Pucker Up.... or Not

Have you ever puckered up? I don’t mean for a kiss. I mean with that body shuddering, mouthwatering, horrible tasting reaction to something bad-tasting.

When I was little, Grandma Peggy took a spoonful of cod liver oil every morning. “The bad taste tells you it’s good for you.”

Back in the dark ages when medications weren’t flavored, cough syrups could gag a maggot. Just a whiff of it as Mom unscrewed the lid sent the most obedient child running. No one is more relentless than a mother—especially when her children’s welfare is at risk. Said mothers have a built-in radar which located kids.  We were doomed to pucker all in the name of health.

Vegetables? They’re good for you. Did you have to eat a full serving each meal? I did. Daddy backed Mom up… unless it involved squash. He had a knack for saying that word so it splatted with disgust. But my sister and I had pea-a-thons where we couldn’t leave the table until every last pea had been eaten. Pucker time!

I’d forgotten all that until today. Almost six years ago, I had weight loss surgery. The company that specializes in manufacturing the supplements I have to take started making hew protein supplements. Berry flavor or white grape? I chose a few of each so I could flavor test them.  This morning I tried what I thought would be refreshing, sweet white grape.

Thought I was going to die. Afraid I might not. The hair stood up on my arms and I got goosebumps. An odd involuntary sound quavered out of me as I shuddered. The dogs whimpered in sympathy.

Mom got it wrong. If she’d tried that, I’d have gulped down peas as if they were M & Ms.

I’ve learned things don’t have to make me pucker to be good for me. Like Christianity. I’ve seen believers who look as though they just tasted sour fish. Others act as if the love of the Lord has forced them to abandon joy or frivolity. Some tell me they don’t read fiction; it’s lies or a waste of time. They read their Bibles, do Bible studies, and concentrate on celebrated experts whose teachings will improve their walk.

Diffierent strokes for different folks. I love fiction. Oten, it speaks truths in gentle ways that slip past defenses. It's sweet... and it's good for me.

 I’m not going to taste the berry flavored stuff. I’ll send it back with the rest of the white grape protein elixir. I'll use the money to buy some roast beef, cheese, or yogurt and a few more Christian fiction books. Because puckering shouldn’t be for health or for faith. In my books, it is best left for love.

Cathy