Green, Green, Everywhere...not a drop to drink! That was last year's theme on St. Patrick's Day. I was one-quarter through my year off from drinking alcohol, and to be honest, it was no problem for me to resist the urge to have a drink, just one, on that festive day. This year, it's sugar (or sweets) and it's not that easy. For some reason, my resolve to abstain from confectionery indulgence has been a bigger challenge than I expected. During 2011, Alcohol, was easy, but homemade, organic chocolate chip cookies is another thing.
It's just not cookies. For some reason, I cannot avoid the occasional "Annie's Bran" muffin from Grand Central Bakery, or the "Super Cookie" from The New Deal Cafe, or the "Pumkin Loaf" from Starbucks. I should probably point out that all of these delights--including my morning cookie delight today--includes coffee with my treat. Perhaps my problem isn't sugar at all, but the drink I choose to have with my sweet indulgence. But as I've mentioned before, I'm not giving up caffeine in the form of my morning coffee. But I will struggle to resist the treats that elude my resistance.
Maybe my resolve to avoid sweets isn't as firm as my proven track record with drinking. In fact, my return to enjoying alcoholic drinks is greeted with a new appreciation, as well as an acute awareness of my moods and my limits. Needless to say, I've not over-indulged in drinking alcohol, but last night, I ate six warm chocolate chip cookies with no guilt at all. But on this special day, drinking isn't so much my focus as in the past. I guess for most of the St. Patrick's Day celebrations in my adult past, I celebrated just because my friends were celebrating. Maybe I just went along with the crowd...so to speak. But not this time.
My most memorable St. Patty's Day was 2001, Honolulu, Hawaii, with friends Harv, Cheryl, and Diana. Even Kandy had a good time although she's not one to overly "party it up" as you might think. Another memorable celebration was just a few years ago. We were still in our town home in Fairview, OR. We'd decided to take a month off of drinking to 'health up' and we were cleaning in our garage...when Kandy said, "Hey, it's Saint Patrick's Day! We should have a black and tan." And we literally made one black and tan beer and shared it in the garage. That was special!
Other than mentioned, there hasn't been any memorable celebrations on March 17th over the years. Maybe because, at some places like in Korea or the Philippines, every day was like a party day as most of the people I hung with in the Air Force went out to party when on temporary duty in certain locations. As former President Bill Clinton said, "Fun Times!"
So, what to do about sugar...it's almost in everything. My best chance for working on my quest to avoid sugar will be to moderate my intake and choose healthy options when it comes to enjoying treats. Time and Occasion! Make it special, and enjoy it without guilt.
I'll leave you with this. In my efforts to live life with passion, I came across a great poem from Chief Tecumseh of the Shawnee. I learned of this quote in the movie, Act of Valor, about the real US Navy Seals. I highly recommend this movie. Below are a few clips; the movie trailer, and the quote, both from YouTube.com. Enjoy and stay in touch.
Don
