Saturday, April 30, 2016

April 30th, 2016 A Bomb In Need Of Defusing

April 30th, 2016 A Bomb In Need Of Defusing

I really enjoyed my day off today. I slept in, I spent some time helping my oldest daughter finish up her and her husband's move, I prepared some great food and enjoyed a fabulous date night dinner with Kristin for her birthday.

Navigating the menu choices at the restaurant this evening was fairly simple. I did ask a couple of questions and made one special request in order to ensure I got what I needed instead of something I didn't. Neither one of us touched the basket of cheddar biscuits on the table. I remember times, years ago, when a second and third request for more was made.

The accountability and support system coupled with the non-negotiable elements of my personal plan supports this different perspective. It's a perspective that doesn't require the food to shoulder the responsibility for whether or not an event is considered a good experience. I certainly enjoyed the food I ordered, but the experience, the conversation and the laughs is what made it great. A basket (or two) of biscuits wouldn't have enhanced the evening in the slightest. For me, it would have had an opposite effect had I sacrificed the integrity of my maintenance plan.

We visited a traveling carnival after dinner and arrived just as they were closing everything down. We asked the Ferris wheel operator if he could accommodate one last ride tonight, adding that it was Kristin's birthday. He referred us to one of the co-owners, who turned out to be the sister of the other owner, whom I had as a guest on my radio show a couple of weeks ago. I don't think that connection made a difference as much as Kristin's birthday request. The answer was, "sure, why not?"

Then, when the ride ended, one of the carnival workers honored Kristin's birthday by presenting her with the last funnel cake of the evening, compliments of Ottaway Amusements. We graciously accepted the gift, both of us knowing full well that it didn't fit in either of our food plans--and I carried it to the car for her. Kristin said I was handling it as if it were a bomb. I wasn't tempted in the slightest, seriously, but I totally get it--I probably was carrying it as if it were a bomb in need of defusing. Defusing it meant throwing it away, but we couldn't just throw it away right in front of the people who generously and thoughtfully presented the gift!

First, we tried to give it away to some people in the parking lot, but they declined our offer. Without a trash can close by and also out of sight of the carnival vendors, we hadn't a choice--we had to give this sweet thing a ride. The car quickly became thick with the aroma of funnel cake, so down went the windows.

We ended up transporting this powdered sugar topped creation less than a mile away before we found a place to get rid of it. But instead of simply throwing it away, we set it in plain sight just outside of a big Saturday night college crowd hangout and then, we waited for someone--anyone to notice this perfectly untouched, still warm funnel cake--just sitting there, unattended. Not one person noticed the funnel cake. After several minutes and a few laughs from the close calls, we left--knowing full well it would eventually make it into the trash can just a few feet away.

We stopped by mom's place to say hi and get a quick hug before heading out of town for the forty-two mile trip back. But before we hit the highway, we checked on the funnel cake--and still, there it sat in the company of literally a hundred or two late night partying college kids who were completely oblivious to it or the slightly humorous circumstance that rendered it unwanted and abandoned.

Today's Tweet Stream:




































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
Posted by at

13 comments:

  1. NatalieMay 1, 2016 at 5:48 AM

    Well I'm glad no one picked up random abandoned food, with a man watching from the shadows!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sean AndersonMay 1, 2016 at 12:20 PM

      LOL- It was a memorable experience, that's for sure!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMay 1, 2016 at 7:53 AM

    You "diffuse" light or a camera lens.

    You "defuse" a bomb or a potentially volatile situation.

    Know your usage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sean AndersonMay 1, 2016 at 12:18 PM

      From the grammarist: "Confusion of defuse and diffuse is so common that we actually had some difficulty finding examples of diffuse used correctly."
      I suppose I'm not alone.
      Thanks for the correction! I've made the edits.
      Did that big grammatical error keep you from the bigger points?
      I hope not!
      Know what's important! :)

      Delete
    2. Sean AndersonMay 1, 2016 at 12:46 PM

      You missed the "...sitting their..." mistake. I made that edit, too. In my defense, it was 3am.
      I may have also used a preposition at the end of a sentence once or twice. I didn't look for or fix the preposition usage mistakes--but I wouldn't put it past me! LOL

      Delete
    3. AnonymousMay 2, 2016 at 5:23 AM

      Someone reads your blog to check your grammar? Too funny! Robin

      Delete
    4. Sean AndersonMay 2, 2016 at 5:55 AM

      I know, Robin, right? It doesn't surprise me in the least, it happens. I don't take offense. But--when someone is deliberately pointed about it, such as "know your usage," I can't help but smile first, then reply, just as I did. It was humorous to me.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousMay 1, 2016 at 8:21 AM

    Just curious why did your date not eat the bread or cake? Out of respect for you or does she watch her food intake also?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sean AndersonMay 1, 2016 at 12:32 PM

      She's been on and continues to travel her own transformation road for some time. Her food plan is similar to mine.
      Of course, I don't mind who eats what around me--or what they eat--it's perfectly fine, and I'm good and quick, I believe, when I sense someone is not eating something because I'm present--to let them know, it's okay!!
      It doesn't bother me in the slightest. We're all at different points along the way and our plans are rarely identical.
      It comes down to-- I'm responsible for me and what I choose to eat, not anyone else. And I no longer use what others are eating around me as an excuse to sacrifice my personal plan.
      People close to me--family, colleagues--they're very well aware that I've never been "the food police." And I don't discourage or look down on anyone's food choices...ever.
      If they ask me for advice or help, I'll give it-- but never unsolicited.
      There's a lot of honor and mutual respect involved.

      Delete
  4. UnknownMay 1, 2016 at 11:06 AM

    The story with the cake was so funny had me laughing out loud. :) Definitely can relate to your experience.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sean AndersonMay 1, 2016 at 12:39 PM

      I know you can relate, Jon! Because I know you hold your abstinence from refined sugar with the same level of importance.
      I typically don't have a problem politely declining something like this--especially in a crowd... But there wasn't a crowd and they made such a grand gesture of it-- I feel like we did the right thing by graciously accepting, in this particular instance.
      I'm glad you got a laugh!!! :)

      Delete
  5. KathyRBouchillonMay 1, 2016 at 4:45 PM

    I admire your dedication and commitment to your program and am trying to find my way back on track. Food addiction/sugar addiction is awful. It's not the same as alcohol or drugs where you give it up...you still have to eat to live. It's a struggle and I'm so happy for you that you are sticking with your plan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sean AndersonMay 2, 2016 at 6:01 AM

      Kathy, thank you. It's a daily practice, one day at a time--and each one is made just as important as the previous. "My normal" requires this daily importance level--or else, I'll quickly and easily relapse and with relapse comes regain. I don't live in fear of it, I simply live with an embrace of the daily disciplines keeping me well. If I continue to do that--then I have the best chance at continued recovery... because it's never a guaranteed thing-- and you'll never hear me declare that I have it "all figured out" because I don't. All I have are these experiences, these lessons and these practices---and so far, it's working well. Thank you, again.

      Delete

I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. Thank you for your support!

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)





Copyright © 2008-2020 Sean A. Anderson

The Daily Diary of a Winning Loser. All rights reserved.