I am so incredibly glad Thanksgiving is over.
Suggested Reading
We left Dayton at 1 a.m. today, and arrived back home in Raleigh at 9 a.m., beating the worst of the holiday traffic and giving me the day to work through my holiday hangover. Soon after I write this, Iโm going to take a nap, and then (drum roll, please) Iโm going to reintroduce myself to the gym.
As we pulled out of Momโs driveway just after midnight, I was so close to tears I almost cried. It was my annual trek back home, and I was reminded that once a year just doesnโt cut it. I needed to get back there at least twice a year, and vowed to do so. Fortunately, I see my mother two sometimes three times a year, when she comes here to Raleigh or meets us in Columbus or Orlando for one of Skyโs cheer competitions.
I have to say, Thanksgiving this year wasnโt nearly as stressful as itโs been in years past, and I like to believe that signals growth on my part. Not only did I not care what others thought about me or my weight, I didnโt respond to any weight-related comments. This year, there was just one โ that I heard โ and I chose not to acknowledge it. Inwardly, I allowed myself to wonder what the other personโs reaction would be if I criticized his looks . . . and then I let it go.
In fact, Iโve been letting a lot of things go, recently, and so far thatโs been working out well. There was a conflict, of sorts, at work last week. We worked through it โ even the icky stuff โ there were apologies, and then I just let it all go. Itโs over, time to move on, life is good.
In the past, Iโd be mistrustful, try to second-guess the othersโ โtrueโ intentions. Thatโs putting a lot of time and attention into something over which I have no control, and I just donโt, wont, do that anymore. Same goes for family relationships, immediate and extended. ย Thereโs big-time drama going on, but it has nothing to do with me, and I feel no need to borrow trouble, or to find out whatโs really going on, because frankly, even though Iโm sure itโs all juicy stuff, itโs time spent in negativity, in other peoplesโ business, in family drama Iโm mildly curious about, and somewhat sad about, but not willing to do anything about.
You donโt have to read between the lines to understand what Iโm saying here. The situation and people and places havenโt changed; whatโs changed is how Iโve chosen to react to them. Believe it or not, that includes food, and is likely why I made it through the holiday without gaining any weight โ that and walking at least 6 miles on Black Friday.
I told you I would only eat when I was hungry, and I did. Even better: I stopped when I was satisfied. The bad news is, most of my meals were incredibly unhealthy, with the exception of Friday night, when Mom made some greens to complement all the other leftovers. I ate mostly greens that night, with a little leftover mac โn cheese. If there hadย been any ham left, I would have had that as well, but the ham was one of the first casualties of the night. (Yes, Iโm completely off the vegetarian bandwagon, but continue to opt for meatless meals more often than not.)
Even though I didnโt overeat, most of what I did consume had little or no nutritional value. Like pound cake for breakfast. My sister-in-law made a fab lemon pound cake, one of my all-time favorites.ย In fact, we had a total of six pies โ not including all those sweet potato pie tarts Iโd made โ and dozens of cookies. Thatโs quite a variety of desserts to consider after consuming one of the largest meals of the year. Despite folks taking home plates of entire dinners to consume the next day, there were many leftovers at Momโs house.
Everything except greens, though. So Mom made a big pot on Friday. Again, I didnโt want to overeat and feel miserable and/or sorry for myself, so I ate mostly greens that night, ignoring the turkey, dressing, gravy and yams. I topped it off with a slice of key lime pie.
I think 10 hours of Black Friday shopping also helped to keep my weight in check. Sky and I arose at 2 a.m., hit an outlet mall just north of Cincinnati from 3 to 6 a.m., then a large Cincinnati mall from 6:30 to noon.ย On Saturday, I didnโt even want to think about leftovers, opting instead for game-day snacks (and more pound cake) as we watched my alma mater stomp Michigan, and various other college football games throughout the day.
I turned in around 7:30 p.m., because we were going to leave at midnight, and I had the first leg. (Note to self: Forget about night driving. Night = sleep, and no matter how awake I might feel, itโs a dangerous and unnecessary undertaking. So, no more.) Unbeknownst to me, Mom โ who doesnโt like sweet potato or pumpkin pie โ packed turkey sandwiches and the rest of the tarts along with other snacks for our trip.
I discovered them while unpacking here at home. Now that Iโve had a turkey sandwich, itโs naptime, then off to the gym. Iโm sick of the tarts, thank goodness, and the pound cake is long gone, so Iโm hoping I can wean myself off sweets during the week ahead.
Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often. ~ย Johnny Carson
โFriendโ me on the Less Leslie Facebook page!
Leslie J. Ansley is an award-winning journalist and entrepreneur who blogs daily for TheRoot. She lives in Raleigh, NC.
Straight From
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.