Sometimes, it’s healthier to go easy on yourself instead of stressing out about perfection. I was reminded of this lesson’s significance over the weekend.

Allow me to set the stage. I had to catch a flight to Minneapolis for the All-Star Game and got a little backed up on time. I didn’t have the resources to make a grocery store run or find a quality organic restaurant in Milwaukee. My only real option was the hotel restaurant. I knew I had prepared in advance and could at least manage a top shelf cup of coffee, however. I grabbed my beans, my coffee grinder and my French press. As I went to grind, I realized that I didn’t have the top to the grinder. SOL.

I hustled down to the restaurant with my bags in tow and sat down to look over the menu. No organic items, no local veggies. I reluctantly created an omelet with mushrooms, spinach, ham, onions and peppers. With my protein and fat taken care of, I needed a carb option. I’m an athlete, it was the morning, and I’m not (nor am I ever) “on a diet”. They had steel cut outs on the menu with some apricot compote, a drizzle of some sort and sliced almonds.

“What else is in the oats?” I asked the server. He told me they mix in brown sugar  and there was no option to grab my bowl sans the crumbled sweet stuff. I knew I was going to have to roll with it. “Got it,” I said. “Let’s just do it without the foo-foo stuff and keep the almonds, please”

The meal and the house coffee were…meh.  If I had my choice, here’s how I would have structured my meal. I’d keep the same ingredients in the omelet, simply better quality. If the steel cut oats were plain and organic, I’d be in heaven. Same deal with the coffee.

By choosing the hotel restaurant, I made a conscious decision about avoiding stress. Perhaps I could have found my preferred meal, but I would increase the risk I’d be late for my flight. That adrenaline rush would have undoubtedly been accompanied by an unhealthy bodily reply. Calm plus a “B” meal > frantic plus an “A” meal.

Stress and nutrition are not our only variables. Time spent should be considered when building out our impromptu pros and cons list.

Say I arrive at the market. They’re out of water in glass bottles and plastic is their only option. Do I a) bite the bullet and drink the water (I’m thirsty, it’s hot) or b) drive 15 minutes in traffic to the store I know for certain will have my H20 in glass from the natural Italian spring? Maybe the best move is to go home, drink from the hose and take a nap.

Every day we face these decisions. Most can be avoided through advanced planning. It’s helpful to keep in mind that easy is okay once in a while. We have enough madness in our lives without bestowing more on ourselves.

Choosing peace,

Kap