Being Prepared

Note: For more information on the Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating program, visit www.amihungry.com or my website.

As anyone who knows me is aware, I like to plan (sometimes too much). This includes figuring out what meals to have during the week, so that when I go grocery shopping I know what pick up.

Today, though, I didn’t expect to need much at home, since my boyfriend and I were planning to go to Cambridge, MA, to see my niece perform in the Christmas Revels. We were going to eat lunch out, and bring some snacks for the trip to and from.

Except – we’re being hit by the first major storm of the season (we’re on our way to a foot of snow), and we decided it wasn’t safe even trying to get to the train station.

This gave me a moment of panic. For some reason, I hadn’t thought about what to do in the event of the storm. (To show how much my mind was focused on not being home today, I even forgot to pull out my shovels!) What would I eat?

It reminded me of the discussions in the Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating program of being prepared by having some staples on-hand. That, in turn, made me decide that before I worried too much, I should investigate what I actually have.

Plenty of hummus, since that was part of the plan for snacks. Also carrots and celery, crackers and cheese (made from almonds), nuts, a few crepes, plenty of rice, some leftover chicken in the freezer, frozen peas and corn, rice cakes, popcorn, quinoa, and a variety of fruit.

Oh, and lots of cookies from my recent holiday baking spree.

So – I think I’ll weather the storm in fine fashion. But it did make me think about how much I can get locked into my plan for food, instead of being more flexible and accommodating. It’s a good reminder that while it’s important to think ahead to have food on-hand, it’s also important to not always let that plan dictate what I’m going to be eating in a given day.

After all, life is unpredictable, especially in Maine in the winter. For today, I’m glad to discover that I was better prepared than I had realized, and I’ll try to keep this in mind in the future, to be more comfortable adjusting to those inevitable changes.