After leaving work this morning there was a strong urge to stop by a fast food place for some coffee and donuts (my shift was from midnight to 6). I succeeded in not making the stop. First, using a Buddhist approach, I thought about the hole that was there, why was it there, where did I feel it and the other ways in which this hole could be filled with something other than food.
I also considered that those donuts and coffee will always be there. Food companies expend considerable effort ensuring that their products are consistent. So, instead of stopping I decided that this craving could be satisfied later, I could put it off one more day and consume those items whenever I wanted at some point in the future and it would be just as satisfying then as it would be today. This is like that joke sign which hangs in some bars and reads, "Free beer tomorrow". And tomorrow I will do the same as I did today. I will put it off one more day.
At first, one might think, 'sure, McDonald's will always have the Big Mac, but what about the McRib?' To which I say, every 'limited time only' product that is worth consuming can be expected to have a highly advertised & celebrated return. And if it doesn't, I will have forgotten that it ever existed.
