05/08/2025
You Ate What?
By Patricia Potts
An Author of: Our Journey from Darkness to Light
Last night, I decided to make Salisbury steak using some greasy hamburger patties and the drippings from them. As I poured the drippings into the frying pan, I thought about how greasy they were—but when I tasted the gravy, it was surprisingly good, so I served it.
Soon after finishing my meal, my stomach rebelled. My mind started its beating: "Now, that was a stupid thing to do! You know with your kidney issues you're not supposed to eat pork or beef. Think about it—you ate pork yesterday and beef today. That was dumb."
And, of course, that negative voice didn’t stop there. It began picking apart all sorts of less-than-perfect choices I had made. But instead of sinking into shame, my habit was to
focused on five positive things I had done right— calling two lonely friends, acknowledging my greasy choice, praying for forgiveness, and quickly checking a list of remedies for my stomach (Gatorade, ginger tea, and Tums). I also brought my husband a snack, started the dishwasher, and made notes in my journal.
By then, that negative voice had quieted, giving me space to rest and take care of my stomach without the constant barage of negative. I reminded myself: mistakes doesn’t define me, and I can always choose to respond with kindness and grace—especially to myself.
