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#100DaysOfHopper Day 84-85

Day 84: For most of July and August, I've been able to share meals with my father and on occasion, some others. This is a little bit of a treat for me these days, as I usually eat most meals alone. The difference in my attitude towards the meal is completely different when dining with someone than when I'm alone. When I'm alone, it's mostly thinking about sustenance and it's not really an enjoyable process. Knowing that I can share the meal with someone means so much.

This got me thinking to others, especially kids of working parents. We always hear arguments about kids having or not having an advantage in life based on where they go to school, how much money their parents make, if they are housed or fed, but we don't hear much about this, regardless of the socioeconomic background.

Meals with and as a family are essential to the maturation process of youngsters. Think about it. We're born needing to be fed. We then graduate to a high chair, then to a booster seat and then the table. What about the kids whose parents or parent aren't there for them. Some family member or babysitter gives them their food and if they are lucky sits with them. I can't count the number of times I watched people who babysit or watch kids, plop down a plate and walk away, leaving the child to sit alone, eating. The look of defeat and sadness hit them immediately and I can't imagine that ever changes.

I think part of why so many of us, especially those of us who are single, enjoy the silliness of food photos, is because in some way, your likes, comments or just knowing you're seeing it, makes us feel a little less alone. I know when I am about to eat and I see someone I know is having a dinner for one, I like they take pride in it, even if they can't make it looks appetizing or pretty (like my awful pics).

I hope with this first week of school starting for some and the rest in the coming weeks, you make sure that after that school day, you're sitting together, attentive to their tales, showing interest and concern and enjoying the time together. I can't imagine how my life would have been had dinner time (especially dinner), not been an event each and every night. I don't think I'd appreciate food, music, family, history, books, wine or many other things, had they not all been part of the meal. I miss those days and I just hope to share some of yours, whether it be pictures, statuses or the privilege of dining with you. It matters. #100DaysOfHopper

Day 85: Last night, I read of the passing of Don Pardo. If you don't know the name right away, you know the voice. He was the Bob Sheppard of Saturday Night Live. As a child, staying up to watch SNL was a sign that your parents felt you were mature enough to understand adult humor and to not feel weird about watching it with them. I know now, that it also was their way of gaining at least an extra two hours of sleep on Sunday morning.

As anyone who knows me will tell, I'm not one to get worked up over celebrity deaths any more than I am at hearing that a friend's mother or father, whom I had never met has passed. While I appreciate the talent and skills of others, I realize that at the end of the day, they are simply people doing a job. We've recently lost actors such as Robin Williams, James Garner and Lauren Bacall. I didn't shed a tear or really have any feeling one way or the other, aside from the feeling you get when anyone you "know" dies. Obviously, the circumstances of Williams' death brought a whirlwind of emotion on, but aside from that, it was just another celebrity who had passed. I do not mean that in a disrespectful way, but I wasn't as moved by his career as others, but felt the loss of his philanthropic side would be greatly felt. For me Pardo was bigger.

Pardo, for the most part, was a faceless celeb. Someone whose voice was so recognizable that his appearance made no difference. His voice signaled something in all that watched that can not be explained. Maybe the real reason this one stings is because it brings back so many memories, of laughter and good times, spent with family and old friends. The show now, doesn't have any of the charm or the draw. I don't know one soul who stays home on a Saturday Night to watch this new version.

Since it's inception, we've lost Belushi, Radner, Farley and Carlin (the show's very first host). Hell, one of the shows first writers is now a senator. Did anyone see that coming?  As the time passed and I grew out of the novelty of staying up late to watch, the deaths of the stars meant less and less on a personal level. Radner, of course holds a place, because of the way she died, but the reality is, I never thought about it much until my mother was dying. Pardo has been the one constant though. Home sick on a Saturday night and flip the show on, almost by mistake and there he was. The familiar sound, taking me back.

While I know the Pardo family is grief stricken and the old man will never again announce the " not ready for prime time players." I will fondly remember him as being the voice of simpler, much better times. A time when I was able to sit on someone's lap and never once had to worry about tomorrow. #100DaysOfHopper

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