I wish

If you're a drama geek like me you've probably seen the musical "Into the Woods" at least once. Through out the play the theme "I wish" is repeated over and over, with each character constantly wishing to change something about their lives. We all do it, but it's a dangerous trap to fall into. It's one I tend to struggle with a lot, especially this past year. It's sooo incredibly easy to fall into the refrain of "I wish I could be normal again" or "I wish so and so would be more understanding about this" or "I wish my life was more like so and so's". It's insidious! I really do try and avoid this when I can and remind myself that it could always be worse. I've got a great family who understand the whole wacky food thing thanks to my Dad's own gluten allergy. I've been luckier than a lot of people when it comes to having to deal with food allergies. I've only had one or two times when I've had to deal with a less than kind attitude towards "the eating glitch". It's disappointing and slightly hurtful when it does happen, but neither instance was a surprise. That's life.

What has been a great surprise is far more positive. Like the friends who unexpectedly went above and beyond over New Years and went out of their way to find gluten free pasta and to cook me separate gluten and dairy free versions of the meals being served. That’s something I never in a million years would have expected or asked anyone to do, but it meant so much. Or the friends who took the time to call the restaurant they wanted to take me to during a visit to NYC to make sure they would be willing and able to offer me some gluten free options. There have been the friends who have googled drink options for gatherings, sent me pictures of gluten free products they’ve found or who have remembered to check labels before giving me something at their houses. In her book The Gluten Free Bible, Jax Peters Lowell talks about how much we learn about the people we love and how blessed we are when an obstacle like this comes into our lives. While it presents challenges and can often be discouraging, these “glitches” can also open our eyes to how much we truly do have, which means so much more than a slice of cake ever could (and having such wonderful loved ones is always a calorie and allergy free treat :) )

This week has been one of those down in the dumps “I wish” weeks. My goal for the rest of it? Stop focusing on what I don’t have, and look at what I do. I could definitely do a lot worse.