The Beast

Entry #6

For the past day and a half I've been working in my classroom getting it ready for the opening of school in two weeks. Before going back I thought it would be much easier to stick to my diet once I went back to school. I'd be so busy preparing for the first day of school, my mind would be occupied and my body busy. No such luck.

You see, there is in our staff room a monster lurking. The beast is commonly known as the vending machine. This contraption is loaded with all kinds of treats (Snickers, Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies, Doritos, just to name a few). They've each got their own little window so it's oh, so easy to get a good look at the goodies. I came close to fishing through my purse for $.75 to plunk in the thing. Luckily good sense prevailed and I left the room.

Now when stuff like this happens I've been trying to stop and figure out why I have the desire to eat something that would not be a good food choice, especially when I am definitely not hungry. As I thought about this, I realized I was viewing the food as a comfort or consolation of sorts. Why do I need consoling? The answer came to me -"because I'm here at work all alone and the other teachers are still enjoying their vacation." Oh, boo hoo. Poor me! I should be (and am) grateful to have a secure job in a good district, surrounded by colleagues who care about each other. That's my consolation!!