Deb emailed me about my latka blog.
She asked what to do about that special seasonal food you can’t get all year long.
For her, it’s Snickers Nutcrackers.
For me, it’s anything sprinkled with crushed candy canes.
(have you tasted Pepperidge Farm’s Geneva cookies?
Crushed  candy canes instead of crushed nuts!
Discovered them yesterday – going back to clear the shelves tomorrow!!).
What’s it for you?

My latka strategy won’t work.
You can’t tell yourself you can have it whenever you want if it’s only sold now
(unless you buy the entire stock and hide it from the kids, as I plan to do tomorrow).

Let’s assume your body is telling you you’ve eaten enough.
You’re no longer hungry,
and you come across your favourite holiday treat .
Let’s even add in that you always share it at your annual family reunion,
which may not happen again next year.

You know that if you eat it, you’ll be uncomfortable.

Ask yourself

“what will change if I never eat this food, ever again?”

Be still for a moment.
Consider it, really.
For me, the answer is always “nothing”

Whenver I’ve invited a client to consider it, they have the same response.
Nothing will change.

And yet we place so much importance on our memories of foods.
So many associations, attachments.
That we can keep if they please us.
But considering this question helps us realize
that eating that food again,
now,
will never bring back the feeling we had at the time we formed the association.
All it will bring us now is indigestion and extra weight.

What we want now,
and always,
is to feel connected.

With ourselves
and with the people we are sharing food with.

Because you’ll feel physically comfortable if you choose not to have it,
you won’t be arguing with yourself in your mind
about how you should have said no,
how much you should eat,
and how weak you are,
I bet you’ll feel a deeper connection
to yourself
and to them.

Which is all any of us ever want.