Happy about not having to cook, I strolled into the kitchen when Matt called me for supper. If I said my plate looked unappetizing, it would be a huge understatement. Two greyish sausages, resembling the swollen thumbs of a mafia mishap smirked back at me. The pasta sauce looked gritty and runny at the same time. How could that be? The pasta and sauce came out of a package and I’d put the sausages in the pan before handing over the reins - they should have browned.
On impulse I said, “Is Orange the New Black?”
“What?” Matt looked at me (as he often does) like I’d lost my mind.
“You know, the show about women in prison. This kind of looks like what they might get for supper.” I hadn’t watched it, I’d just heard about it. When your tattooed, body building son tells you it’s not really your thing, I try and listen.
“Funny. Are you complaining?”
“Yes. I guess now we know talking on the phone and surfing the web are not conducive to your cooking abilities.” I realized my complaint was at the risk he never cooked again, but really what was I losing.
“I wasn’t online.”
“I saw you googling.”
We tucked in to the fare and about half way through the meal Matt asked me how I could eat the sausages without BBQ sauce. They were super spicy and I usually start coughing when we eat spicy food.
“I find the burning sensation in my throat is helping me get the meal down. I don’t want to minimize it.”
Matt laughed, really laughed, the kind of laugh that jiggles your innards … and the table. The sound of it surprised me, like a chance meeting with a friend you haven’t heard from in a while. And it made me happy.
“A joyful heart is good medicine,” (Proverbs 17:22 ESV)
Have a good laugh with your spouse this week.
Fool’s Notion: Week 7 Goal 112 Actual 91