The Breakfast Barometer

by

Anne Michael

I usually know what kind of day it’s going to be based on what it is I want to eat for breakfast any given morning. For instance, today I had leftover macaroni and cheese straight from the fridge and eaten right from the leftover dish. Starting my day this way is generally indicative of a lazy day, too lazy to even nuke leftovers in the microwave or use a plate for my comfort food. It’s one of those days when a good love story or a book with a story that evokes deep emotions is wanting to be read. I fall into it eyes first and stay there for the day, happily comfortable and preferably still in my pajamas. 

A hot dog or corndog lets me know it will be an adventuresome kind of day. After all, no one really knows what is in a hot dog, do they? A hot dog I associate with ball games, barbecues and summer fun. I like these kinds of days, too. This kind of day means a fun book too, one that makes me laugh or a good science fiction tale with amusing twists of plot or character by Piers Anthony or Terry Pratchett is just the thing.

Oh, but if the day starts with dry toast, everybody else in my house just runs for cover. It means I’m a grouch. Everyone that is except my dog Beau, the petite crumb cruncher. He’s still young so he hasn’t learned to “read” his people yet. He just likes the crumbs I drop so he dares to do what the rest of the household is smart enough not to. Maxx, the big old dog, just takes to the couch and sighs heavily and long like the great old man that he is and stays out of my way eschewing the bounty of crumbs, although readily prepared to love me if I need it. Those sorts of days lend themselves to the reading of nonfiction. I guess it’s fortunate that I have this type of day so rarely, since it’s taken me three years to get almost halfway through An Incomplete Education by Judy Jones and William Wilson. It’s interesting reading, but in a world in which the choices in books are so vast and entertaining I’ve not yet gotten to the point of not being able to put it down.

The worst kind of breakfast is when I eat a little bit of everything because nothing makes me comfortable or grabs my interest. Breakfasts of this sort are the kind that can pack weight on with the blink of an eye. Restless roaming through the pantry looking for the perfect food in the early morning hours almost becomes hard work. I’ve had a series of these types of days in recent months leaving the 30-pound weight loss I struggled to achieve over the past year shrinking to 25. It’s also left me with seven books all started and not yet finished sitting on the table by my favorite chair collecting dust in their various stages of having been read.   

Yesterday was a corndog morning with lots of mustard. Adventure awaited. I took half the day off and met my friend LaVerda for lunch. For lunch I actually had breakfast food. We went to Bob Evans restaurant where I ignored my dietary requirements and ordered banana pecan pancakes layered with a “to die for custard” and topped with whipped cream. I launched into it with gusto. So, essentially, I had dessert for lunch.  I couldn't eat it all, it was so filling but oh, did I relish and enjoy every mouthful. I enjoyed the food almost as much as I enjoyed the visit with my dear friend of many years. It was a wonderful hour and right in line with the adventurous way my day started. I hadn't realized that she is going to be 65 soon and is very much looking forward to retiring. It's funny. Everyone I know and am friends with has always “made plans” for retirement, but we are all so busy working and must do so for years to come. However, the dreaming, wishing, hoping and “can't wait” kind of dreams still persist. It was fun hearing about her plans that are no longer as nebulous and far away as they once were. I’ll probably only have her nearby for another year or two before she goes to Indiana where her children and grandchildren live so I’m glad we had the chance to get together.   

Yesterdays adventures didn’t stop with after lunch. I enjoyed the magnificent luxury of reading a book outside in the sun with a warm Florida breeze sweeping away the winter as it brought hints of summer’s upcoming steamy days with it. The book was Magic Street by Orson Scott Card. I had not read anything by him in a long while. His prose is spare, but not emaciated, his characters multifaceted and believable. This book was no exception. Imagine Titania, Queen of the Faeries from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, her husband Oberon and Puck the Trickster coming to live in a suburban community and what happens when their magic is unleashed on the unsuspecting town. It was sheer delight. I was enthralled.

I don’t know whether your breakfasts predict the kind of day you’ll have or if your reading, like mine, is predicated on the way you feel on any given day. I do hope that the things you wish deeply for are found in the comfort of your home and your books, and that the food you eat nourishes your body, your spirit and your mind. In sum, I wish you the finest kind of satisfying day.


At age 10, Anne realized she was never going to get to be Miss America since reading a book was not an acceptable talent. So she went on to get a job and raise a family. Along the way, she fixed meals, picked up toys, helped with homework, and collected a drawer full of rejection slips for her “great American novel.” It was not all bad, however, since she ended up wallpapering a closet with them. She currently designs and creates greeting cards for her tiny company, The Frog Prints, LLC, and also works full-time as a Training Specialist. Anne is currently tethered to reality by a loving spouse, two dogs, one cat and the occasional hurricane that blows through Florida, although falling headlong and happily into a book is still her favorite “talent.” She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it