April 6th, 2019 The Best Parts

April 6th, 2019 The Best Parts

Yesterday was a 5-star day: I maintained the integrity of my calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I exceeded my daily water goal, and I stayed well connected with exceptional support.

I awarded myself an extra star yesterday for making it through an eighteen hour day with intentional positive actions start to finish. That's not a brag. That's a miracle. Yesterday had all the elements needed for a colossal disaster. I was operating on poor quality sleep, it was a stressful day, I had several marks to hit throughout the day and limited time windows for each--and then, of course, a banquet where I would be seeing the menu upon arrival.

Our broadcasting group won two awards last night, one for sports programming and another for our station's website. This group of photos features my colleague and 8am hour co-host and station News Director, Beverly Bryant. It was a good evening!

What about the food at the banquet? It was incredible. As expected, refined sugar was definitely part of the fancy presentation. I walked into the room about ten minutes early and immediately approached one of the catering staff. I asked if it was possible to speak with the chef or person in charge of the food. Two minutes later, there she was-- in less than a minute, I politely asked for what I needed, was assured she could do it--and that was it. Done. It wasn't difficult. I wasn't me being "a problem," and the lead caterer accommodated the request with a smile and personally delivered my meal to me at our table.

As prepared for the banquet

 














This is a regular plate at the banquet. Mine was without refined sugar. The salmon and beef tenderloin was incredible, simply seasoned and on-plan for me!

My plate as requested without refined sugar

It was a delicious dinner! I was prepared with an almond/cheese/fruit backup plan just in case this modification wasn't possible. I was happy it turned out well. Grateful!

The lesson here is to not be afraid to ask for what you need in support of your daily practice. Often, we think we'll be the only one--but I bet I wasn't. With food allergies, sensitivities, and different food plans in the room, I bet other requests were made or could have been made. The key for me is not subscribing to the idea of being at the mercy of a menu or somehow a victim of circumstance. If maintaining the boundaries of my daily practice is of utmost importance, I must ask for what I need and be prepared in case the request can't be honored. The thing is, it starts before we walk into the situation. I can remember many occasions like this where I conveniently used the circumstance to relieve myself of the responsibility to my plan, whatever it was at the time. I would take on an "oh well, what can I do?? Everybody gets the same food, I guess I'll just be quiet and eat what's served this one time."  For me, the phrase "just this one time" is truly, quite literally, deadly. 

The other important realization from last night is this: Maintaining the boundaries of my food plan did not, in any way, shape, or form, diminish the enjoyment of the evening.

I ran into Jeff Couch, my program director from Star 103 in Tulsa from back in the mid-nineties, as soon as I stepped off the elevator. Wow!! It was a pure joy to see him and he always greets me with unbound enthusiasm. He's such a great guy and a fabulous broadcaster. He's the one who hired me in Tulsa back in my 500-pound days after I'd just left a station in Ft. Smith that had rescinded a full-time offer because of my physicality not fitting the station's image.

Then, it was a few minutes later when I was face to face with my first broadcasting mentor, Joe Riddle. I can't even begin to list the things I learned from Joe. Sixteen-year-old Sean was in awe of him because he came from KRMG, a station I grew up listening to and admiring. We caught up for several minutes and agreed to meet up soon for a meal and more conversation. It's strange. I'm now twenty years older than he was when I first met him at KVRO.

There were other amazing moments. I had a great conversation with broadcasting legend Ronnie Kaye after the event--and the coolest encounter was completely unexpected...

I'm about to leave when I ran into Dan and Martha Potter. I congratulated Dan on his large market personality of the year win and all the other awards KRMG won throughout the evening. Then, his wife looks at me and asks, "Do you recognize me? I'm Martha, we went to school together." Oh my goodness!!! We did! Junior high and high school--yep, we did! Then, she goes on to mention how she's a regular reader of this blog and how much it's meant to her at various times over the years. Wow, what an unexpected gift that was! She mentioned my grandkids--and then Dan pulled up a photo of their first grandchild. I pulled up a picture too--and there we were, standing there talking about the joys of grandparenting.

Yeah, I'd say the best parts of last night's event had very little or really, nothing to do with what was on my dinner plate.   

Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Practice, peace, and calm,
Sean

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