New Feature: My Favorite Exceptions

I love desserts, but I don’t buy them. No cakes, cookies, brownies even. No pies. No pastries. The reason for this is that if I bought them, I would eat them. Non-stop.

Now that I’m almost 40, eating desserts non-stop has a direct and immediate effect on the amount of pudge located around my midsection. It is such a sad situation.

So I made a rule. That sounded harsh, so I called it a guideline. I made a guideline that said, I Shall Not Eat Desserts.

But then that was just way too punitive. What about chocolate cake? Mint chocolate brownies? Chocolate peanut butter cookies? No way was a guideline like that going to stick. So I added an exception: I Shall Not Eat Desserts—Except When I Make Them Myself.

And this, you see, is genius. It is genius for three reasons:

1. It saves money, because desserts you make are much cheaper than those you buy.
2. It is healthier, because desserts you make are made with healthier ingredients (relatively healthier, OK?) than those you buy.  AND
3. It reduces the pudge factor, because it is much more work to make a dessert than it is to buy one (so therefore it will occur much less often).

I have a few other exceptions, too, like if I’m at a birthday party, or someone else’s home, or anywhere near an Amy’s Ice Cream shop. I’ve never really been one for will power. But exceptions are what make a guideline doable, right?

Each month for the next who knows how many (I don’t want to make too many guidelines, now), I’ll share one of my favorite exceptions. (First up: just in time for the Fourth of July, blueberry pie!) I hope you enjoy them—you know I will!

© Amy Daniewicz