Saturday Sh*tpile

It was William Shakespeare (or maybe, Carrot Top) who said “Temptation is the fire that brings up the scum of the heart.” This weekend seems to be one enticement after another. Yesterday I was at a charity golf tournament that featured a double whammy: all-you-can-eat buffet lunch and a beer-laden beverage cart that seemed to show up every other hole. Luckily, the buffet had lots of healthy choices… salad, fresh veggies, fruit…that I seem to be the only person in the room availing themselves of. Out on the course, I nursed a Bud Light like it was dying of terminal cancer. All in all, I was pretty proud of myself for getting through the day without an “Ah, what the hell?” breakdown.

Then today, I had to drop my daughter Pisa off to meet some friends for a Memorial Day camping trip. The problem? I had to meet a group at the crack of dawn at Starbucks. Keep in mind that I’m four days into a no-coffee program. We wound up having the hang around the place for a half hour, and the aroma was almost overwhelming. I got a juice drink and cursed the gods that kept yucking it up at my expense.

Tomorrow, my wife Anita and I have a kid-free evening, so we’re planning an overnight outing. I’m going to try to plan it out and keep things from getting too, too out of hand. This is full-scale warfare, so I know I can’t worry too much about a single skirmish here or there. Keep your perspective, and pick your battles.