Wednesday, October 3, 2007

I've come a long way

I just got back from taking a late lunch break. Today, for lunch, I decided to head down to the food court. All this recent talk about McDonald's double cheeseburgers seems to have gotten to me, so I treated myself to one of these burgers ($1.47 with tax) and a Tim Hortons coffee ($1.43 with tax).

As I sat enjoying my heavily processed guilty pleasure ($2.90 total), I suddenly realized just how rarely I actually buy my lunch these days. Six months ago, I was buying my breakfast virtually every morning, and eating lunch in the food court at least twice a week. Fast-forward to today: I eat breakfast at home and brown-bag my lunch almost every day, and every morning, I walk into work with a travel mug of home-brewed coffee. I hadn't even really noticed that I had broken my old habit, let alone building this new, improved one.

Sad to say, it doesn't look like my new breakfast and lunch habit will let me retire at 35, but the important thing is that I do not miss the old habit. Preparing a lunch (anything from leftover pasta to a simple PB&J sandwich) at home has simply become part of my routine, and pouring myself a coffee before leaving for work is one of the little pleasures of my morning. True, I'm sometimes tempted by fast food options on the way to and from work, but the feeling of positive change I get is far more significant than any "sacrifices" I may be making.

Until now, I didn't realize just what creatures are habit we really are. Well, I believe it now, and you can be sure that I'll be looking for ways to use this concept in the months ahead.

1 comment:

Ms. M&P said...

Isn't that strange? I feel the same way. I pretty much cut out my coffee and lunch-buying habits too and I haven't missed them a bit. I actually feel better because I don't eat as much crap. It's a win-win!