I used to think I wasn't a stress eater.  I would sometimes say this to myself standing in front of the open pantry.
    
(pause writing for stale marshmallow)

    Maybe after an argument with my husband, I would grab a handful of chocolate chips and march around the house, shoving them into my mouth, but it wasn't BECAUSE of the argument.  I would have eaten those anyway.

(quick break for Milk Duds)

    The other day, Adam said, "There's a lot of candy in the house all of a sudden."
"It's been a bad week," I said.
He didn't mention it again.

(hang on. . . I forgot I had half a Toblerone behind the napkins)

    We did kind of talk about it at our son's baseball game over the weekend.
"Do you want to go out to dinner after?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm starving," I answered.
"What did you do for lunch today?" he asked.  Normal conversation.
"I had a Junior Mint," I said.
"A Junior Mint?"
"A BOX of Junior Mints, OKAY?" I said.  "I don't require information about every meal you have.  Geez."
"Um, I wasn't judging your candy meal.  It's just that ONE Junior Mint seemed weird."
Oh.

I thought about what was in the tote next to my folding chair. Raisinets.  

I thought about my breakfast.  Two small York peppermint patties.


Lord, I really need a vegetable and some cheese.  If ever there was a week to discover if I was a stress eater, this would be the week.  But what's with all the candy?  Am I trying to sweeten up a sour week?  Fill  a void with things that even I know won't truly fill me?  I could just as easily stress eat with a Fiber One bar and some carrots.  Milk.  Chicken.  Whole Wheat Bread. 

(You KNOW I'm eating M&M's at just the very idea of stress eating with milk and carrots.  I mean really.)

    I could use a better system than this.  Remind me, God, to turn to you when I am empty.   Fill me instead with hope and strength.  Replace my stress and worry with the knowledge that I can give all of this to you when I can no longer hold it on my own.  And remind me that you will forgive my human weaknesses.   

For I do (two squares Hershey Bar) have many.