Let It Go? Oh!

Don't you love it when the universe conspires to help you just when you need it most? That happened to me a few weeks ago. It was the first day my daughter and I were coming off the elimination diet to our less restricted current version of the ED: gluten-free, soy-free and whole milk cheese-free.

I was beginning to freak out about the idea that we could eat sugar, chocolate, non-organic foods, corn, and all the things we were restricted from eating for 13 weeks. Worried that relatives and friends would start offering us foods that I deemed unhealthy and we wouldn't have any reasonable excuse to avoid it, then our downward spiral into unhealthy eating would return. We had become such healthy eaters during the ED, I didn't want to lose that. I was sure that something had to be done, and quick, to avoid our almost certain doom. I know, such drama! But that's really how it felt.

I had some neighborhood ladies over to my house and we had the whole evening to just chat. I started picking their brains about what they do and how much thought they were giving to organic foods and avoiding sugar, junk foods, hydrogenated oils and the like.

They said, well, we do our best to provide healthy balanced meals at home, because we know when the kids are outside the home, they may eat foods that aren't so healthy. That part, they said, they just had to decide to let go. I said, yes, that's what I thought, I should make sure my food at home is organic, healthy and balanced. But, I pressed on, what can I do? The same information was repeated, yes, we all agreed that between activities, school, parties, relatives and friends houses that the kids were getting a lot of junk food, and so just provide as healthy food as possible when they eat at home. Just let the rest of it go.

I sat for a moment, pondering. Struggling. I was still thinking, yes, yes, I understand, but what can I do? Yes, okay, let it go. Oh! Then it hit me. Oh! I have to Let.It.Go.

Wow. I was really struggling to control this area of our life. I have noticed that letting go has been the key to freeing up other areas of my life, but it had not occurred to me to apply it here. What a freeing realization once it hit me, though. Thank goodness for good friends!