The 30 Day Challenge

A friend of mine, who has recently been making a lot of tremendous changes in his life, was standing in our kitchen the other night.  He recently stopped smoking.  It's been about two weeks since his last cigarette.  He said that he could definitely still feel the effects of the loss of nicotine in his system but, more than that, the change in his daily routine without the ever present pack of cigarettes or the several-times-a-day smoke break, was proving to be one of the most challenging parts of kicking the habit.

I felt an overwhelming sense of pride listening to my friend.  I am so encouraged by all the positive changes he is making in his life; quitting smoking being only one of them.  This got me thinking though.  All of the sudden I was convicted by the sense that, "I too, totally have an addiction!"  I have a habit that is so ingrained in my daily routine, is such an part of my day-to-day life that, were I to try to cut it out, it would be very, very uncomfortable for me.

What is this addiction?  Well, it starts with a "B" and ends with an "utter."

I am addicted to Peanut Butter.

Believe me, I'm aware how this sounds… probably stupid, maybe a tad trite, maybe even just down right silly but, I'm so serious when I tell you, I have an addiction to Peanut Butter.  I eat is every single day.

I eat it paired with a banana as part of my daily breakfast, or, I enjoy it on an apple as a mid-afternoon snack.  At times, I've been known to enjoy just a straight-up spoonful.  Oh! and let's not forget the mother of all PB pairings, the nostalgic bomb of a PB&J.

Why am I sharing this?  Well, as someone who says she's a proponent of healthy living including a well-balanced, nutritious diet, I can't very well just ignore the fact that, in my own life, I completely ignore a cardinal health rule - Everything in Moderation.

As my friend recounted how he felt without his cigs, I realized I really have an unhealthy, food relationship with Peanut Butter.  I crave it in an unhealthy way.  I eat it kind of voraciously, not like someone who is just enjoying it for it's taste but like a vampire whose life force comes from both the smooth and/or crunchy varieties.

I very sincerely am NOT trying to make light of other, more serious addictions but, in a very real way, this was a needed revelation for me and an area of my life that I could see garnered some focused attention and improvement.

Understandably, you may still think this is totally ridiculous but, after the idea popped in my head, I could not get it to go away.  Here was my dear friend talking about how he was building a new, healthier, more positive daily routine that did not include smoking and all I could think was, "Man... I could never give up Peanut Butter though."

So, what am I going to do?  I'm going cold turkey.  Peanut Butter has been such a staple of my daily routine for so many years that, for me, the only way I think I can truly kick the craving is to go cold turkey and not touch the stuff, in any form, for thirty days.  Thirty days is my goal, after which I will reevaluate how much I want to incorporate it back into my life.

For me, this is a challenge… The 30 Day, Peanut Butter Challenge.

In the right hand column you will find a ticker cataloguing the number of days my diet has been free of this lovely legume derivative.

Thank you for your support as I attempt to make a seemingly small, daily adjustment but, one that has the potential to positively effect my psyche and be an exercise in self control and discipline.