I love your critique of the ridiculous, but also overwhelming amount of "Wellness" news out in the world today. I remember when those articles said it was SO IMPORTANT to always wake up at the same time every day. The whole idea stressed me out because for my nursing work I had to be at the hospital at 7am, but I'm naturally a night owl so would stay up later and sleep later on days when I didn't work. That system was great for me, but articles were telling me it was BAD and I should change. I didn't change, and after awhile decided the whole idea was dumb. How can anyone tell everyone how to sleep, for goodness sake? Beyond saying that getting enough sleep is important, a fact that is well validated. Keep being a friendly curmudgeon, Mari. Hugs!!!!
I had not seen that particular article, but it fits right in with the rest of them. Why are they always trying to scare us away from perfectly normal things that work great for us? I really think the best response is to roll our eyes and think, There they go again!
That seems in keeping with my perception of your temperament: your superstition is positive, pro-active. I’m so glad you made those things happen for your kids.*
Being a negative person, my chief superstition, only exercised in relation to son (firstly) or spouse (secondarily, the power must be used sparingly, and only for the preservation of life, this is deep dangerous magic): if I’ve thought of (bad thing) in advance, it won’t happen. It makes bad thing that much more unlikely, nigh impossible.
Too bad about flossing. I thought it was going to prevent dementia 🫤.
A good thing about being born a natural Puritan, though not an actual one (more Baptist encampment and austere Presbyterian in my DNA) is a dislike of purchasing stuff and cluttering the counter up with labor-saving devices so all** bread kneading, batter mixing, chopping, pastry cutting, etc. is done manually. Thus grip strength is my best and only event.
*Kid amusing thing: I volunteered in the elementary school library all 6 years too, eventually becoming the librarian’s fill-in; and was perplexed at the not infrequent kid habit of returning a book to the shelf spine in, pages outward.
**Not quite true. I use an electric hand mixer to speedily whip cream. It is frugally old, though - harvest gold - and the beaters have never locked into place, so I grip them during operation with two fingers. Then I lick the beaters. Gluttony - or “not wasting”?
I love this comment so much and am convinced that if we lived in the same city we would be great friends! I, too, loathe cluttering the countertops. When we lived in NJ, seemingly everyone I knew was a Pampered Chef rep, and so I went to several parties, until I thought to myself, Wait—wouldn’t a good knife do everything these devices are supposed to do?
And as for cleaning the whipped cream from the beaters? Definitely not wasting! Frugality ftw!
I was invited to several of those pampered chef things too. One of several things where the moms were all trying to sell each other stuff. Some French sounding cosmetics. Beaded jewelry! Scrapbook supplies. DK books. At least with the pampered chef you got a little evening party and some hors d’oeuvres made using PC items.
I think I win the silliest pampered chef item contest - I always purchased something, to be polite - a box-like melba toast pan. Never tried to stuff it with dough or remove the product.
Well, my personal definition would prohibit giving a party in order to sell something to my guests! Ever!* - but we must live in the world as we find it, and I suppose a lot of people get enjoyment out of those multilevel marketing things. Even I enjoyed a little getting to see the fancy house of someone I only knew from Cub Scouts, or just getting out on a weekday evening, as I was much younger, and with much less money, than the other moms and thus had no social capital.
*I am even pretty close to Plantaganet Palliser’s view of winning money at games of chance - in the book it’s baccarat (“We do not need and do not take others’ money” is basically his reproof of his wife’s gaming, and the brilliant Trollope touch is that unbeknownst to herself, she has taken the last dime (sous?) of her ne’er-do-well true love, whom she was forced to give up to marry Palliser). So while inviting people over to sell them initial-stamped birthstone charm jewelry would be cringingly intolerable to me, I may if honest also be engaging in a bit of unearned social striving, trying to jump into a higher level at least in my own mind! It’s levels all the way down.
Also, if “going to the bathroom before leaving the house” is a bad way to flush one’s system, is going twice, then running back in to go one more time, worse?
I love your critique of the ridiculous, but also overwhelming amount of "Wellness" news out in the world today. I remember when those articles said it was SO IMPORTANT to always wake up at the same time every day. The whole idea stressed me out because for my nursing work I had to be at the hospital at 7am, but I'm naturally a night owl so would stay up later and sleep later on days when I didn't work. That system was great for me, but articles were telling me it was BAD and I should change. I didn't change, and after awhile decided the whole idea was dumb. How can anyone tell everyone how to sleep, for goodness sake? Beyond saying that getting enough sleep is important, a fact that is well validated. Keep being a friendly curmudgeon, Mari. Hugs!!!!
I had not seen that particular article, but it fits right in with the rest of them. Why are they always trying to scare us away from perfectly normal things that work great for us? I really think the best response is to roll our eyes and think, There they go again!
Heavy, heavy emphasis on "feel": "Superstitions help us feel in control."
I am with poet Stephen Crane:
"A man said to the universe:
“Sir, I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”
Wise man, that Stephen Crane!
If that cute little pony lived near me, I'd take any sighting as a sign of good things to come! Great post, as always, Mari.
Thanks! The next time I see Emo Pony, I will pet him for you!
That seems in keeping with my perception of your temperament: your superstition is positive, pro-active. I’m so glad you made those things happen for your kids.*
Being a negative person, my chief superstition, only exercised in relation to son (firstly) or spouse (secondarily, the power must be used sparingly, and only for the preservation of life, this is deep dangerous magic): if I’ve thought of (bad thing) in advance, it won’t happen. It makes bad thing that much more unlikely, nigh impossible.
Too bad about flossing. I thought it was going to prevent dementia 🫤.
A good thing about being born a natural Puritan, though not an actual one (more Baptist encampment and austere Presbyterian in my DNA) is a dislike of purchasing stuff and cluttering the counter up with labor-saving devices so all** bread kneading, batter mixing, chopping, pastry cutting, etc. is done manually. Thus grip strength is my best and only event.
*Kid amusing thing: I volunteered in the elementary school library all 6 years too, eventually becoming the librarian’s fill-in; and was perplexed at the not infrequent kid habit of returning a book to the shelf spine in, pages outward.
**Not quite true. I use an electric hand mixer to speedily whip cream. It is frugally old, though - harvest gold - and the beaters have never locked into place, so I grip them during operation with two fingers. Then I lick the beaters. Gluttony - or “not wasting”?
I love this comment so much and am convinced that if we lived in the same city we would be great friends! I, too, loathe cluttering the countertops. When we lived in NJ, seemingly everyone I knew was a Pampered Chef rep, and so I went to several parties, until I thought to myself, Wait—wouldn’t a good knife do everything these devices are supposed to do?
And as for cleaning the whipped cream from the beaters? Definitely not wasting! Frugality ftw!
I was invited to several of those pampered chef things too. One of several things where the moms were all trying to sell each other stuff. Some French sounding cosmetics. Beaded jewelry! Scrapbook supplies. DK books. At least with the pampered chef you got a little evening party and some hors d’oeuvres made using PC items.
I think I win the silliest pampered chef item contest - I always purchased something, to be polite - a box-like melba toast pan. Never tried to stuff it with dough or remove the product.
I totally get buying something to be polite, but we need a new definition of politeness! At least you got a funny story out of it!
Well, my personal definition would prohibit giving a party in order to sell something to my guests! Ever!* - but we must live in the world as we find it, and I suppose a lot of people get enjoyment out of those multilevel marketing things. Even I enjoyed a little getting to see the fancy house of someone I only knew from Cub Scouts, or just getting out on a weekday evening, as I was much younger, and with much less money, than the other moms and thus had no social capital.
*I am even pretty close to Plantaganet Palliser’s view of winning money at games of chance - in the book it’s baccarat (“We do not need and do not take others’ money” is basically his reproof of his wife’s gaming, and the brilliant Trollope touch is that unbeknownst to herself, she has taken the last dime (sous?) of her ne’er-do-well true love, whom she was forced to give up to marry Palliser). So while inviting people over to sell them initial-stamped birthstone charm jewelry would be cringingly intolerable to me, I may if honest also be engaging in a bit of unearned social striving, trying to jump into a higher level at least in my own mind! It’s levels all the way down.
Also, if “going to the bathroom before leaving the house” is a bad way to flush one’s system, is going twice, then running back in to go one more time, worse?
Ha! I think you must be talking about my husband!