I haven’t written in a couple of days because on Monday, I, was returning from a trip and, yesterday, I was recovering from my whirlwind trip. And what a great trip it was!

My aunt Judy wanted to go to a Mississippi State football game. Thus began our adventure which included a high school football game, a college game, a day walking around the French Quarter and my old neighborhood, as well as lots of laughs with relatives, friends and some people who qualify as both! Now, when I say that we walked around those areas of New Orleans, I’m being a little generous with the word “walk.” It was more like we waddled – or at least I did.

When previewing the trip for my friend Sean, I told him plainly that our intent was to get to the Quarter, go directly to the Croissant D’Or (my very favorite patisserie on the planet), eat at least one pain au chocolat (although I wasn’t committing to just one), then continue our way eating and waddling through the city. Upon my return to Middle Tennessee, I would just have to wear elastic for a few days. His response was priceless.

“Fantastic! There’s fun to be had outside of kale!” (I’m thinking of putting this on an apron.)

He agreed that occasions like this trip are one reason we make healthy choices most of the time – so that we can splurge every now and then. And, indeed, we did enjoy our trip. I ate wheat, sugar, chips and all kinds of things I don’t normally eat. I didn’t go completely hog wild; but, let me make this perfectly clear: I enjoyed every single morsel of what I chose to eat. When I say that I didn’t go completely wild, I mean that I didn’t eat everything I wanted. I still made some choices. For instance, because I knew that I was going to the Croissant D’Or in New Orleans (don’t you hear some angels singing when you read that?), I skipped the doughnuts at Shipley’s in Starkville. Shipley’s are my favorite doughnuts (followed by Dough Daddy’s in Lexington, KY), but I avoided the wheat in Starkville because of the upcoming wheat in the Crescent City. And, as I said, I enjoyed the croissant, the eclair, the pralines, the bread pudding, the eggplant parmesan, the beignets at Morning Call, etc; however, I can feel the difference in my body, that’s for sure.

With all the unaccustomed salt, I feel like I should just put the water hose in my mouth and turn it on. My hands, feet and legs are swollen and my belly! We just won’t even talk about that. I enjoyed my time away; but, my body wants to get back to lots of steamed and roasted veggies. My system feels kind of gummed up and sluggish, which doesn’t surprise me or anything. What does amaze me is that Before I probably always felt that way; but, because it was what I identified as normal, I thought nothing of it. Amazing that this feeling of Bleh was my normal feeling of Good.

It was a wonderful trip, a break from my everyday world and I don’t regret a single bite. However, I’m certainly glad that there is as much good inside of kale as there is fun outside of it.