The other day, as my husband, daughter and I stood in line at Starbucks, I couldn’t help but notice the delicious desserts on display in the case. The line was moving pretty slowly, so I had plenty of time to notice lots of my favorite goodies.
There was a double dark chocolate cupcake with fudgy frosting that looked rich and delicious.
Then I noticed a very pretty petite lemon iced bundt cake.
Recognizing my chocolate fetish, there was a chocolate cheesecake screaming my name.
I couldn’t help but enjoy every single one of them… without eating one bite!
I stared into that case, appreciating the texture, beauty, color, and imagined taste of each one of my favorites. What came to mind was a time that I had sworn off cake just because I could find no other way to keep myself from eating more than one piece at a time.
I was just in my twenties. I made sure to tell my grandmother that cake was no longer an option for me, so she should not bake my favorite chocolate cake each and every week. But Gram was in denial that her favorite customer was no longer in the market for cake. She continued baking the cakes… and I continued enjoying them… in my own new way.
I soon figured out that in addition to the taste, I also LOVED the sight and smell of those cakes. So I would pick up the entire cake while I looked and sniffed and continue looking and sniffing until I wanted to look and sniff no more.
You know what? It worked. While I always thought I needed to eat to satisfy a craving, I figured out that I had two other senses (sight and smell) that could appreciate dessert without adding to my hips.
At Starbucks, my daughter jumped in on the fun as we debated whether the chocolate cupcake or the vanilla cupcake was more appealing. I guess it’s simply a matter of personal preference – just like how we choose to appreciate extra dessert.
For those times when you’ve already reached your Joy food quota, try using your other senses to appreciate whatever desserts you want. Hey, it works for me… and my thinner hips prove it!
Comments