Day 27

Hey guys,

Fantastic news! Today, as I went to eat some pudding, my rubber bands holding my jaw in place snapped. I was shocked at first, but then I went to find the replacement bands that were laying around in the bathroom. But, apparently, my dad thought the little bag the bands were in was trash, and so he had thrown them away! So, I had no options, other than to wait for replacement bands from a local orthodontics facility, at the end of the day. My jaw was feeling somewhat sore, but there was no pain, not even when opening a little farther than usual. So, with a day full of endless possibilities, I decided to eat some real food. We were up at our lakehouse located in Bunn, NC, home to the Lake Royale Triathlon of the FS Series races. It's a pretty small town, and the only thing to do for food is a local pizza place. So, I ordered a pizza, and a dozen garlic knots, and went to work. I ate 10 garlic knots, and 1 and a half slices of pizza. I was immediately tired, and took a nap. But, the pizza felt so amazing, I can't even explain it. I closed my eyes for that magical first bite, and let the solid slice of pizza swirl around my tongue and mouth, just tasting and overtasting vibrant explosions of cheese and crust and sauce, all intermingling into the most perfect mix of heaven. After my nap, we swam in the lake some, then headed back home. I had one absolutely necessary stop: go to a restaurant called Kick Back Jack's and get a plate of cheese fries all to myself. I sat down to order, and a waitress came over. I motioned for her to come over to me, where I promptly said "Listen, I have not eaten anything for the past 4 weeks, and so I would love to have some of your cheese fries as fast as humanly possible," and showed her my screws, which are still in my mouth. She was shocked, and said she would get them as fast as possible. They were delicious, to say the least, and they taught me the importance of taking my time with my food. I took each French fry individually, and tasted the hard outside and soft inside, as well as the cheese that surrounded most of each fry, and let the feeling sink in. I was proud of the pace I was eating, and really, truly enjoyed food.

On the down side, I have to re-install the rubber bands in a few minutes, to stay on for the next 2 weeks, until August 15th. But, I had my first taste today, and it was totally worth it. I'm starting to get back to living, guys. I have to say, today was a good day.

Happy training!