Sacrifices

I posted previously on my two stumbling blocks: my job, and eating in the dining hall (aka my social life). A little over a week ago, I finally started to get a little bit of a handle on dealing with these issues, and I wanted to share the key that seems to have made some difference for me: the concept of sacrifice.

I think it's fair to say that a sacrifice cannot occur without being the direct descendent of commitment. If something is given without any form of commitment, it ceases to be a sacrifice. "Love", outside of "emotional attachment", is often defined through this pair of concepts; when we ask of ourselves how committed we are to a loved one, we generally end up asking, 'How much have I sacrificed?'

Fortunately, I've found I can use this pairing to my advantage. Instead of making a commitment and expecting the sacrifice to follow, which inevitably fails, it has ended up that when I make sacrifices for the GAPS diet and for my health in general, commitment inevitably follows.

For example, knowing that my job is one of my two key stumbling blocks, I decided to make a sacrifice and change offices for a shift. (I'm lucky to have this option available.) This was a sacrifice not just of my opportunities to snitch all the goodies I shouldn't, but also of chit-chat time with co-workers as I was in a more isolated location. In the process of giving this up, commitment to a cleaner diet started becoming easier. One slip makes others feel natural; one sacrifice makes others feel natural, too.

I'm still working through the social sacrifice. I've got to admit, this one's getting harder as time goes on instead of easier. I miss my friends. A lot. At the same time, the deeper it cuts to feel excluded, the more power I have to acknowledge that I am choosing this sacrifice, that it is valuable, and that other sacrifices can and must follow.