Into the Unknown
There is a path that curves in front of you. It’s destination just a hope, the journey a daily experience. All you can do is decide if you’re going to go forward or live in the same daily chaos of fear. What ifs swirl through your mind, you shouldn’t do this you think, you’ll lose everything. Yet, there’s something that’s pulling, beckoning, calling. Maybe, just maybe this is the way out, the way to freedom, the way to safety. It’s just so scary, because it could lead to the end. The end of soothing with food snuck in the closet or hidden in the car. The end to feeling sick and bloated, sad and depressed. This path could simply take you to be face to face with yourself and find in the moment, that safety has been there for you all along.
I hope you’ll grab my hand and step out on this journey with me. I’ve walked this path, years ago, it’s an old friend now, and I’m comfortable with the twists and turns. The unknowns don’t scare me anymore, it’s become an exciting adventure. Let’s see where we go if we set down our diets and eating plans. Let’s see what happens when we experience taste and flavor and satisfy our hunger. Let’s stuff our mouths in front of all the people and laugh without shame. Let’s live this wild and decadent life. We only get one chance.
As you decide if this is a path you want to take, I want you to think about whether your life is best lived worrying about what you eat or enjoying time with friends and family. So, how does this work? Do you go to town on a box of twinkles and say, “damn the world?” I mean, okay, you could try that. . . I’ve had my own moments with forbidden foods and found that they aren’t as exciting when they’re brought into the light. When you have permission to eat, you suddenly are face to face with the scariest part of all. What do you want? What do you want with out any voices of judgement or shame whispering in your ear? What do you want when a menu is placed in your hands, if you could have anything, what would it be? You get to choose here, and then when the plate is set in front of you, you get to eat as much or as little as you want. You get to decide if you like it or if you wished you had ordered something different.
It’s interesting how much of a struggle the act of simply feeding ourselves really is when we take off all of the diet rules. It’s like going shopping without a credit limit, the fear of losing control lurks in the back of our mind and the weight of ‘what ifs’ hold us back from experiencing the joy of freedom. Only there isn’t an angry parent, spouse, or bank lurking on the other side. It’s all the versions of you that have to decide if feeding yourself with food that nourishes you is worth the risk. I hope that you decide that it is. I hope that you find how wonderful eating can be. I hope that you step out on this journey with me and realize that the freedom you’ve been longing for is all a part of the adventure.
