So Hard To Resist...But SO WORTH IT To RESIST!!!

On Saturday my friend Debbie and I were vendors at a craft show. We do this show every year at the Lorain County JVS, where I sell handcrafted jewelry, designed and made by yours truly. Debbie sells and autographs her award winning novels...and next year I will also have my own novel out to sell!

Usually we have a problem at craft shows where the people in charge place all of the jewelry people together, all of the authors, and so forth. Sales are much better for all involved when we are spread throughout the building instead of being lumped together. This year the powers that be solved that problem for us...but they did put something near me that was difficult to deal with. Right across from us was a vendor selling her huge variety of homemade chocolates.

Most people that know me know that I am a card-carrrying chocoholic. Anything cocoa-related catches my eye...and my nose. I was determined not to buy any, but constantly staring at and smelling the goods all day was making that difficult. Debbie resisted as well...she loves chocolate but has discovered that it doesn't love her back and upsets her stomach. When you know it's going to make you feel ill it's a little easier to say no. I am proud to say, however, that I resisted temptation as well...a special triumph for me since this lady had Buckeyes, which are my favorite!

Another thing about doing this particular show is that since it is a vocational school, all of the young chefs in training are preparing and selling their own goodies. They bring their service carts up and down the halls all day, filled with pumpkin muffins, donuts, cheesecake, and other assorted decadent treats. They even had cookies as big as my head...and I'm NOT just being dramatic, they really were that big! As much as I like to support the students, I knew that I had to resist these as well. We were sitting at a booth all day...not even moving around enough to burn off any of those calories. It gets especially hard near the end of the day, when they start selling what they have left at half price. I still stayed away from the temptation, trying to focus instead on the crafts that the people who were shopping walked around with...giant wooden ducks and reindeer work like a charm. ;o)

I went home Saturday evening feeling like a champion. I had resisted chocolate all day when it was literally right under my nose. I said no to other sweets when they kept on wheeling them back and forth in front of me. This is a huge step for me...since I usually break down and buy something sweet at the show. Once home I prepared a healthy dinner and smiled, knowing that I conquered something important and scored a huge victory for myself. This victory is something I can build on...so next time I'm tempted, I can remember how good it felt to resist all of those temptations in one day!