My Teacher

A number of years ago, I was interviewed by The Telegram for their Sunday feature, "20 Questions".  It was a real honor for me to have been chosen by the paper and I remember one of the questions talked about favorite sayings.  My response was immediate, I told them I love the expression, when the student is ready, the teacher will come.  This morning, I was ready and this afternoon, my teacher came.  I took a friend out for Mother's Day and over our slight breakfast, we talked about the things that we still hadn't figured out.  I guess there will always be such things in our lives, but I was holding onto a big one and more than I wanted to be free of the hold it had on me, I wanted to understand it.  It's much the same with wanting to understand the Chinese food, the cake, or all the eating that took place in times other than meal times.  I got to the source of the eating, but there was still one thing nagging at me.  The good news was I was open to the learning.  It was just as much my addiction as the food was, yet I resisted it at all levels.  It's incredible how we can talk ourselves into almost anything.  This evening, my friend (the soup lady) took the time to listen to the story of my life.  It really takes a good listener.  She became my teacher.  More than ever, I understood other aspects of my addiction.  That understanding was liberating.  As I walked this evening, there was a lightness to my step and it was new.  I wondered if it was my new sneakers that I was wearing for the first time.  I'm sure that was part of it.  The greater part was the hundred pounds that instantly lifted from me once I got the lesson.  As I walked this evening, I actually felt like I was floating on the sidewalk.  It was almost as if my feet didn't touch the ground.  I couldn't be happier this evening.  I stuck with it.  I didn't eat that feeling away.  I allowed myself to feel it.  I asked myself the tough questions about it and through the kindness of a really great friend, I got to understand it.  Imagine, four years of the same question.  Tonight, my teacher came.  Now, I have even more reason to celebrate in a couple of weeks when I hit one year old.  Yup, I'm just a child!