Note: This is the second day of Sue's guest blog.
If there was a day that could have derailed my abstinence efforts, it was yesterday. First, I hate to pack, simply because I don’t want to forget something I might need, so end up with a whole lot more in the suitcases than I should have. Luckily I fly with an airline that doesn’t charge for luggage. I did compromise by putting one pair of dress pants back in the closet. Forgot the umbrella. Yep – came to Seattle and forgot my umbrella. Wonder if I can buy one anyplace…
Anyway, the trip to the airport wasn’t as traumatic as I thought it would be, probably because it is was a government and school holiday. And maybe a couple of businesses were shut down in honor of Veteran’s Day. Side note: veterans were allowed to board first with almost everyone’s thanks.
I knew going to the airport that my plane had been delayed, only by 30 minutes but still a frustration. And the lessons I learned on Tuesday about over-eating and frustration were about to be re-examined. The airport was crowded, I was flying out of B gates instead of C. Not usually a problem, but the selection of food items at B gates is less than conducive to any real food plan, let alone mine. I had a flight that would include lunch time, and not wanting to eat lunch mid-morning or mid-afternoon, I planned to buy something healthy to eat to take on the plane. What I found were fast food hamburgers and burritos, as well as a wall of plastic-bagged snacks ranging from chips to candy to “healthy” trail mix with only 480 calories per ounce. Starbucks had three sandwiches left in their cooler, below the full and diverse display of processed carbs and sugars in all their wonderfully chocolate, sweet glory.
And that’s when the voice hit me. “Hey,” it said, “you’re on vacation. You’ve been good for weeks. That chocolate brownie would taste really good with a venti peppermint mocha.” And the voice was right, at least partly so. I was on vacation. But my eating plan, my compulsive eating, my addiction to sugars and processed foods, were not on vacation. In the past 30 days I have come to realize that they will never take a vacation. They will always be right there in the little nudge to fudge, taking a little bigger helping, getting a double whopper at the Mayo King or buying the double chocolate brownie. I know that eventually I will be able to control some of my addiction – I will get to have a piece of cake or mashed potatoes and stuffing, but not yet. My journey of abstinence is still very new and needs to be nourished, not with food but with success.
So I’m on vacation and I plan to have a really great time. My granddaughter Brin is the sweetest, cutest, smartest almost-one-year-old baby in the world and I’m going to enjoy every minute I’m with her. And none of that time is going to be spent wallowing in the self-imposed guilt of over-eating.
Here’s to a day of blessings, a day of abstinence, and a day of blessed abstinence.
Sue
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