Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
“See, I'm glad we don't eat fish that much because I don't know if fish really like having that hook in their mouths before going into our mouths, and then all those worms that have to go on the hooks – if we could just maybe find a way to hypnotize the worm first so he doesn't feel it, I would feel better about this whole thing, but I'm glad we're having spaghetti so the fish, the worms, and I can feel safe now!”
This was seven-year-old Amanda Ludlow talking with her big cousin Mrs. Maggie Lee as said big cousin was loading the little cousin's bowl with spaghetti.
“Wait until she learns about how other meat is killed,” nine-year-old George Ludlow whispered.
“If you mess with Amanda feeling safe, you're gonna need to be worried about how you live,” eight-year-old Edwina Ludlow hissed as she turned around and drew her hand across her throat.
“Oop,” five-year-old Lil' Robert Ludlow said. “She means it. Y'all know she means it!”
“Not getting into that,” six-year-old Grayson Ludlow said.
“Now, now, y'all,” eleven-year-old Eleanor said.
“I'm just trying to figure out how we hypnotize the worm,” ten-year-old Andrew said.
That stopped the other children short until it was time for Edwina to step up and get her food, and the queue moved.
Amanda, in her sweet abundance of thoughts about how everything and everyone stayed safe, came to her own conclusion.
“You know what,” she said to her grandmother Mrs. Thalia Ludlow as her grandmother dished out spinach and onions and sprinkled Asiago cheese on top, “I think what I'm going to do to make sure that the animals and I are safe is become a vegetarian.”
“Well, we eat a lot of veggies anyway,” Mrs. Ludlow said, “and our Lee cousins do too, so, you can try it out and see if that works for you.”
“I figure it's probably going to be easier to do that instead of trying to learn how to hypnotize the worms, because if it makes the worms sleepy, I'm probably going to fall asleep too,” Amanda said. “Nap time hits kinda hard.”
“It does – let me give you a little extra cheese for the meat you're not eating today,” Mrs. Ludlow said.
“I feel safe now!” Amanda said.
“Just remember,” Edwina said to George as they were on the way to the table, “you're safe as long as she's safe. Amanda has been through too much and we're not doing the foolishness, George. I've got a fork right here and I know how to use it!”
“Sheesh, Edwina – I thought we were good!”
“We were good before you started talking about telling Amanda all that – we were good until you weren't good! You already know who I am! I'm trying to learn how to build good, but don't push me! If there's going to be badness around here, you don't want it with me, George!”
“What's going on here?” Capt. R.E. Ludlow said as he walked in with Col. H.F. Lee.
“Papa, I'm going to be a vegetarian, because then I don't have to learn about hypnotizing the worm,” Amanda said as she got up and ran to her grandfather to give him a hug.
“What?” the captain and the colonel said, and Edwina and George went on to the table and sat down, their conversation over.
“What amazes me about your grandchildren,” Mrs. Lee said, “is how the seven of them basically balance each other out. There's definitely some trauma and defensive behavior that need to be worked out, but that blew over!”
Mrs. Ludlow shook her head.
“Between Capt. Robert “Hell to Pay” Ludlow and little Edwina “Breaking Bad” Ludlow, things had better blow over! And then Amanda is just a little cloud of snuggly safety floating around, and she helps out more than we often realize.”
“Amanda the vegetarian,” Mrs. Lee said. “She's so sweet, and such a blessing! I was planning to fry some chicken tomorrow, but I'll make some falafel too so everyone can try some.”
“Amanda is who we are all trying to be in the world, except maybe the vegetarian part,” Mrs. Ludlow said, with a smile. "I may come get some falafel, though."
I fish for a living and struggle with killing the fish, but I know I am feeding people healthy food that they can not get on their own. So I understand Amanda's feelings.
!ALIVE
!LOLZ
@deeanndmathews! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @ myjob. (1/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want, plus you can win Hive Power (2x 50 HP) and Alive Power (2x 500 AP) delegations (4 weeks), and Ecency Points (4x 50 EP), in our chat every day.
lolztoken.com
But that’s a whisk I’m willing to take.
Credit: reddit
@deeanndmathews, I sent you an $LOLZ on behalf of myjob
(1/10)
NEW: Join LOLZ's Daily Earn and Burn Contest and win $LOLZ
Amanda is still just seven and does not have to think yet about where food comes from ... but she is still on a thoughtful journey about the web of life, and would understand where you are coming from too!
One of my granddaughters was that way at Amanda's age she would not eat meat for many years but now in her 20s, she eats it.
That happens ... children explore a lot of ways of being human ... I try to write a world in which they have room ...