You Can Lead a Horse to Water...

I could hear the frustration in my friend's voice as she described to me an argument she had with her husband. Apparently he was quite exercised over the amount of money she had been spending weekly on groceries. He picked up the grocery list she'd prepared for the week and started reading: Red peppers, romaine lettuce, whole wheat bread, organic blueberries...He told her that she was selfishly buying only things that she'd be eating and not considering his needs. He turned the paper over and made his own list of four items: White bread, Beef-a-roni, canned beans and hot dogs.

What made my friend feel defeated more than anything was the fact that her list was a reflection of her desire to help her husband. You see, recently her husband's cholesterol levels were tested and shown to be sky high. When his doctor warned him that if he didn't start exercising and eating right he'd need medication her husband curtly replied, "Just give me a prescription."

Maybe next time her husband complains about the money being spent on food, real food, she should point out that his prescriptions, visits to the doctor and hospital bills for the bypass surgery he'll ultimately need might put a dent in their savings too.