I Am a Good Student

I didn't get to write yesterday; a very long day and I was exhausted at the end. Surprisingly, I felt best while at Books-A-Million and Wal-Mart. Books-A-Million-- yeah, a million books this writer has no interest in reading. Honestly, every time I walk in there to buy a specific book, they have to order it. Anyway, like many other bookstores, this one boasts a Starbuckish coffee spot called "Joe Muggs". I was in desperate need of a caffeine jolt so Kara, Candy and I made a beeline for it as soon as we made some book selections. After ordering a grande regular I waited for Kara's Caramelwhateveritisthatlooksasfatteningashell. I really have to hand it to the coffee joint marketing people. Instead of lining up at the register, you have to line up in front of a... BAKED GOODS COUNTER!!!!!! The muffins and slices of cake were safe behind some rather thick glass, but out of the corner of my eye, just... within... reach... oh my GOD, it's a cookie sliced into wedge-shaped pieces!! SAMPLES! My mind went into overdrive, instantly I had a sweet little angel on my right side and a cute little devil on my left:


Me:"Will it hurt to have just a taste?"
Cute Little Devil: "No! You have been working hard to get your head on straight and you DID have a good workout yesterday. C'mon, a sample never KILLED anybody!"
Me: "Eh, I know I shouldn't. If I give in right now, I will be finished for the day."
Sweet Little Angel: "That's right! Now you're thinking straight! Go for the gold, you've got this!!!"
Cute Little Devil: "But it's chocolate chip! You LOVE chocolate! Hey, look over there! It's Ghirardelli dark chocolate with raspberry filling! I'm tellin' you, don't listen to halo-head over there; indulge a little, you deserve it!"
Girl Behind the Counter: "Your daughter's order is ready."


Once again, crisis averted-- I was able to walk away and the smell of victory was rather pungent.


Cut to Wal-Mart. I have been trying to avoid shopping at Wal-Mart, especially when it comes to groceries. Yesterday, I had so many other things to buy I backslid for the sake of convenience. Everything was going well, found the Southwestern style EggBeaters I like, some nice salmon, tilapia, flounder and chicken breasts. Lots of broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and asparagus; oh and don't forget celery. Things were going way too well, I mean I could sense it. There was a great disturbance in the force. I went around a corner and right there in front of me, on the endcap were chocolate mint oreo cookies. From what I could tell, they were similar to the Thin Mints sold by the girl scouts and brownies. I stretched out my arm and realized that muscle memory is not limited to positive actions and it very well may be that negative muscle memory is the strongest of the two. 


While training him, Yoda told young Luke Skywalker, "You must unlearn what you have learned." Interesting concept when honing a skill but even more interesting and difficult when applied to physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. I have learned that I must eat to feel full. I have learned that eating makes me feel happy. I have learned that because exercise makes me gasp for breath, I am doing too much. 


I have always been proud of myself for being an A student. Today I am ready to forget everything I have learned in order to pass this new life course.