Today, Day 2 of the 30 Day Declutter Challenge, AKA the Festival of Tidiness, I cleaned out the coat closet, which is taken up largely by games.
My husband apparently took this as a personal affront. First, he objected to my discarding things like wire coat hangers and a decades-old backpack, on the grounds that someone might need them. Then, when I showed him how nice the closet looked, he said of course it looked nice because I had cleaned it, but I only did that every four or five years.
This sounded to me like an attack and I snapped right back at him. Very quickly he was saying that I never talk to him and I was pointing out that I work all day, unlike him.
This was not good. I have apologized for my part in the quarrel, but he has not, even though he certainly cast the first stone. He won’t apologize. This is because he thinks he is right.
So far, the Festival of Tidiness hasn’t really been a hit, but I do like my tidy coat closet.
As for the Whole30, I am mostly doing what I should. See the piece of high quality protein surrounded by produce in all the pictures? That’s the right thing.
Here’s what’s not right: I have as much fruit as I do veg in most cases, and not much variety.
More importantly, I still want whole grains for breakfast and dessert, and possibly cake at tea time. I listened to the section of the book that talks about this, and the authors suggest that eating fruit for breakfast makes you start the day with a lot of sweet and continue to want sweets all day. Also, they said, having fruit for dessert makes you continue to want dessert. We’re supposed to give up all the psychological attachments to things like pancakes and desserts, and instead build psychological attachments to our carrots and green beans.
Sometimes, though, forbidden fruit (and pancakes) is sweeter. Stoically doing without the Evil 6 for a month so far is just making me think of all the forbidden things I’m going to have when the month is past.
In fairness, I am finding that I am more attuned to the flavors of all these wholesome foods I’m eating, and I am satisfied with the whole fish/salad thing as a meal. I just still want dessert.