Circles and Cycles

"Another babka?"  - Jerry Seinfeld

Today I had a check-up at the pediatrician's office.  (I'm 19.  I will continue to see my pediatrician until the last possible moment.)  On the drive into town I pass a graveyard, and today they were preparing for a funeral at a brisk 9:30 AM.  Then I walk into a pediatrician's office where mothers are celebrating and preserving their new life.  The world exists in cycles.

A yearly check-up marks a cycle.  A cycle of asking if my body has survived another year without anything going wrong (I'm amazed that every day SO MANY THINGS can go wrong and yet we survive).  My weight has finally stabilized (117: 3 pounds less than my high school stable weight, 8 pounds more than my college freshman unstable weight), new shots to prepare for the coming year and potential travels (I hate needles), and the usual milieu of questions.  I left feeling grateful that I still have my health, and I vow to spend the upcoming year putting my health first.  I learned the hard way that putting my health last really does nobody any good.

Today marks the first day of the second-to-last full week before I move back.  Another school year, another cycle.  Speaking of cycling, a few months ago my father pulled a perfectly good women's bike out of the trash.  I tried it out for the first time today - boy were my cycling chops out of shape!  But when school starts, I hope to spend my days off cycling to farmer's markets for food, as per the advice of French Women Don't Get Fat.  Hopefully I can build up some stamina in the next few weeks!  I can only hope the routes I take won't have nearly as many hills as the neighborhoods around here.

Lastly, yesterday my mother had coffee with her best friend, who offered her a piece of chocolate babka.  It was delicious, and also apparently from Whole Foods!  I knew their bakery section was improving, but this babka was unbelievable.  Being Jewish (my mother's friend is also Jewish), we have an affinity for babka.  Either way, I must say I'm impressed.

Just look at those layers!

I ended the night on a healthy note, with a kale salad with seasoned tofu, collard greens coleslaw (from Whole Foods), Cajun spiced sweet potato (also from Whole Foods), half an avocado, and some sweet chili. 

 

For dessert there was a frozen graham cracker sandwich of blended banana and peanut butter (made my our lovely houseguest). Did you know that a scientist named Graham originally invented graham crackers as a purposefully bland food to curb women's libido? Read it in Drop Dead Healthy today and it blew my mind. 

Happy Monday!

P.S.  I'm publishing this a full 8 hours after the bike ride and my butt HURTS!  Going into town to get a new seat tomorrow, hope I'm not sidelined for too long (I only did a half hour today!) >_<