One evening I wanted something sweet (odd) and noticed that I had half a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in my fridge. I enjoyed a few, shut the fridge and went to bed.
Next night, had a few more "little chips" than the night before.
Next night, looked forward to the chips and finished the bag. Cool. They're gone. Those little suckers are surprisingly good.
Two days later at the store, I found myself in the chocolate aisle. I bought a bag of Hersey's Dark Chocolate with Almonds. They were individually wrapped - Halloween Style. I thought one per night would be nice if I wanted it.
The bag was gone in four days. I confessed to Rachel on our run. She's a chocolate girl so she understood completely. I told her I would feel better just not buying it for a week.
Not four hours later, I was at the store carousing in the chocolate aisle and picked out a mint chocolate bar with 18 small squares. I thought it would be perfect for after dinner... one or two squares.
Yesterday morning I stopped to get gas and ice and found myself eyeing the chocolate bars in the gas station... do they have the mint kind? No purchase made but I was looking...
This brings me to last night. No chocolate in the fridge. The drive to eat something sweet was pretty intense but we didn't have anything that qualified - problem solved.
As I did my usual fall asleep thinking, I realized that I have been pretty tough on all the girls I've ever trained who have a "chocolate thing". I disregarded it completely. At (almost) age 42, I've discovered that chocolate is evil. I apologize!
I woke up thinking about this story that was in the news a few weeks ago. To summarize, a science journal published an opinion piece on the basis that sugar is so dangerous to our health and so addictive that it should be treated like a controlled substance by the government. I don't believe in government intervention in these things but the story seems less like BS now that I'm wandering the chocolate aisle like a crack whore.
No chocolate for a week. Period.
No chocolate for a week. Period.
How we live the first 30 years of our life seems to define how we live the second 30 years - its called 'karmic momentum'. So choose your addictions carefully. In the first half of our life addictions seem to be fun and often part of our 'best times' but in the second half of our life these same addictions control us. Or as one of my mentors teacher said when referring to whiskey "you drink the alcohol don't ever let the alcohol drink you".
ReplyDeleteSo there can be good addictions (if that is the right term for a positive influence in our life) e.g. the right amount of sleep, the right amount of food, moderate exercise that hopefully is also fun, time alone in contemplation (meditation), intimacy with a loved one, humour (or at least a light attitude to change and new ideas), and each person can also add whats appropriate for themselves.
In general is chocolate a bad food? - No! Is there such a thing as a chocolate addiction? - Yes! But whats more important is the self observation relating to one's relationship with chocolate - or any behaviour & thought pattern. Then once we take responsibility for those patterns we then have a choice to either repeat the behaviour/thought or change them. :)
Good stuff David! I have watched my chocolate "situation" with the "Observer is the observed" theory in mind. I also wondered if enjoying the chocolate was a by-product of having my diet in balance. There has never been room for any "sweet" because of all of the hot, spicy and salty. Just thoughts...
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