Jelly Beans

As is often the case, I 'fell off the wagon' this holiday weekend in my resolution to lose twenty pounds this year. I'm comforted in remembering that in the case of calories and most other areas of life, it's the rule and not the exception that defines the way things turn out. As a rule, I've been counting my calories, eating lots of vegetation, and being a generally active person.

The exception lasted about four days. I was doing all right until a friend brought donuts to a group meeting on Thursday night. It kinda went down hill from there. Then there was cookie dough, Easter candy, animal crackers, fantastic coconut Easter cupcakes, and (two bowls of) Olive Garden chicken and gnocchi soup. My guess is there were as many calories in the soup as in every other junk item I ate combined. I justified eating these things by noting that I ate them with not-often-seen family.

Yesterday during our one waking hour at home, I told Trooper he could have some Easter candy. While I was in the bathroom, I heard an ominous clatter. I hurried to the dining room, expecting to see jelly beans all over the table, but all I found was their bowl, empty and sitting in its place on the table.

"Where are the jelly beans?"

Shrug and smile.

"Where did the jelly beans go?"

"I poured them."

"Well, I heard them pouring. Where did you pour them?"

He gave a sidelong glance at the trashcan, and I saw one red jelly bean perched on top of the less pretty refuse.

"You threw them away?"

Another shrug. "I don't like them."

So I lectured him about throwing away perfectly good food, but even as I spoke, I wondered if I should scold him or thank him for saving me from eating six hundred calories worth of jelly beans.

If you lost track of your diet this past weekend, let this be an encouragement to you. Monday is a great day to start over. And if not Monday, then Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday...

Just start over, already.