The Anonymity of the Drive-thru.

A couple weeks ago I was sharing with a small group about some of my struggles and in my sharing I used the phrase "the anonymity of the drive-thru."  We were just getting to know each other at the time and so were sharing some of our stories with each other.  Since that time I have thought more about this and wanted to share some of my thoughts here.

I was brought up nutritionally sound.  Mom wasn't the fanciest cook around but we had healthy balanced meals that for the most part looked and tasted good.  There were certainly some recipes I preferred to others - no doubt about it.  We ate most of our meals at home rather than going out to eat.  We didn't have sugar coated cereals, candy, soda or potato chips in the house very often.  We did have cookies and ice cream around a little more but they still weren't a daily part of our meals.

So, from an early age, I had a general idea of what was good for me and what wasn't.  I will admit I did pick up the idea somewhere that to eat the stuff that wasn't good for me was more than just unhealthy - it was wrong.  That meant that if I was going to do it I had to try to do it without anyone seeing me do it so I wouldn't get caught.  This made for an interesting dynamic sometimes. 

I can remember "sneaking" cookies from the freezer or checking the time to see if I could take some ice cream, eat it, and wash the bowl and spoon before anyone got home so I wouldn't get caught.  This escalated as I got a little older, started working, and starting buying snacks or junk food after work or on the way home.  For the most part I still tried to keep this hidden so I wouldn't have to admit to doing something wrong.  For much of my life I attributed doing something wrong with being wrong.  I am still in process of moving past that concept. 

Growing up I enjoyed a fairly active life which means some of the unhealthy choices were not having a significant effect on my physical health because I was still burning a lot of calories during the day.  No doubt in high school I was a little big.  Had I played football - nobody would have thought about it - I would have been the perfect size.  Playing soccer it didn't work quite the same but I still played.  It wasn't until my senior year of high school that I started to put on significant weight.  I can't say that's the year I discovered the "drive-thru" but it is the year it became a more regular part of my routine.

I chose not to play soccer my senior year.  Instead I hung out with friends either at school or a fast food restaurant after school was out.  There were a number of days when I would leave to go home I'd find myself heading to a fast food restaurant and going through the drive through on my way home.  Because I knew it was wrong and didn't want my parents to know I did that I would still eat supper with them when I got home.  Not only was I now eating unhealthy food I was also eating way too much because I was eating two dinners.  Being less active because of not playing soccer helped the pounds start to add on.

My real question is why did and do I still sometimes find the drive-thru so attractive?  I think it's because I felt like I was not as likely to be seen or "caught" if I went through a drive through instead of going into the restaurant.  In thinking about this concept recently I would still be more likely to order more when I go through a drive through than if I went in and ordered my food - even if ordering it to go.  Why?  Less people will see me do it.  Very rarely have I gone through a drive through because it was faster or more efficient.  I said that's why I did it but I really don't think it was.  A few weeks ago I did go through a drive thru. (Yes, I still sometimes eat unhealthy food.)  As I pulled into line with about 4 cars ahead of me to order, a guy walked out of the restaurant and said "there's no line inside."  It would have been much faster for me to park, go inside and order my food to go, and go back to the car but I stayed in line.  Why?  Anonymity.  Less people would see.

Why do I prefer to have my pizza delivered?  Less people to see.  Yes, I don't have to go out either - but that's not the real reason - it's the anonymity, the not "getting caught."  Is there anything wrong with having a drive-thru?  Is there anything wrong with using it? Is there anything wrong with having food delivered? Is there even anything wrong with eating any of the foods I've mentioned in this post?  Not necessarily.  It's about how we use them and how they affect us.  From the food end it's about balance and planning our calorie intake so it corresponds with our activity level. 

So my encouragement today is to analyze the choices you make to see what the reasons are behind them.  As I change my lifestyle and habits to be healthy I continue to recognize this journey is not about weight loss - it's about life change.  The weight loss is a side benefit.  Granted -its an important one but is still the side effect of the changed life and not the goal in and of itself.

Less of me.  More of Him.
-Eric