Look at me, filling up on fiber and vitamins C and A… and also 2,000 calories of cheesecake

I attend a weekly Thursday morning Tehillim group.

Of course, I would recite Tehillim in exchange for zero treats whatsoever. But having something sweet or gooey or chocolatey or cinnamon-y or creamy or cheesy makes my mornings just a bit better. Sometimes more than a bit better because sometimes the hostess, DG, has a cake or cookie that’s all of the above.

And what’s better than infusing your Thursday morning with some spirituality? I’ll tell you. Infusing it with some spirituality plus a piece of decadent chocolatey cheesy yumminess. And she serves salad so I can feel all virtuous as I eat my snacks. Look at me, filling up on fiber and vitamins C and A… and also 2,000 calories of cheesecake. But cheesecake has bone-building calcium, you know, so it’s all good.

But my stomach (and the stomachs of the other attendees) has just so much room so early in the morning and sometimes I simply don’t know what treat to try. Am I in an apple-cinnamon mood? A caramel-cheese mood? A dark-chocolate-and-sea-salt mood?

Note: By about 4 p.m. I’m very in touch with my inner Peshie and I know exactly what mood I’m in. It takes zero effort for me to reach for a chocolate-dipped pretzel. But at 10 a.m. I’m still a bit bleary-eyed and I can’t always pinpoint just what my taste buds want from me. (And that’s not for lack of trying.)

Me: Taste buds, what are you in the mood for?

TB: Something good.

Me: Define good.

TB: Something sweet or tart or tangy or salty.

Me: Be specific. Do you want that caramel-apple blondie or the cinnamon bun or the chocolate-chip biscotti?

TB: Yes.

Me: Which one?

TB: All.

Me: You can’t try all. It’s only 10:43 a.m. Choose one. Or two.

And I’m back where I started.

I don’t only have this dilemma at the Thursday Tehillim group. I have it at Neshei teas and brunches and other affairs where there are lots of pastries laid out temptingly in front of me.

It hits particularly hard at Chinese auctions. It’s enough that my hopes are about to be dashed as I discover that I haven’t won the Rebecca doll and her hundreds of accessories for the 33rd time. Must I also bear the pain of missing out on the perfect éclair?

(Excerpted from Family First, Issue 675)