It’s been a long week in the Sutera household. And last night turned into our breaking point in the week – the we-need-to-slow-down-and-breathe moment was finally upon Scott and I. Both of us have been working (and working out) a lot this week, leaving little-to-no “us” time, something we both cherish very much.
So even though last night was supposed to be one of my favorite barre n9ne double sessions of the week, as soon as Scott mentioned an impromptu date night, I was all ears. I eagerly left work last night totally ready to unwind over a dinner that would not be cooked (or cleaned up) by us. A night where we could sit and talk about our days (I couldn’t wait for lots of stories from Scott’s day teaching a combination of kindergarten and fourth grade age students…have I mentioned I *love* being a teacher’s wife??).
Undisturbed.
Not rushed.
And that’s exactly what it was. No pictures were taken. No iPhones whipped out to ruin the moment (welllll, I admit, I tried but gave up fast when I realized the lighting was wrong and um, hello – I was on a *date*, no need for “pics for the blog”). Just us.
It was perfect.
Needed.
Impromptu.
What was different about last night, though?
Our approach to eating out. Since I’ve totally changed my approach to eating given how eye-opening the barre n9ne challenge has been for me on the eating front almost even more so than on the body image front, I approached last night quite differently than I would have in the past. So did Scott.
Instead of looking at a dinner out as an all-out splurge, eating whatever I wanted, not really thinking much about calories, hunger levels, or patterns, I looked at it as a holistic experience.
Last night was a date with my husband. A time to catch-up, reconnect, focus on us. The food was secondary.
I switched my focus entirely.
I chose based on my hunger levels (which were surprisingly not at “ravenous” level as they normally are by dinnertime). I chose based on the experience, too.
I knew I wanted to celebrate winesday with Scott. Yesterday also happened to be his very first paycheck at the new gig, and what better way to celebrate that fact than with a delicious glass of wine? (I personally can’t think of anything better!).
So I chose a glass of pinot gris from a local vineyard in Nantucket (was delish, so crisp and fruity). I also chose a watermelon gazpacho (equally delish, light and refreshing). And then, I chose an ahi tuna salad for my entree.
No bread. No bites of Scott’s appetizer. Because he didn’t even get one (huge for him).
The main course arrived. And it was the perfect serving size. Not too big, not too small. Just right. And I enjoyed every bite. (as did Scott of his meal).
But even more importantly? Last night didn’t revolve around the food. It revolved around the entire experience. And mainly centered on good conversation with my husband, who I missed so much this week given how little time we’d had together up until that point.
And that’s a huge shift for me. No more centering events or special occasions around food. Last night was about the experience, the moments. Just breathing.
And I dig it. The impromptu nature of the night. The radical difference in how each of us approached the night. We’ve come full circle. In so, so many ways.
Last night we cheers’ed to our favorite “cheers” lately…to something especially fitting these days.
…To new beginnings.
EatDrinkBreatheSweat 