Gymnotes

I sort of don’t know how to start this post, because I know when I’m all done I will have committed to never having fast food.  Again.  And, because I’m fairly obsessive, I know I cannot really make a commitment like that, because as soon as I do, I’ll head right to a drive through for a big whatever.

When I was a little girl, we had a McDonald’s or a Jack In The Box (I truly can’t remember) on the corner.  And I remember my Mom having to call in the order.  This was around the same time the jogging craze started.  Go figure.  Eating “out” was a treat, and exciting.  Little packets of ketchup, burgers wrapped in paper.  It was exciting.  Happy Meals were meals that my mom didn’t have to cook.  A treat for everyone.  My first job was at Jack In The Box, which explains my craving for Breakfast Jacks, Lemon Turnovers and Orange Juice.  All in one meal.  I ordered the same thing for years, until the Lemon Turnover went away.  Sadness.

So.  I get it.  We are set up to be happy with shit in a bag, and sad if we don’t get the treats we want.

Fast forward to today.  I had a coupon for a Rally’s in Fresno.  It was totally free, except for $4 and change.  I love saving money.  We went to the drive through, and sat and waited for this grease bomb of a meal, that would satisfy my vague craving for something bad.

I spilled the Diet Coke, which I assured Harley Guy wouldn’t be sticky because there was no sugar.  Then I tasted the drink, and it was the real thing.  I had a lap full of napkins and ketchup, and a bag full of burgers and fries.  And ice all over the floor.

We stopped in the parking lot, because we had this big mess.  I pulled out the thing I had ordered, and the spicy fries that just moments ago I had been coveting.  The bun was greasy.  The fries tasted like deep fried chicken.  And as we sat there, I could see a dumpster with crows sitting on its edges.  The crows, the grease, the mess.  I just couldn’t stomach it for one more minute, and couldn’t wait to dump it and drive away as quickly as we could.

I ached and groaned, thinking of what I’d just put my digestive system through on this rainy Friday afternoon.  I even went and picked up my bib for tomorrow’s 5k.  A few hours went by, and I was fine, but I drank a lot of water today, and tried to cleanse by eating some fruit, some wheat crackers.

A few weeks ago I was running in a nearby town, and I ran by a group of fast food restaurants, and I thought…if someone came from another locale, they would think our country smells just like grease.  It was hard to keep my pace, as I battled nausea from the fumes.

So.  I will not say I will never have fast food.  But, for right now, if I have to drive through anywhere, it’s not happening.  I love to say “There was no food!  We had to stop here!”  It’s time to be a bit more proactive…and stop thinking fast food is FUN.  Because clearly, my body does not think so.