2009-07-24

An equation.

It occurs to me that I have not sufficiently wrapped up the Ogunquit Travelogue.

We loved Ogunquit. Very much. We are definitely planning on making this a regular retreat. But I learned a valuable lesson in Ogunquit, which can be summed up as the following equation:

+

= a meaningful evening spent in your hotel room's bathroom.

The first picture is of bacon pancakes. That's right. Pancakes full of bacon. Not bacon on the plate NEXT to the pancakes. Bacon IN the pancakes. Brilliant. Deeeeelicious.

The second is of a clam roll, a New England staple. In fact, it may be one of the Four Food Groups, along with tonic, jimmies, and frappes.

I don't know what made me think I could eat both of these things in one day. Chutzpah? A blatant disregard for my own sensitive tummy? Stupidity?

Let's go with "stupidity," yeah.

By the early evening, I started feeling mighty bad. Thunderous salvos of grease and salt roiled through my digestive tract. I thought, "Oh God, please don't let me throw up."

I'm convinced there are few feelings worse than the knowledge that you are most certainly going to throw up. For me, the feeling was exacerbated by the fact that up until that point, I had not thrown up since I quit drinking....seven years ago. So you might be able to understand what a deeply unsettling prospect this was for me.

I closed my eyes and tried to fight it. This was a mistake. The Buddhists caution AGAINST fighting negative emotions, which I think makes a lot of sense. Tell yourself: "I am angry. Anger is in me. I am anger." Acknowledge it, sit with it, and transform it into something positive.

I could not sit with the fear of throwing up. I tried very, very hard to NOT throw up, and in doing so just prolonged the agony.

And I threw up anyway.

So what did I learn from all of this? Mostly, I learned that I am not 18 years old anymore, and can't eat like an 18-year-old. Gluttony is BAD, okay?

lisamcc at 10:41 a.m.



6 comments so far
vikkitikkitavi
2009-07-24 16:32:55
Bad clams, man. Bad, bad, clams.
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LisaMcC
2009-07-24 16:37:39
I would blame it on the clams, but Kevin had the exact same lunch, and felt perfectly fine.
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Lynette
2009-07-24 20:25:38
You have the GI tract of a delicate dainty FLOWAH. Next time, space the two meals over differing days. And now I want a frappe. 'Round here, they'd say, "A what, darlin'?" *sigh*
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vikkitikkitavi
2009-07-24 22:21:57
It only takes one bad clam...
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andrea
2009-07-24 22:51:53
Is it sad that I really really really want bacon pancakes now?
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Jess
2009-07-26 20:00:55
Yeah, that whole "I can't eat like I'm 18, or even 27, anymore" thing is a bitter, bitter pill to swallow.
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