Day Five--The Best Laid Plans

I have control issues. This is not a new declaration for me. I've known this for many years. I have not, however, learned to "control" those issues satisfactorily. Ironic, right? Baby steps, I keep telling myself. Let go of certain things, little by little. Don't believe that you have to dictate every circumstance in order for things to work. As I'm thinking this, the other half of my mind is telling me that I should have finished this blog way earlier. That I'm losing my hold on some things like when I try to carry a freshly laundered load of whites to the bedroom, dropping socks here and there behind me. I'm trying to will myself to tell that side of my mind to shut up.

I realized recently that I'm giving breakfast the short end of the stick. Other than the magic lattes, I don't give the most important meal of the day a lot of air time. It isn't because I don't get excited about breakfast. I do. I wake up every morning feeling famished for coffee and cheese and meat and bread. I satisfy that need with basically the same fare each day: egg whites, sliced cheese, turkey bacon or veggie sausage, and an english muffin. I'm never certain that the monotony deserves recognition. Monotonous or not, it's just plain tasty. I especially enjoyed breakfast on this particular day, my favorite part being the toasted muffin with strawberry all fruit. I save that for last to eat while I sip my coffee. Heaven on a plate.

I try to have a plan every day. After breakfast I wanted to work out, create menus for next week and get the grocery list together, have lunch, deliver t-shirts to my SCA President, and then have date night, which would consist of dinner at Saffron, our favorite local Indian restaurant, followed by a movie. My day actually went mainly as planned, with some delays and unexpected necessities cropping up here and there. I certainly can't complain. It just speaks to the severity of my control issues that I'm so easily thrown off into a funk.

The workout went as scheduled: Legs and Back, followed by Ab Ripper. After exercise, I always have to sit for a few. Today I sipped my protein and lapsed into a mental coma. Inertia is probably my worst enemy. I had to work really hard to finally gather myself up and take a shower.

Next item, lunch. A quick glance at the clock told me that it was later than I wanted it to be at this point on my to do list. I hastily assembled the ingredients for my favorite lunch of the week: Roasted Vegetable Salad with Shrimp, Goat Cheese, and Pesto. The highlight of this dish is a segment of red and yellow pepper filled with a basil leaf, goat cheese, and pesto that melt together as the veggies roast in the oven. I also had red onion and tomato in the mix, topped it all with shrimp that I threw on the roasting pan for the last five minutes, and drizzled homemade pesto over everything just before serving. I literally wanted to pick up the plate and lick it. If you aren't roasting onions, then I insist that you do it immediately. It takes out all of the unpleasant sharpness of the onion and brings out all of the sweetness and amazing flavor.

At this point I started getting alarmed about the time. I hadn't even begun planning for next week, I still had to drop off t-shirts, and now I also needed to stop by Momma and Daddy's to get instructions on taking care of their kitties while they're visiting Mollie and Charlie. A normal person wouldn't sweat it. I seem to sweat everything.

Long story short, I had a lovely little visit with Momma and Daddy, delivered the shirts (despite a nasty traffic jam between Lynnhaven Parkway and Alanton), and made it back home just in time for my date. I did not plan menus. I also did not let that fact hinder my enjoyment of a fabulous evening. Baby steps.

Dinner was pure flavor and happiness. I usually order vegetable korma, a dish that's loaded with cream sauce. This time I opted for madras curry with scallops. It was spicy and amazing, and I only missed the korma a weensy bit. For my beverage, I chose a glass of the house cabernet. I never met a cabernet that I didn't like. Steve had chicken curry accompanied by a generously-sized bottle of Taj Majal beer. I don't think we talked much once the food arrived, which is always a very good sign.

The movie was equally thrilling, and the rest of the night I shared only with Steve. No work e-mails, no blogging, no worrying. One small step for Sarah, one giant leap for letting go.