I don't know about you but going into a coffee shop and tucking into a slice of cake whilst sipping my beverage tends to always make me feel guilty by the time I clamber back into my car.
But, think about it, why feel guilty? "Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted...", said novelist Marthe Troly-Curtin. Can I apply this principal to my slice of cake? Did I enjoy the taste? Yes. Did I enjoy the feeling in my stomach after it had been eaten? Yes. Did I enjoy the high cost? Obviously not. But with that said, I had a relaxed and peaceful moment where life slowed right down and things were good. So how can I possibly feel guilty about this?
There is some mechanism inside of some people; people who may be training for some athletic event, or people who have agreed with their bestie to not eat anything sweet. Or people like myself who are carrying a lot of extra pounds. But this mechanism acts like the Good Conscience. "Don't do it, it's a bad idea," it'll holler whilst you check out the baked goods on display. "Don't take your debit card out, this is not what you want," it'll shriek after you order. And "Dammit, why!?," it'll sob when you stick your fork in to break off that first crumbly sweet corner. Then once you've eaten, "You're fat and that's an extra stone now that you have to lose," it'll huff.
But in almost 20 years, or certainly for the majority of my adult life, I've realised that putting restrictions on things seem to make you want them more. Have you ever been told to not look behind you? What do you do? Yep, you look behind you. Been told to not touch something? Hm? When you think you've got no eyes on you, you sneak a finger out and touch it. I'm sure we've all done it. So what will someone telling you to not eat something do? Well, if you don't eat it you're likely going to crave it. And if, at a later time or date, the craving gets too much, what happens? If you're like me, you go to the nearest shop and buy all manner of things that are bad for you and you inhale most of it. Mousses, crisps, chocolate, whatever. Because you know you shouldn't be eating it. And you've been craving it. And it seems to make sense at the time.
Only it doesn't. Because why deprive yourself of it in the first place? "Everything in moderation" is a well-known quote which stemmed from the Ancient Greeks in the 6th Century BC. I don't know why that quote appeared, but I like to think that, not only were they wise, but they also had trouble avoiding the good stuff.
On top of this, I seem to be constantly reminding myself. No, reassuring myself. Try again: excusing myself that I'm new to all this. That I've been stuck in this awful rut and I'm slowly Changing and therefore should go easy on myself. But I think that, after these last few months, I'm past that stage now and should embrace the fact that, just like Coffee, sweet things are a part of my life. In a negative world, they are a little slice of warmth. And so I return once more to the first Change that I made on this site: snacks.
And so, in response to the title of this post "Guilty or not?", no. No, you shouldn't feel guilty for enjoying a little something each day. With the addition of more Changes in the not-too-distant future, things will balance out. And as long as you are mindful of what you are eating, and relishing that little slice of goodness (remember, everything in moderation) each day, or every other day, your mind and soul will be happy. And in this day and age, it feels like that's the most important thing.
Until the next post, Big Love xx