The case of the blueberry yogurt.
Lately, my grocery store runs are bringing about a few existential analysis.
Image: “The Hare Who Was Married”, a Norwegian fairy tale. | Artist: Tom Seidmann-Freud | Date: 1924 | From: Book of Hare Stories
Every time I go to Costco, I buy a huge case of yogurt. I have two kids, and they eat one or two every single day. The infamous yogurt case comes with a few flavours: vanilla, strawberry, raspberry and blueberry. The thing is, no one in our family likes the blueberry one.
So naturally, every morning, I serve my people their favourite yogurt, my little girl gets vanilla (she calls it flower yogurt - cute!), my little boy gets strawberry, my husband gets raspberry, and I get... blueberry. I hate it.
They all do, but I can't waste a perfectly good yogurt, and I have to keep the balance, so I eat it. I realize that maybe raspberry would not necessarily be my husband's first choice either, but he likes it way more than the blueberry one, so he never complains, truth is maybe both of us would like some variety on our morning yogurt flavour, but again we buy this big case enough for 2 weeks of daily yogurts, the price is just right for our budget and the options are limited. The focus here is always the kids, that they get what they like, but also that they eat the food we give them without much of a struggle in the mornings.
Have I tried to give the kids different flavours? Sure! Did we waste plenty of good yogurt by doing that? Absolutely. So we soldier on with our little method, which sure will change over time, as it always does with kids, but I think the case of the blueberry yogurt is a perfect metaphor for motherhood.
We, more often than not, take the brunt in life without complaining, just so our kids and our family can prosper and live more happily. And I don't have an angle here, the truth is I will keep eating the metaphorical blueberry yogurt for the rest of my life if it means they can have what they need, but I am just now realizing that I should probably also eat some metaphorical food that I actually enjoy.
Up until recently in my motherhood journey, I have completely forgotten about myself and have been just “eating the blueberry yogurt” with nothing else on the side, I am now changing that, the thing is, I don't remember what it is that I like "for breakfast" but I'm starting to remember.
Blueberry yogurts might not be my favourite, but I do enjoy a good blueberry muffin, you know? Time is a wonderful teacher and a true gift. If you are in the blueberry yogurt stage of motherhood like me, this too shall pass, and better breakfasts will come. I'm sure of it.