Warm New York bagels right out of the oven—nothing quite like it accompanied by a fresh brewed cup of coffee on a lazy Saturday morning. I’ve tasted bagels in other parts of the country, but New York has the real deal with its crusty crunch of the glaze sprinkled with assorted toppings like sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic flakes, or kosher salt. I usually get the “everything” bagel having a little of each because I can’t seem to make up my mind as to a favorite.
As I savored my bagel slathered with butter this morning, I thought about the difference between the real and the almost real. You can pull a bagel wannabe off the grocery store shelf or frozen food section, but they are usually small and mushy, having only the general shape in common with an authentic bagel. Once you have had the real, the almost real is easy to turn down. What else could be either real or almost?
It reminds me of spiritual encounters. Once you have experienced real