Number Five: Chocolate rANDOMnESS

 

Cue theme music: “Sweet Surrender”, Sarah McLachlan

 

Well, I suppose there are worse addictions. In fact, I have a few that are worse: my sushi habit is expensive, my book habit is time consuming and socially detrimental at times (and would be more expensive if I didn’t reread books so much), and my metal-blue nail polish habit is a little “unprofessional” (thank God I’m an engineer). At least the calories from my chocolate habit have gotten me interested in exercise again. But I’ve learned to keep a stash—several stashes, in fact—because I know what happens when that craving hits. Every cupboard door is opened, every likely looking box is dumped, and every remotely sugary-seeming bon-bon is devoured until chocolate is found. Deprivation causes irritability, restlessness, and eventually total, unreasoning food insanity.

 

But you know what?  Who cares?  None of my habits are harming anyone else…yet.  I don’t suggest you get between me and my chocolate, and DON’T try to take my book away no matter who you think you are.  But so far, my habits have not led me into anything too destructive, whether to me or to those around me.  A little surliness, perhaps, or occasional tardiness, or a few pounds aren’t really that big a deal.  It makes me somewhat uneasy to know I’m addicted to something—after all, I am an engineer (read: control freak)—but hey, it could be worse.  At least I never got into Beanie Babies.