Why There's Broccoli On The Hand Soap

by Kris Pitcher

I'm a great traveler...modest too. My great news is that I have a new job. A job that I love with an amazing organization. Lucky me!

During my first week on the job, while I'm trying to figure out my phone number and how to log onto my email, I had the good fortune to attend a national training. Scary.

Scary because...I was about to expose my eating habits. Hmm. So, I did what I always do when I prep for travel. I got two and a half days worth of food prepped, weighed, bagged and frozen. I put my nuts in my snack sized zipper bags, and portioned out my whey protein.

Then I panicked. Having never traveled with my new organization I wondered if I'd have to share a hotel room. I don't like to share. It's not that I'm not nice, I just want things the way I want them. I need my privacy. And, I'm about to set up camp in there.

Upon check in I was relieved that indeed I had a single room. Believe it or not, I'm a classic introvert. That doesn't mean I won't take the mic in a room full of hundreds of people. It just means I need my down time to recharge. I need my "me space".

I'm also aware that my lifestyle habits are a little out of the norm. Like washing dishes in the bathroom sink...and leaving the occasional broccoli piece on the hand soap. My bad.

It was a very successful trip on all accounts. Especially successful in terms of eating and staying on track. I was even able to find something to eat on the pub menu when I went out with my new team. Steak salad hold the blue cheese, dressing on the side.

When I got home, my husband said, "I barely made it. I even got hungry...(insert sad face)." But he seemed to find the Thai restaurant and order green curry just fine without me? So, he did OK. He even cooked the beef I'd left to thaw for him. But it's nice to be needed.

The best part of all was no one thought it was weird that I was eating out of my purse every few hours. People were actually interested in my hobby and I didn't feel like I had to hide it. It feels good to have found my little piece of bliss, to be well received in a new place...and not worry about the broccoli on the hand soap.