June 4, 2008

Giving up fast food has taken me right back to that place where I was 1755 days ago. In a place where temptation lies around every corner and just because your friends are doing it doesn’t mean you can. Have I really taken it this far? Viewing fast food the same way I view crystal meth? Well both are harmful, both can become expensive, and I guess both be fatal? But fast food is such a staple of the American diet. There is no way that it can harmful. And yet our waistlines bulge and those patent leather pants I wore in high school just will not button. I recently watched a documentary filmed in the 1950s and 60s and I could not help but notice how fit everyone was. Have we really only become an obese nation in the past 50 years? How could we let this happen? Well for me at least it’s just because it’s so damn good. I’ve been forced to rethink my diet, actually go grocery shopping, eat healthy, and live on a budget. That’s right 4 and half years after sobriety I am finally becoming domesticated. It feels great but I never thought it would be such a struggle, just to change a few eating habits. Next on my long list of things to quit is soda, and smoking, and caffeine, oh and driving. That’s right I said it, I want to stop driving.

I was recently in a class and my professor explained the steps in a way that changed how I view them. He broke them down in to 3 groups, 1-3, 4-9, and 10-12. Steps 1-3 are about power. About giving up power and allowing some higher power to guide and direct your thinking. Not surrendering your free will necessarily but just remembering who is really in charge, and making sure it isn’t you. Step 4-9 are about forgiveness and redemption, starting with forgiving yourself and then learning to forgive others. Finally steps 10-12 are all about service, service to your fellow man as well as daily cultivation of your spiritual condition. And finally learning that I only have control over what I say and do.

Oh and just a side note I gave up fast food for a class and I don’t actually think I have a problem with it lol. I received a flood of concerned emails expressing concern about my new found addiction. So don’t worry I haven’t added fast food to the addicted to list yet.

Some have been thought brave because they were afraid to run away.
-- Thomas Fuller