Fasting at the Taste of Edmonds is hard work ...

Fasting at the Taste of Edmonds is hard work ...

The more you can't have something, the more you want it ... in some form or another this is a sentiment that is very common and generally accepted prima facie as true ... maybe so ... in the instance I am describing here the answer is a resounding "yes!"

See ... several years ago I had to have a rather unpleasant doctor appointment that required me to essentially fast; drinking nothing but clear fluids for five days ... allow me to reiterate ... nothing but clear fluids for five days ...

I had to go to work like normal, just not eat. That meant I could watch my coworkers snack while I drank bottle after bottle of Gatorade. Yes, they taunted me with chips, burgers, etc ... yes, I am talking to you Tommie, Richard, and Mike ...

I had to take care of the kids like normal, just not eat.

I had to take the kids to the Taste of Edmonds (a miniature Bite of Seattle down near the water in Edmonds that is actually far more manageable to attend than the Bite ever is), just not eat. So, I walked around a festival of food four days into a five day fast knowing that I could not have anything. The smells were overwhelming. I can vividly remember staring at things like elephant ears and just wanting to leave, but deciding to gut it out so the kids could have their treats ...

(Taste of Edmonds side note: I don't think that this was the year I got to see Frankie Goes to Hollywood aka the singer who owns the name with a band with no members that were in the band in the 80s ... which is an entirely different rant for another time but sort of like my Guns 'n Roses rant of many months ago ...)

I craved things like chicken pot pie, plain rice, and foods I don't even like .....

I have been meaning to fast again for a while. Not because of Lent or as a political statement, but because there is a value in it when done properly. And then the other day I saw a big billboard for the 2K7 Taste this weekend and suddenly found myself very, very hungry ... Not long after the 5 day fast I had to do a 2 day fast for a follow up appointment and strangely enough that one seemed worse and more difficult ... the voluntary fast can wait.