 people was just about perfect. The little extras made the food spread work – the Irish Cheese and the Soda Bread. Again, there was too much Irish Stew but leftovers always come in handy. All in all, it was a successful party. Note to self for next year – make sure you have plenty of beads!

–ERIN GO BRAGH!