Good Things, Bad Timing

I like:

• Being healthy
• Free things
• Snow

I don't like:

• Clear nasal passages and an appetite that make me realize just how much I miss sweets
• Platters full of free cookies and brownies that I'm not supposed to eat
  
• Snow when it means I lose a bet

After two days of forgoing sugar I was feeling impressed with my ability to abstain with relative ease. Physically, I was actually feeling pretty under weather with a nasty head cold but was happy to learn that as long as I was sick, all I would be craving was soup, tea, and Ricola. So when I woke up this morning and could breathe in through both my nostrils, I knew this would spell bad news for my sugar-free diet. Sure enough, by 10:30 I was browsing the Internet admiring sumptuous pictures of delectable pies, cupcakes, and cookies.

Ricola, great for sore throats, not for deprived sweet teeth.

My craving grew even stronger after lunch so I resorted to popping Ricolas in my mouth, desperately hoping the natural Swiss herbs would soothe not only my soar throat but also my unsatisfied tummy. The need for sugar was beginning to subside when a co-worker walked in with a plate full of baked goods, informing me there were left-overs from a board meeting and I was welcome to any of it.

And then it started to snow. Now, I owe a colleague lunch.

I won't lie, it's kind of a bummer when timing is off. If I had been sick one more day refusing free brownies would have been a cinch, or if the free goodies had shown up last week I could have stuffed my face full of chocolate to my hearts content. But I learned a few things by missing out today.

• This one is obvious, but being healthy is always preferable to being sick. Plus, if I can't taste sugar I'd like to taste other yummy things... like a delicious salad with shrimp, tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado.
• I've been a little envious of my family in New England and all the snow they've been pummeled with this winter. It was wonderful to finally see the fluffy white stuff falling from the sky and collecting on the ground. But more importantly, it's really nice living in a city that doesn't know how to deal with the snow, resulting in a two-hour early dismissal from work for me.
• Finally, it was hard refusing the free dessert. But it also felt good to stare them in the eye and say (in my head, of course) I don't need you! Kind of liberating, just in a restrictive way. And don't worry I didn't let those free cookies go to waste. I located a Ziploc bag, grabbed five or ten goodies, and shared them with my grandmother, cousins, and their delightful children.

Here's to hoping for a snow day from work tomorrow!