Back in the day, there was a Life® cereal commercial that shows a couple of cute kids discussing the cereal. Finally, they say,” Give it to Mikey. He hates everything.”
But Mikey eats it.
Sometimes I feel like Mikey. The guy people give stuff to when they want to to get rid of the food they’re not sure they want or that they “don’t want to go to waste.” Of course, it’s really my responsibility to say, “No, thanks.” The reall challenge is that more times than not, I don’t turn it away. This is particularly true at home.
Sometimes I feel like my wife inherited the Depression era mindset that her mother and father had. You know, never get rid of anything because it might come in useful at some point in the distant future. And, God forbid, you throw any food down the garbage disposal. Or leave it at the restaurant. Better for it to turn into a science experiment in the refrigerator.
Or go into my stomach.
It’s tough to say “no” to someone you’re close to because it’ll either hurt their feelings or it’ll start a fight. That’s part of the cost of this whole weight reduction thing. There are people who have a vested interest in me staying my same jolly ol’ fat self. It either reflects badly on them because they aren’t in great shape or there is the fear that if I change too much and start looking really good with the extra confidence that comes with it, that I may start to look for new people to hang out with. That would be bad news if one of those people was the person I was married to.
So, on the one hand, I kind of understand the background of “Hey, just have a little more. Don’t let it go to waste.” and on the other hand I know I have to stay strong against this kind of good hearted, well intentioned feeding.
I’m kind of rambling here. I don’t want to be mean or nasty and, truth be told, my knee hurts and the pain meds might be affecting my judgement but I can’t help but notice that there things other than my own, natural desire to eat when I’m bored, angry, frustrated, etc. Things that have nothing to do with me directly. Things I still need to be on the look out for.
