I Survived! I Survived!

by Yolanda M. Dockery, Executive Assistant to the Executive Director, Family Investment Administration, Maryland Department of Human Resources

I am happy to report that I made it through my leadership meeting today where they were serving food and it was a rather painless experience. I was much easier than I thought it would be. I took my can of fruit cocktail, a bowl and my water bottle with me the the meeting. Once we arrived at the church I changed my mind about actually taking the fruit cocktail in with me. There were 400 people in attendance. I figured if I really wanted it I would go out and sit in the car and eat it. I didn't want to draw attention to myself. I just took the water bottle in. Well once we registered for the meeting we were given our food tickets. I said to my husband at the time "You can have my ticket and eat my food because you know I can't eat it."

I nearly fainted when he said "I can't eat it either I'm with you on this." I replied "With me on what?" and he said "The Challenge." I couldn't help but think to myself "where had he been on Mon - Fri when I was starving & struggling" and he was eating oatmeal, fried chicken, biscuits, pizza, drinking turkey hill orange drink and tea?" You know I had to ask him. He's so funny - he replied something about him needing to stick to his $21 allotment. I then remembered he initially did say he'd do the challenge with me when he was with me or something like that.

Here's how I got through the meeting: When one of the teachers that was teaching a class entered the dining room I agreed to go set up her class while she ate breakfast. She was a senior citizen so she thought that was a fabulous idea. So, my husband and I quickly ran off from the dining room with the smell of eggs, bacon, croissants, juice, coffee and other breakfast goodies in the air to her classroom down the hall and set it up. We just made it because as we left they were calling our table to the buffet. By the time we returned most were done eating and we didn't have to answer any questions about why we weren't eating.

After the meeting I decided to go visit my friend at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. Her sister came in with lots of fresh fruit for my friend. She had pineapple, mango, green grapes and papaya. I love fruit and I hadn't had anything to eat all day. I never would take a patient's food but I really thought about it. I was asked if I'd like some, and I hungrily said "no thank you" and continued drinking my water.

I ended up visiting with my friend for about two hours. By then it was two o'clock when I got back to the car, and I could get to my fruit cocktail fast enough. I offered my husband some of the fruit cocktail and he refused, saying he wasn't hungry. I had to ask him if he'd been somewhere eating hamburgers and french fries while I was visiting my friend. He said he had not, but I guess I'll never truly know.

We finally got back home at 6:00. I was thinking all the way home what I could eat that would fill me up. I decided on oodles of noodles. I cooked two packs this time because last time I was still hungry after eating one pack. I wanted to save my tuna mac with the evaporating mayo for my special Sunday meal. So, I ate two packs of oodles of noodles and five lemon cookies. I wanted to rush up to the computer after eating to update you on my Saturday.

Did anyone see my husband at any fast food joint between 1-3 pm yesterday near Sinai Hospital eating hamburgers, french fries or pizza?