Food for Thought~daily Meditations 11-09

[Pony]

Today's Thought
THURSDAY , NOVEMBER 09, 2006
You are reading from the book Food for Thought.

Where's the Party?
Most of us have early memories of birthday parties - our own and those of other children - and as compulsive overeaters, we probably remember the food more than anything else. For as long as we can recollect, parties have meant eating and drinking. The better and more abundant the food and drink, the better the party; or so we thought.
Maintaining abstinence means that we will attend parties where we do not eat and drink, if what is available is not on our food plan. In order to do this with serenity and enjoyment, we need to redefine our idea of a party. It is no celebration if we break our abstinence and go back to compulsive overeating.
Through this program, we come to see that a party is something more than an occasion for eating and drinking. Enjoying ourselves with other people requires goodwill, mutual attraction, and the effort to communicate with and affirm each other. If these elements are present, there will be a party whether or not there is anything to eat or drink. If these elements are absent, no amount of refreshments will ensure a good time.
Thank You for fun.


©1980, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher.

[Nina Kay]

I really like this one. Changing our focus on what we are going to the party or get-together for, will surely change what we spend the most time doing at the party. It will change the meaning of the party, for sure. We will come away with happy memories, instead of regrets. I've tried this already and it really works if we remind ourselves right before we get to such an event, exactly what we are wanting to focus on and why we are really there. Thanks Pony for posting this reading. Very Useful.

[TheGirlInside]

Wouldn't that be nice (talking to self here) to be able to go home after a get-together without feeling over-full, bloated, "sugared up", etc...?

I like this, because I was at a wedding this past weekend, and then a child's birthday party. At the wedding, I ate my vegetables first (*pats self on head*), and there were two meats there. I wasn't feeling like, nor in the mood for cake, but I ate some anyway, thinking that it just "wouldn't be right" not to eat wedding cake, as though the bride and groom would be so offended if I dared not eat it (can ya say "justification"?)

I was better at the birthday party...but still overdid it. They wanted to feed us supper, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat any more without feeling overfull through morning, so I turned it down.

Thanks for posting for those of us who don't have access to/financial means to get a book just now.