A Sandwich makes my day!

Around midday, after the relief acquired from a light breakfast has worn off, I begin to feel a slight pang in my middle that tells me it is time for something - specifically lunch. And unlike breakfast - where I browse through the fridge, the cupboards, and the breadbox, trying to decide what would take the least amount of effort to make in my early morning sleepiness, but earn the greatest satisfaction - I always know what I want for lunch. A sandwich. Turkey, to be precise. I know that those lunch pangs I feel will be satisfied by not a single thing else.

Soft, whole wheat bread is the only bed I will allow the fresh shaved sheets of meat to rest upon. I always take three pieces, because 2 are too scanty and 4 are excessive. And a sandwich is simply not a sandwich without lettuce. I prefer the crisp rustic layers from a head of iceberg lettuce, but romaine will do if it is all that I have. I hadn't been a fan of mayonnaise for the better part of my life, until I discovered crab dip. At that point I wondered what I had been ignoring all my life, and now I cannot imagine a sandwich without it. Usually I spread one piece of bread generously with mayonnaise, then I let the two pieces 'kiss' and it evenly distributes onto the other. Then there is the cheese.... The most divine food ever created as a separate entity, is the perfectly harmonizing note in the chorus of my sandwich. Despite the many varieties, classic marble cheddar is my 'go-to' cheese.

Usually, I layer the turkey on the bottom piece of bread, (for having the mayonnaise on the turkey is essential) then the cheese to meet that turkey, and then the lettuce sitting daintily on top. If I really feel like treating myself well (and if I have it on hand) I like to add a few thick slices of fresh tomato. And if I do that, I go ahead and add mustard, and if I do that, I go ahead and add salt and pepper. Tomatoes add a certain element of luxury to the sandwich, and the mustard kicks the whole thing up a few full notches. If I do end up doing that, I place the tomatoes on the bread side where the turkey would be, so that the meat and cheese is nicely hugged between two vegetables before the bread. The mustard atop the tomatoes, the s&p atop the mustard. That is pure eloquence to me. 

I don't consider myself a high needs person, but on a day when I don't have my beautiful turkey sandwich, I don't feel quite up to par. Or perhaps the lack of sandwich does not so much make me feel insufficient, but on a day when I DO have one, I feel marvelous. I feel fortified and filled with energy. It hits that spot and I obtain a certain satisfaction that I just can't get anywhere else. It is a daily ritual for me that I look forward to every morning and revel in every afternoon. For some people it's a morning coffee, for some it's an afternoon martini (???), or others still it's an after dinner cookie. But for me, it is a turkey sandwich for lunch. This is my daily joy.