The Pink Bakery Box

As I sat at my desk this morning a trio of women came into the church to do some work. They brought with them a square pink box filled with assorted donuts. Well ...  I didn’t actually look in the box, but I assumed that it was a bakery box and inside were donuts of assorted flavors. Maybe some puffy glazed donuts, some chocolate glazed cake donuts with sprinkles, maybe a maple glazed bar, or a chocolate bar with custard, a maple glazed old fashioned, or, my favorite, an apple fritter! (Geez … why did I just go there?!) Anyway, one of the women confirmed my suspicions when she popped her head in the office and asked if I was eating donuts.  I replied, “No thank you.” She said, “OK” and retreated. I immediately felt as though my response was less than it could have been … should have been.

So, I tracked her down (upstairs) and told her I would like to change my answer about the donuts to, “Thank you, but no thank you.” And I let her know that I did appreciate her asking me. She responded that my answer had been fine. I’m glad it was for her, but it wasn’t for me. I realized that there had been no graciousness in my response. No gratitude and acknowledgement of her generosity in the offering. It was generous and it was thoughtful, even if I didn’t appreciate the food item enough to want to partake in it … even though I now view such  processed foods as garbage and (almost) evil (too much?!). Certainly a detriment to anyone’s health who would ingest them. However, there was a time, not all that long ago, when I would have said yes and gladly scarfed down two or three … in a single sitting. And then gone back for more when no one was looking.

I really did appreciate her offering me the donuts … giving me the choice. Because the flip side of that, and something I encounter all too often with “well-intentioned” folks who know I am eating a certain way and don’t understand (aka the “food police”),  are comments like: “You don’t want these, you’re vegan.” Or, “You can’t have these… you’re on a diet.” That’s the one I dislike most. First of all, it’s not a “diet,” it's a way of eating. Second, I can have anything I want … my choice as a consenting, consuming adult. And honestly, I didn’t want those donuts. I still don’t after having envisioned them and written about them in varying flavors and types. They didn’t get under my skin as they once would have. That’s what whole food plant based eating will do for you.

I’m down 52 pounds. Off one diabetes medication. On a lowered dose of meds for blood pressure. Off prescription NSAID’s for five days now and not in as much pain as I would have thought. Off cholesterol meds and no longer “craving” donuts or other unwholesome, processed (junk) foods. And … I can feel my xiphisternum. Yeah … I went there. Two weeks ago I didn’t even know I had a xphisternum (or xiphoid process). That’s the little bumpy place where your lower sternum meets your ribs. I thought I had found a tumor or growth but no … just my xiphoid process coming to the surface as the fat melts away. I also have these little indentations in my neck and décolletage area, around my clavicle, that I haven’t seen in years. Yup, that's what a whole food plant based no oil (WFPBNO) way of eating will do for you!