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35. Why I Eat Candy

Posted on September 4, 2019March 14, 2020 by caritagardiner
the gingerbread house I made

CANDY HOUSES

Some people make gingerbread houses for the festive holiday spirit. My younger daughter and I make them for the delicious candy. As you can see from the photo above, I really load on the candy and I eat the whole thing.

I'm writing this post a week after I told you (Anybody out there reading these yet?) about how much I work out in preparation for the recovery from the next tumor that I hope never comes along. At the same time, I think, I can't know what's coming down the pike.

If I get knocked low by another mystery illness, I don't want to think about all of the candy I missed out on.

DURING MY RECOVERY

So, during the three days leading up to and three days after my surgery, I couldn't eat any food. (Thank goodness they've got the whole IV thing figured out.) On the night before the surgery, I dreamed that I was eating Swedish Fish. When I told my family about my funny dream, my father had two reactions. First, he bought and tried his first ever Swedish Fish. (How had he lived so long without eating them? I don't know.) Second, he sent me a five-pound bag of the tasty treats.

Sadly, I wasn't allowed to eat any candy for a month after the surgery. Happily, I got better. I did share some of that bag, but wow, were those candies ever a great reminder of why it's important not to deny myself everything.

KEEPING IN BALANCE

Now, I try to workout a lot, to keep my muscles and heart and lungs strong and my metabolism awake. BUT, I also eat candy and ice cream and frosting (I usually don't like the cake.) and cookies. Life's too short and unpredictable to avoid all unhealthy treats, so now I try to keep my exercise and eating in balance.

SOME OF MY FAVORITES:

Since you're still reading and my mouth's already watering, I'll share a few of my favorite types of candies. Please feel free to let me know which candies you like in the comments.

  • anything with caramel or toffee (but not the chocolate part)
  • Swedish Fish
  • Gummy Bears
  • Haribo Happy Cola
  • Sweetarts Giant Chewy
  • Fruit snacks (We all know those are really candy in disguise.)
  • Black licorice in all forms
  • Whoppers
  • White chocolate
  • Turkish Delight
  • Ferrara nougat

I realize I could keep going forever. Let me know your favorites below.

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WHAT I DO

I teach English to high schoolers at a boarding school in Connecticut. I read AP English Literature and Composition exams and serve as a teacher mentor for the University of Pennsylvania Teaching Fellows program. I’ve earned a Bachelor of Arts (Amherst College), an Education Master in Learning and Teaching (Harvard University Graduate School of Education), a Master of Arts in English (Bread Loaf School of English), and most recently a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a certificate in the online teaching of writing (Southern New Hampshire University).

As a writer, I hope to capture the complexity and joy of life in the New England boarding school world. On this site, I share what I know about trying to write fiction while teaching English, coaching, and doing the other tasks associated with helping to raise over six hundred other people’s children.

WHAT I CAN DO FOR YOU

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  • cgardine@hotchkiss.org

Read my recent “Why” Wednesday Blog Posts

  • 333. Why Join the Line
  • NetGalley Review of The Love Haters
  • 332. Why You Don’t Need to be Brave
  • NetGalley Review of What If It’s You?
  • 331. Why You Should Suck at Something New Every Year (Guest Post)
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