I know there is some study or another that suggests that family dinners are important. We eat family dinners most days of the week�not so much because we are supposed to but because we want to. Where else can you learn important things about life?

Tonight Mr. Philately was the first source of important information. Mr. Philately often has important words to live by. He is a man who puts first things first. According to Mr. Philately, most of the world can be saved if you eat your vegetables, wear your hat, and return your library books in time. He also believes in recycling, anything postal, and being kind but the latter may be lesser virtues. So I should not have been too surprised when he explained that vegetables were like life. Apparently, you need them, they are good for you, and you're not always going to like them.

The occasion for this pronouncement was a bold act by Day. You see, we were having green beans, among other vegetables. Green beans are the only vegetable Day has never liked. When she was a young infant (and I do mean young), she was hungry almost all the time. She began rolling to where she wanted to go at three months and was crawling fast by five months. The doctor started her on solid foods younger than usual because she was so hungry all the time.

She liked just about any food, although you could not tell just from looking at her. The only exception was green beans. She would eagerly take them into her mouth, give a look of total betrayal, and then a full body shudder. I have always figured that everyone was entitled to refuse to eat one food and green beans was hers. I never had any problem substituting carrots for green beans for her. But tonight she announced that it had been so long since she tried green beans that she was not sure she still disliked them. She then proceeded to try them.

She tentatively tasted, skipped the betrayed look, and went straight to the full body shudder.

Some things don't change. Green beans may be good for you but you're not always going to like them.

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