Learning to take the plunge

I get asked a lot about my “safe” foods. In the world of food allergies and digestive disorders, safe foods are a very common topic. In short, these are the foods that people can safely eat without having to worry about allergic reactions and/or digestive distress. Many people smartly waltz around with a nice list of safe foods tucked away in their wallets and they casually hand the list over when ordering food at a restaurant. However, for me personally, the term “safe foods” just makes me laugh.

It makes me laugh because I have a grand total of two “safe foods.”

Egg Whites

Rice Chex

Bust out the Michelin Stars baby, because those make one heck of a gastronomic paradise. 

Eat your heart out Bon Appetit.

So obviously rice chex and egg whites are not the only two things I eat, but they are the only two things that I can absolutely 100% guarantee will not cause any unwanted symptoms. So does that mean that every other food on earth causes symptoms? Sometimes yes, but often no. It means that I’m never quite sure what reaction I will get from any other food and I have to be prepared for anything and everything.

Which is, ya know, fantastic for trying to plan anything.

It is no secret that I have been known to list “using organizational supplies” as a hobby and I’m not ashamed to admit that I actually enjoy organizing the files on my flash drive (ok…maybe I’m a little ashamed…). I have lists for my lists and keep my highlighters in color order in their pack. In short, I like structure and I like organization.

Side note – You could blame my parents for my intense proclivity towards post-it notes and highlighters. Growing up we had a weekly “calendar night,” which occurred every Sunday night, despite the giant protests from my brother and me. Don’t show up to the table without your planner, you will be sent away.

Hmm…the apple did indeed fall from a tree I suppose.

So what do you do when you only have two “safe foods” and you are the type of person who highlights your daily schedule with 4 different colors?

The answer is plain, friends. You get over it.

You take a deep breath and you take a risk. Over and over again.

I may never really know why my body reacts the way it does, nor may I ever truly understand exactly what happened with that virus back in 2010, but that’s ok.

It really is.

As humans, we like to categorize everything in our lives as good or bad, safe or unsafe, okay or not okay, but I am learning that pushing each and every facet of my life into a compartment doesn’t work for me. In fact, I find it exhausting. Life is going to be life regardless of whether I label it as good or bad. In fact, what happens if I look at every new challenge as "perfect?"

I’m not saying this is an easy task. It is hard work and I need to remind myself constantly (cue: gold star post-it, duh). Yes, I spend a giant portion of my time dealing with symptoms that I wouldn’t necessarily place on my Amazon wish list, but I’m alive, I am loved and I have a whole heck of a lot to place on my gratitude list.

Forget walking around on eggshells with the "safe foods," let’s break out the boots and head for the bubble wrap.