by Rosina Pzena, M.S.
This morning I was really looking forward to bringing leftovers for lunch today. It was going to be great – yummy Greek food, and I didn’t have to prepare anything myself or spend any more money. So you can imagine my shock when I opened the fridge this morning, and my food was gone! I was immediately angry at the idea that someone else in my family was eating MY lunch and I started cursing to myself in the middle of the kitchen at 8am.
Anyone who has lived with roommates, family, and/or significant others has probably had a similar experience. When sharing space with other people, they often surpass boundaries that we have set (in our minds or otherwise). In my case, I flew off the handle thinking “they shouldn’t steal my food!! I can’t believe this!” But let’s be real, this is probably the 1000th time this has happened. My angry texts to family and labels posted on food have done nothing to stop meal theft.
Rationally and logically, how then can I continue to be surprised and outraged? Someone else ate my food – that’s disappointing but so what? I got other lunch today, and I can visit that restaurant again sometime. Continuing to be angry about this certainly won’t help me get though my day, so maybe it’s best to just accept that it happened and move on. And next time if I really want my leftovers, I’d better hide them in the back of the fridge!
