Satisfy

Someone said thank you to me with a Kneaders eclair. They gave it to me last Monday while I was on the go; the eclair sat beside me in front seat of the Honda. To be honest, I wasn't very excited about the eclair. One, I overdid it with eclairs when I worked at BYU Catering twenty years ago, and two, I hardly mess around with milk chocolate or pudding. Two hours later I was still in my car, Archer was hangry, I was hangry, and all we had was the eclair.

Eureka.

I'm pretty sure a ray of light was shining down from the sky directly on my sunroof while angels sang as I bit into that eclair with my eyes closed. Chantilly cream wrapped in a cream puff envelope sealed with a sloppy ganache kiss. I was converted.

I thought about that eclair the rest of the week. I even tried to get the ladies from my Wednesday Card Club to abandon Michelle's table in favor of heading out for eclairs. No takers, although J made eye contact with me and looked like she knew what I was talking about. Saturday night at 9:32 I was twitching; RE looked up Kneaders' hours online and called ahead to make sure eclairs were in stock. Affirmative. I had 28 minutes to make it happen. A confused but loyal Greg drove me eight minutes north, I ran inside to beat the serpentine drive-thru wait. Unbeknownst to me, Kneaders sells their pastries half price from 8-10 pm on Saturday nights. This explains why the customer in front of me bought the last seven eclairs.

Outrage.

Greg and I drove up to our lot, rolled the windows down, and silenced the engine. We ate subpar cream cheese brownies in the dark, crickets beside us, Fling Days fireworks snap-crackle-popping in the valley below. It's weird how two places can feel like home.

Yesterday RE had ortho, which usually takes 15 minutes but ended up taking 80. I’m a fan of teeth and smiles but going to the orthodontist in Orem has turned into The Errand of Dread. I'm incurably sleepy on Dr. Graf’s couches. Archer consistently dirties his diaper in Dr. Graf’s lobby. Frozen has been blaring from the kids’ movie room our last 20 appointments. As I drove the newly-wired, newly-diapered gang home via State Street I passed Kneaders, flipped a U-turn, and found my ortho silver lining in the form of two eclairs to go. I tucked the twins night-night in their clear clamshell and told them I’d wake them up after the human kids were in bed. Greg and I ended up being too tired to stay up and talk about neglected adult topics; we hit the hay early. This is one of the sad things that can happen when you are an adult: you can be too tired to eat an eclair.

Greg worked out early this morning and considered eating his eclair before breakfast. He opted out because he wanted to save it to eat with me tonight. Greg isn't addicted to sugar like I am so the setback didn't bother him in the slightest. He can always postpone rapture. It drives me crazy. I didn't appreciate Greg reminding me about eclairs so early in the morning. How much longer is this story about eclairs and where on earth am I heading with this?

Stable Greg left for work, RE was staining a lady's fence, Archer fell fast asleep. I heard the eclair whisper EAT ME from inside the fridge. I tried to drown him out by baking bread and cranking my Kitchen-Aid to speed 10. He just yelled louder so I took one teensy, tiny bite. Lethal? Yes. Playing with fire? Yes. I need a magnet with Benjamin Franklin’s quote IT IS EASIER TO SUPPRESS THE FIRST DESIRE THAN TO SATISFY ALL THAT FOLLOW IT on my fridge. It might have saved my eclair, which I finished in three desires.

Now that my eclair was history Greg’s began to scream at me with Sammy Hagar shrills. I’d already blown couple time; I was not going to rob him of his own taste of heaven. All I could do to stop the madness was open my jade leather scripture quad silently resting on the kitchen table. (sidenote: Lately I’ve been reading Archer the BabyLit board book The Jungle Book and the panther page that says “Bagheera’s eyes were hard as jade stones” conjures an immediate mental picture of my jade-colored “stone tablets”.)

Our family is currently reading the 30th chapter of Alma in the Book of Mormon, one of the best accounts of the arguments of Anti-Christs in ancient times. Korihor, a smooth-talking Anti-Christ, was hopping mad people believed in Christ despite there being no proof of His coming. He insulted religious traditions, holy ordinances, hope, and belief. Alma countered by bearing simple personal testimony of his convictions God exists and Christ shall come. Alma asked him, "What evidence have ye that there is no God?" and then added his memorable line, "All things denote there is a God." My bookmark was on top of this newspaper snippet:

I re-read the snippet (originally obtained in college, click HERE for a printable close-up) and immediately felt satisfied, the opposite of crazed craving. The turnover felt good, like Christmas morning + a nap + a hug from an old friend + a gold star + a postcard from Europe + a pancake cooked in bacon grease all smooshed into one giant warm fuzzy. Truth always satisfies me, even during silly scenarios like a weekday alone in my kitchen battling self-control for frosting. There is a God and I love Him.

Can't get no satisfaction?

2 Nephi 9:51 Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. (You're so vain, you probably think this verse is about you.)

Isaiah 58:11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

p.s. I started this in July, finished in October. BOOM! That's my current pace in case anyone was confused about Highland Fling Days being in October.