A few weeks ago I was making breakfast for my daughter in the morning before bringing her to school. It was her first week of kindergarten so I wanted to make sure that she was “powered up” with a good breakfast. I whipped up some scrambled eggs, fruit and a couple of slices of turkey bacon. 

My five year old looks at her plate, looks at me, and then says ...

“Dad, can I have REAL bacon, please?”

I had to laugh! Even a five year old girl-who knows nothing about the reasons why we eat mainly turkey bacon in our home, instead of “real bacon”, knows that there is a difference in taste, smell and overall experience between the two bacons. (Although I will say that Trader Joe’s turkey bacon is pretty good, considering.) 

My daughter doesn’t have any of the guilt or worry associated with eating pork bacon, because she doesn’t know about any of the negatives associated with it. All she knows and focuses on is how great sizzling, crispy bacon tastes. 

Me on the other hand-whenever I eat it I think about my rising cholesterol levels, my heart yelling at me, my arteries closing up on me, and the fact that I really should be eating some egg whites and a bowl of oatmeal rather than bacon and scrambled eggs. So even when I splurge and eat some real bacon, I don’t always enjoy it as much as I could. And many times, I simply avoid it. 

People Are Like Bacon! (Bet you never thought you’d see that analogy, huh?)

Let me explain ... first of all, bacon is the “real” deal isn’t it? All of the things that they’ve created to imitate it, or mimic it, doesn’t really ever come close to really replacing it does it? Bacon is beautiful (yeah, I said it) in a way that turkey bacon will not be-because turkey bacon isn’t the real deal. 

Okay, yes, bacon will raise your cholesterol, but doesn’t it also make everything taste better? Whenever someone wants to trick you into eating something you wouldn’t normally eat, they just wrap bacon around it, and now it’s a delicacy. And yes, bacon is bad for your heart, but is there a better smell in the morning than bacon cooking? While there are many negatives with bacon, there are also a lot of good things with it as well-and if I focused only on the negatives, I'd miss out on all that bacon has to offer. 

People are the same way. Each and every person in your life is the "real deal." They were created a certain way, just like you were. And those differences that we all have are good things. Now, I know that there may be some that raise your blood pressure, increase your stress levels and have the ability to make each day a miserable one for you! Yet, they all bring something to the table that is good and beautiful and valuable-even if it’s hard to see. 

As I reflect on my life’s experiences I realized that I have often been so focused on the negatives of the people around me, that I didn’t allow myself to always fully enjoy what they “brought to the table” ... and that was my loss.

Listen, I know you can’t eat a pound of bacon everyday and hope to have a happy heart. And I know that there are people in your life that are best “enjoyed” on a limited basis. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t find ways to appreciate and enjoy what they do bring to the table. I don't eat bacon everyday, but I also allow myself the splurge of indulging once in awhile. 

In our line of work, interacting with people-from residents, prospects, vendors, owners, employees and employers-is a given. Why not make life easier and find the “bacon” in everyone?

May need to make a BLT now...