Saturday, August 22, 2009

A Cheeseburger sounds nice

Today's my first day of observing the dietary portion of Ramadan, and I really want something to eat right now. Of course, I knew this would happen, and that's sort of the point. The problem with me is that my mind tends to get fixated on things, and it's always hard to concentrate on anything else when it's obsessed with something. In the case of food, it's even harder because I have that constant gnawing in my gut to keep bringing my mind back to the whole hunger thing.

Of course, today I'm doing a half-baked version, as I stated in my original post about this little experiment. Still, when all is said and done, it will be nearly twelve hours since my last meal, and if it was winter, that would definitely count. Of course, margaritas aren't part of the tradition, but that'll be my last bit of alcohol until this is all over.

Anyway, I woke up at 5:45 so I could make myself some eggs and sausage along with a bagel and some cream cheese. Sausage? Ain't that haram? It's okay because it's an all-chicken sausage (no pork casing either). Also, as far as I can tell, Muslims don't have as many rules as Jews do, so it's okay to have chicken with eggs (which will be a no-no when I try Kosher month).

The big problem is that I usually don't eat that much first thing in the morning, so I was only able to finish half of what I made. (The good news? I can wake up a bit later tomorrow so I can just reheat my leftovers!) Also, my cat's routine is that he expects to be fed after I have my breakfast, so he was being a real butthead at an earlier time than usual. And when he meows for food, that gets Willy all excited, and he starts to whine at the bedroom door. (Meanwhile, Argos just relaxes in his crate.) So, they got fed a little early.

After that, I went for a walk and did some yard work. Considering how much I was sweating out there, I decided to allow myself some tap water during the day - no ice though. I filled up one glass that I plan to take small sips from until the day is over.

I figure that the first day is going to be the toughest. Still, the point (or at least, one point) of this whole thing is to get you to think about those who don't have as much as you. After all, there are people all over the world, including this country, who don't know where their next meal is coming from. This is nothing in the grand scheme of things, as at least I know that there's a big meal waiting for me at the end of the day. Shoot, it's a luxury that I can just walk up to a faucet in my home and have drinkable water!

That's the kind of thing I need to think about instead of feeling sorry for myself. Let's hope I've got the willpower to hold out for the rest of the day.

No comments: