My neighbor invited us over for gluten free vegan cake to celebrate her birthday. We didn’t go because our son had pink eye and we didn’t want to share. She lovingly brought us some cake the following evening.
I was so excited - until I saw that it had chocolate icing. I love chocolate, but not at 6pm.
I was SO excited to get my taste buds on this cake, but knew the chocolate might disrupt my sleep, so I put it aside for the morning.
After breakfast, at 10am the next morning I sat down to devour the delicious gluten free vegan cake with chocolate frosting. After a few bites I was satiated. I tasted a lot of sugar in the cake and wasn’t compelled to have any more. Partially because of the taste and because I knew it might throw off my blood sugar and rob me of my morning energy.
I’m grateful to the mentors who have helped me cultivate body awareness around food and sleep. By honing in on what fuels my body and what doesn’t and being clear on my goals to feel good and energetic throughout the day I am able to make better choices for myself.
Delayed gratification is a tough skill to cultivate. I wanted sleep more than I wanted to eat the cake and by delaying the cake party to the morning, I got to have my sleep and my cake and eat it too. On a different night, this decision might have been different. For example, if I had attended the birthday celebration, the social pressures may have caused me to eat the cake right then and there.
The way this situation unfolded was worth every wink and every bite.
Do you ever delay gratification or have your cake and eat it too?
What gives you energy or drains yours?
