Two men training for a marathon were jogging through the city where there was a middle-aged woman waiting to get up out of her park bench to get onto the bus.
Morning rains had made deep puddles and she couldn’t step across without spoiling her new dress. She stood there with a scowl, looking very impatient (and possibly hangry). She was scolding her two children, who were holding paper bags from the local farmers market. They had nowhere to place the bags they held for her, so they couldn’t help her across the puddle.
The younger man noticed the woman, said nothing, and continue jogging by. The older man offered to help, deftly picked her up, carried her across the water, and put her down on the first step of the bus. She didn’t thank the older man, she just went up the rest the steps of the bus and sat down, muttering to herself while still scowling.
As they continued on their jog, the young man was brooding and preoccupied. After several more miles, unable to hold his tongue, he spoke out. “That woman back there was selfish, rude, and horrible to her kids. She didn’t deserve your help and then she didn’t even thank you!”
“I set her down miles ago,” the older man replied. “Why are you still carrying her?”
When we judge ourselves for making poor food choices it can carry on to our next snack, our next meal, or longer. Letting go of past errors and moving forward is much easier said than done. Do you really want to be carrying that load meal after meal, day after day, or mile after mile?
Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.