Temptation

Temptation is something that's always there - always will be. We can give in to it or overcome it, but it's there, and isn't always easy to ignore.

I've been working my way along my wellness journey for just over 3 months now. Most days are easy - the simple fact is that the healthy habits have become just that - habit. The thought of eating unhealthy foods usually doesn't even cross my mind just because it simply isn't an option for me, and hasn't been for quite some time now. This is both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because I don't have to "overcome" things or struggle with them or feel deprived, because it isn't even a thought or consideration for me. It's a curse because when those thoughts do come to me... when I'm unable to ignore things and I'm truly tempted, I feel ill-equipped to handle it.

This weekend was like that...  It seemed that every where I turned, there were delicious temptations available to me. Now, anyone that knows me, knows that I have a sweet tooth - and that the term "sweet tooth" is a major understatement as it applies to me. Chocolate, in particular, has a special place in my heart.

So I encounter:

• chocolate easter bunnies (the 1-lb, solid variety, which would be delightful dipped in peanut butter...mmmmm)
• chewy/gooey cookies containing both chocolate chips and mini peanut-butter cups
• nanaimo bars
• boston cream pie (which seems more like a cake than a pie, but whatever...)
• those peanut butter balls that have rice crispies in them and are covered with chocolate
• chocolate covered strawberries
• butter tart squares
• date squares
• cheesecake
• chocolate torte
• chocolate lava cake
• those soft "turnover" cookies made by Voortman

This is all over the course of two days, where I'm literally inundated with these tasty treats every time I turn around. There's really only so much a girl can be expected to take. So today, after withstanding temptation all weekend, I found myself at the grocery store, gazing longingly at a tube of cookie dough. It was like time stopped. Me and the cookie dough were all that existed {sigh}. If I was on TV or a movie, there would be cheezy music playing in the background, the clouds would part and rays of sunshine would shine down, and perhaps it would quickly flash to a peaceful meadow scene where I am shown running with open arms to the object of my desire.

I finally shook myself out of my reverie, and hastily made my way to the checkout and out of the store - without the cookie dough :).

Most of the time, I have no problem making the choices that I should be making - ones that bring me closer to my goal, rather than further away. Weekends and days like these, though, serve to remind me that temptation will always be out there, and I need to be ready to handle it. While perhaps I did "handle it" this time, here's hoping that next time I handle temptation with a little more grace, and a little less fantasizing about cookie dough :)