Nothing to Fear

I am so saddened that nearly everyone I know is afraid of food. I bake nearly every day and I love to share food. There is nothing to fear except joy! I am not fat. I am quite fit, too. I walk or ride my bike everywhere. I agree with the runners who say "listen to your body." If I want chocolate I eat it. If I want apple pie or scones I make them and eat them and share them. I love vegetables, cheese, meat, everything is good! I love to listen to my body and fulfill its wishes.

I used to be afraid of food, mostly because I got stomach aches all the time as a child and didn't know why. We were a family of hypochondriacs, and I learned to be afraid of my body. I was sure I wouldn't live to be 16. It has been a long haul for me. But I have overcome the fears of food and the body. I wish I could convince people to rejoice in their cravings and satisfy them. Put your love of life into creating, sharing, and eating good food! The effort and the sharing is part of the reward.

Many of the women I know don't trust themselves to have good food or leftovers in the house. They fear they will not stop eating. I think of a friend who thought being self-employed meant I would just sit home and read all day. Maybe you need to do that for a spell, but you will get down to work. What's wrong with that? Maybe when you bake your first pumpkin pie you'll eat more than usual, but not forever. The act of making a pie will energize you. Maybe it will inspire you to take a long walk. You will adjust to having good pies in your home. You will learn to trust yourself, but it will take time, like raising a child or a puppy. If you can't listen to and trust yourself, how can you trust anything in life? Isn't that what we are here to do? What do we want to pass along to our children, fear, or a love of life?