Hello from Hershey, PA! I’ve been here, in the so-called Sweetest Place on Earth, for the past few days for a work conference. Let me tell you, there is chocolate everywhere! I got a Hershey Bar when I checked in. Every day when I get back to my hotel room, there are Hershey’s Kisses on the bedside table. On practically every available surface there are little baskets and plates full of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and York Peppermint Patties.
Which is awesome, in my opinion. But it’s fascinating to see how many people indulge in the treats and then talk about how bad they’ve been, how guilty they feel. If I had one wish (besides having enough money so I could just write all the time and not have to hold down a 9-5 job, that is), it would be to wave a magic wand and make it so people stopped thinking of food in terms of morality. What good does it get us, really? I mean, sure, maybe you think of food in terms of “good” and “bad” so that you don’t eat things that will make you fat or that prevent you from getting thin. But if restricting food almost never results in permanent weight-loss, then… what’s the point of all the moralizing? Wouldn’t we be better off spending our mental energy on things like mindful and intuitive eating, rather than on punishing ourselves if we “slip up” and “are bad”?
When I think about the amount of time I have wasted worrying about what was going in my mouth instead of appreciating all the things that food does for me – including giving me energy and providing me with pleasure, it makes me really sad. When I hear the countless people who still subscribe to the diet mentality and constantly talk about the morality of food, it’s exhausting. We have so many other things we could be doing with our lives instead of fretting about what we eat (mostly because we have been told that the only acceptable body size is a very small size).
Now, some people believe that not policing your food intake means I’m advocating binge eating and other things of that nature. Of course I’m not. If you have a problem controlling how much food you eat (in any way), then it’s important to acknowledge that and get help, if you’re ready and able.
Anyway, aside from being bummed that so many people can’t enjoy some all-American chocolate without being wracked with guilt, I have to say I’ve had a fantastic time here at the conference – networking, making new friends, and enjoying all the chocolate that Hershey has to offer. Bonus? I haven’t thought once about my body, about what my new friends and colleagues think about my body. Which is fantastic, because usually when I meet new people I immediately wonder what they think of what I look like. I’m not sure why this experience was so different. The people? The environment? Me? Either way, I’ll raise a (chocolate-rimmed) glass to that!
