After our very cold photo shoot that didn’t last as long as normal, Julie & I decided to go to the local pizza place for lunch. What a pleasure to walk into a warm restaurant filled with wonderful scents that tickle our very cold noses. The photo above is the pizza baking oven – the pizzas have to be good.
We ordered the BLT pizza and it was so good I took J there for a date night a few days later. What a simple pleasure to eat good pizza across from the man I have loved for over 50 years.
When I started this post an old memory was triggered – back when I was working in a Juvenile Diversion program. This was over 35 years ago but I still think about my experience taking a teen to a restaurant for a reward. Janet and I had made a contract that if she went to school for 4 weeks, I would take her out for Coke and french fries. We each kept our end of the bargain.
I think I remember it now because I chose a pizza joint down the road that didn’t have as much atmosphere, as much class, as our Friday Photo Shoot pizza place. It was a basic, small mom & pop establishment. I thought she would feel comfortable there. We walked in, sat down, and she became all flustered. She didn’t know what to do with the silverware wrapped in a paper napkin; she didn’t know how to order when the waitress approached the table. She told me she had only eaten at McDonald’s and wasn’t use to someplace so fancy.
This memory has stayed with me all these years because it illustrates how those of us who are privileged take for granted our simple pleasures of life. It is hard for us to get inside the shoes of those who have a lot less. I grew up without any frills and never remember going out to eat, but my parents acted as if we were middle class. In spite of pretty humble beginnings, I was able to attend two years of college before I got married. In the process I must have forgotten what it was like to not have. It surprised me that she was uncomfortable in a place that I felt was pretty common. I became uncomfortable with my not-quite-upper-middle-class status and I hope I never lose that discomfort. I wish I could do something to shrink the disparity between me and those who have so little. Giving donations to charitable organizations that help the poor just isn’t enough.
I want everyone to be able to enjoy the simple pleasure of sitting down in a restaurant for good pizza after having fun outdoors on a cold December day.
A New Day: Living Life Almost Gracefully 
You made us all want pizza, or at least to visit a warm restaurant on a freezing cold day. Thanks for the reminder not to take these privileges for granted. Wise words.
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My pleasure, Kathy. Your dot on the map can be pretty snowy and cold so I wish you many warm inviting places.
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You are a wonderful person Pat! 🙂
{HUGS}
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Ahhh, the hugs feel so good. Thanks and feel them back.
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I so adore your blog and would like to nominate you for the The Sisterhood of the World and Word Press Family Blog Awards! I hope you decide to participate and enjoy this award. Thanks for being in my blogsphere! Click to see award: http://wp.me/p3ZTqs-lj
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I saw the pingback and checked it out. Thank you so much, Cee. I am honored and really appreciate your friendship.
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Pingback: The Sisterhood of the World and Word Press Family Blog Awards | Cee's Photography
Memories can keep us grounded Pat in some ways I think . It’s nice to REALLY know the pleasure of simple things, and not get above ourselves . Share as much as we can in life … so often just being there as a good listener for someone to talk to is enough to make a difference .
BTW Yummy looking Pizza 🙂
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Such good words to hear today. Thank you for your thoughtful comment. When I think back on my life, it was the people who listened who made a difference in my life, not the ones who gave advise. Thanks for listening. 🙂
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A lovely and thoughtful post. Pat. The pizza looks so delicious. 🙂
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Wish you could meet me for lunch.
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Me too, Pat. 🙂
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All I want for Christmas is to eat a pizza from that oven
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Okay, consider it on the agenda!
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A grand wish for all, Pat. And you’re right. It’s good to have our bubble of expectation pricked, however unconscious it may be. The sharing of wholesome simple food is such a life enhancing activity – satisfying on all levels. ‘Fancy’ dining too often leaves you under-nourished in all the same senses.
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Great observation, Tish. Your comment about fancy dining pushed my thinking a little deeper on this issue. The income disparity is an important issue for me.
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It’s a tough disparity to deal with, because like you said, throwing money at it isn’t enough. I’m grateful to enjoy such simple pleasures as well, and would like to share them with others, too.
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Thanks for the comment, and especially for understand.
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That pizza looks delicious! What a great memory. It really is a great illustration of how we take simple things for granted.
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Thanks for coming to share my pizza. It was great.
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