the promise of an everything bagel

yum.

Into the fridge, searching, hungry. Push aside the half-drained bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and the carton of eggs and the leftovers left over from last week—and undoubtedly moldy anyway—and there you find a prize: a fresh bag of bagels. Newly bought, unopened, pristine. And these bagels, they contain more than flour, more than yeast, more than salt (for flavor): They contain a promise. They offer you the world, your fears and dreams, smiles and sorrows. These bagels, they contain everything. An everything bagel, cluttered with poppy and sesame and garlic and hope. And you set it out on the counter and just look at it. Everything.

But everything is hardly enough, and so you reach for the butter and the cream cheese and the half-eaten avocado—it would go bad otherwise, better tossed in than tossed out—and you head for the toaster. And while you wait, while that smoky, salty smell wafts through your nostrils, you fry an egg because—well, why not? You’re hungry, perhaps not that hungry, but you’re really cooking something now. Slice the tomatoes! Gather the arugula! This is going to be lunch.

And so you add everything to everything, one more thing on top of another and more and more. More salt and paprika and bacon bits. You gotta catch ‘em all, right? That’s how the game is played. No one says, “No—stop. I’ve caught enough. It’s sufficient. I don’t need another Pikachu. Take that Charmander back.”

And that bagel is really something now, plated, a sight to behold. And though you were promised everything—that pristine bag still quivering in the fridge—you realize how little you had. But now, now you’ve got something.

And you can barely taste the bagel.

And another thing…

• This week, I wrote about friendship, beer and C.S. Lewis in my “Now Discern This” column for Jesuits.org. Check it out.

• Over at IgnatianSpirituality.com, I shared some reflections on my summertime fun at the global Jesuit Jamboree aka Magis in Portugal and Spain. Read it here.

• And it’s definitely not too late (in fact, some might say it’s even early!) to sign up for the Star Wars mini retreat I’m offering through Well for the Journey. Head over there now.