A turkey ran through my yard this morning. It seemed confused, hung out in the back corner for a while, then hopped the fence into the neighbor’s yard. It was somehow incredibly exciting, which made me think my life must really be going downhill.
Last night the Timberwolves made 12 3-point shots in their game, which means a free beef n’ cheddar at Arby’s. They’ve done that 3 times in the past week, and each time I’ve headed over to Arby’s, and they gave me not one but two free beef n’ cheddars. I think the deal is supposed to be for one free beef n’ cheddar, and twice I suggested I needed to pay for one of them, but the cashier kid just said “you good.”
And I was good. I love a free meal, and I don’t care if it is a mass produced sandwich made by a sub-par fast-food chain in the fast-food culture capital of the world. Actually, I do care a little. For about 15 years, I didn’t set foot inside a McDonald’s, Burger King, Arby’s, or any other fast-food joint, both for my health and because there are just better alternatives. But then somehow in the last year or so, I started going to Arby’s in what I felt was an ironic way, a “ha-ha, look I’m going to Arby’s” kind of way, but now I’ve been there too often for it to be anything but unironic. So I guess the lesson to myself is that if something is free, particularly food, I’m going to go get that free thing/food, and I’m going to eat it, even if it is slowly killing me.
I’ve thought about my relationship with meat a lot over the years. It’s my primary food group, but its environmental effects, and the way animals are pumped out only to be killed, is not admirable and hard to ignore if you have a conscience. I can’t say it doesn’t bother me, and so this last fall/winter, for the first time since moving to Minnesota in 2003, I purchased a pheasant license and went hunting. I grew up hunting but didn’t really like the killing part, which is one of the main parts, and also the blood part, another inevitable aspect. I’m not saying I’m going to go out and kill all the food I eat, and killing a cow would be about as challenging as killing a log anyway, but I do feel like I should get in touch with those consequences again and see if it motivates me to change my perspective and actions. Plus, who knows what way the change could go?
Tonight I needed some green so I drove to a regional park, Eagle Lake, which was basically a public golf course with mini-golf as well. The TC metro area has some fantastic parks, and this one was part of the Three Rivers system. Somehow the putting greens were still perfectly trimmed, thick, green grass a quarter of an inch long. I don’t know how it stayed so nice over winter. Part of the course still had snow on it. Juxtaposition. And I was wearing flip flops in snow for a minute. More juxtaposition.
At one point I got down on my knees and put my nose into the ground and inhaled, smelled it and thought to myself, I don’t think it will be so bad to be in/under this stuff someday. I doubt I’ll be buried under a golf course, but I do love a good cemetery and I think I’d prefer it if I was maybe just dropped into my grave in a burlap sack so I could be closer to the dirt. It’s coming for you anyway, no matter what kind of box you’re in.
Damn you, Arby’s.
How is this so green after winter?
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