Protein Soothes My Savage Beasts

Alert!  This is a commentary about my morning, and there are no pictures or recipes.  Just a simple sharing of my morning.

We are not morning people in our household.  I used to be, but I have "devolved".  I am a mid-morning person now :-)

My husband works evenings and my teen-ager has a strange sleeping pattern (just one more strange thing in his life) - both of them sleep as late as possible.  Since I work from home, I tend to wake up a bit earlier than either of them and I enjoy my "alone time" with a cup of coffee, a look at the bay, and maybe a little Good Morning America.

Today, as the result of a very wakeful night with the few sleeping hours filled with strange dreams, I slept mostly from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. - very odd for me!  I was really tired from a day of doing my paid job, deep cleaning my kitchen counters and appliances, shopping, baking cookies and making royal icing in preparation for two projects I have coming up that I was really surprised I didn't fall into a hard and long sleep.   My husband rolled out this morning about 10 minutes after me, just as the coffee was ready.  I'd checked my email and Facebook and was just going for the first cup.  In the very nice rhythm of two people who have lived together a long time, he got down two cups, grabbed the Half & Half and poured some in both cups, I grabbed my sweetener while he put the cream away, and I poured the coffee...we weren't making much conversation but he was wondering why I hadn't had my first cup of coffee yet.

I explained my up and down activity last night (while he gently snored, soundly sleeping) and the memories and thoughts that were eating at my brain.  He, in his wonderfully therapeutic manner, started prompting me to figure out the problem and to tell him my dreams.  I did all of that and drank my coffee, talking, while he checked email and surfed the internet for the weirdness that he enjoys reading.  I have to say, he doesn't really LIKE to talk first thing in the morning and he'd really PREFER not to hear ME talking.  He could tell, however, that I was not "right with the world" today and let me rattle on, processing, to get to the right place. 

At some point in my soliloquy, I realized he was not really paying any attention whatsoever and was beginning to struggle with something computer-based and his face began to look quite irritated.  I asked what he was trying to do and he explained his irritation over things not being the way he thought they should be (a frequent occurrence).  I made some mild suggestions but didn't offer to "do it for him" because he likes to just vent...and since I had spent nearly 45 minutes of his slow-wake-up time yammering, I figured he had the right to vent.  He doesn't want me to fix things...he just wants to be able to bitch about it.  I understand.

He finally got on the phone, as I had mildly suggested, and called an 800 number to ask a simple question.  In the meantime, now that I had discerned from his grumpy self-talk what the problem was, I found the solution fairly quickly.  I tried to talk him through where I found it, he couldn't see it (which made him more irritable) and "loudly" requested I slow down.  So I suggested I come look over his shoulder to help him see what he was missing.  He's a very, very smart man...but he and technology frequently do battle.

I finally realized that his irritability was likely enhanced by his lack of food....probably needed some protein in his system.  He is a carb addict and tends to fill up on carbs...but he needs protein to be centered.  I see it time and time again.  So, I told him I thought maybe he needed some protein and could I make him an omelet or some other protein-based item?  He said an omelet would be great.  Then I kissed him on the forehead.  Bless his heart, while fiercely independent, he sometimes just needs someone to take care of him...that's where I try to step in.

Then, in walks the teen (it's like he knows when he smells butter hitting a pan to hurry into the kitchen).  I ask if he would like some breakfast, and if so, what?  He answers with a desire for breakfast tacos. 

A quick sausage and provolone omelet, and, a sausage and egg breakfast taco later...both of the males in the house are smiling and relaxed.  It's the protein breakfast miracle!

No pictures for the blog (which is a bummer because that was a pretty omelet!), nothing fancy on the plate, but two quite appreciative men in the house. 

I am now centered and ready to start on my projects.  Memorial Day Cookies will be the first project.  I'll see you on the other side!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!