An Everyday Happening

We all do things on a daily basis we take for granted. We brush our teeth, comb our hair or wish we had hair, wash our hands, and even reach for the saltshaker. I’ll never look at a saltshaker the same way again.

My father in law is back in rehabilitation. He is eighty-six, has congestive heart failure and other medical problems. Because of this, he is on an extremely strict diet. So strict that the rehabilitation people cannot, or will not, provide all his meals. So, we are taking him lunch and dinner daily. He cannot have any salt, only a little sugar, very small amounts of fat and minimal liquids. Talk about a cooking challenge! But, I am getting pretty good at cooking for him. The biggest issue is the salt. For him a lot of the cooking is with herbs and spices. Some of these creations taste good but I always find myself saying, “It needs salt”. My friend Cliff once said that everything tastes better if someone else cooks it. I hope so, because these dishes need something – salt to be specific.

Salt is to food what humor is to life. You can live without it - but why? Lately I have been dealing with many people who just don’t see humor in anything. They probably don’t use salt either.

So now, I find myself picking up a saltshaker, smiling, and thinking about my father in law. He might not be able to eat salt but he still has a sense of humor.