You’re away from home. What do you miss?

What’s the first thing that comes to mind after you’ve been traveling for a while?

We’ve been away from “home” (well, our now former home) for three months now. What’s the first thing that comes to mind that I miss?

I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but on more reflection, it’s not a bad thing or anything to be ashamed of. I do feel a little odd that what I miss most is an appliance that you can buy at CostCo, but hey, that was the question:

Quick, you’re away, what’s the first thing that comes to mind that you miss the most from home?

My Vitamix.

There, I said it. I admitted it. Granted, I’m not exactly a closet Vitamix fanatic (How I Secretly Get My Kids to Eat Greens, Kale Kocktails, etc.) but I still find it a little awkward that it’s what first comes to mind.

Maybe I just think that it’s more “proper” to miss something else from home. I don’t know, the Golden Gate Bridge, sunrises over the East Bay mountains, walking the city parks with my dog, Pepper.

But no, it’s a blender.

But it’s not just a blender. A blender makes slushy things. A Vitamix changes your life. Here’s a quick list from my deep, longing passion for my beloved powerhouse of a don’t-call-my-Vitamix-a-blender:

1. I feel refreshed with smoothies and juices.
2. Losing weight.
3. Eating healthier–and secretly getting more vitamins and nutrients into my family.
4. It helps me eat less (because I’ll have a shake before dinner for exactly that reason).
5. It saves food that would otherwise go to waste (e.g. brown-ish bananas, wrinkly apples–all good).
6. We eat more soup.
7. Creative cocktails.
8. We eat (or drink, rather) more variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
   It just makes me feel good.

I heard something the other day about learning and it said roughly, “They might not remember what you said or what they learned, but they’ll remember how you made them feel.” That sums up why I miss my Vitamix: it just makes me feel good.