Candyflosslocks And Her Bowl Of Porridge (Which Was Just Right)

Friday September 4th 2015 was a pivotal day in the annals of my life.

To say I have had a ‘busy’ weekend would be an understatement. As of 8pm on this, Monday September 7th, I have:

1. Watched one of my favourite films for perhaps the millionth time. 
2. Enjoyed a good few lengthy walks.
3. Completed two (rather gruelling shifts) in the wonderful (pfft) world of weekend retail.
4. Had lots of fun with some Crayola and a tattoo colouring book. 
5. Fallen in love with this gorgeous man and his fabulous mind:
6. Been absolutely mortified by an interview and photoshoot (more to follow in a later post in the not-too-distant future)
7. Almost finished a book that I have been reading for nearly a month which I am forcing myself to finish or else I shall be filled with a sense of self-disappointment which will take up a permanent place of residency in my ego for the rest of eternity (a series of essays on Psychoanalysis and Women…interesting for the first 300 pages, but there is only so much one can read about penis envy and the Oedipus complex)
8. Made myself look like a candyfloss pixie princess with the help of my cousin’s hairdressing expertise and one bottle of lavender Renbow Crazy Colour…

My Little Pony called, he wants his mane back…

This hyperactivity is not something which is unusual for me, the sad truth being that days off from having to run around Belfast like a headless chicken being a rarity for my weary little self. However, something was different for me this weekend. A certain significant difference. It was the presence of a little energy boost. A little energy boost in the form of this:

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. That is what you think it is. M&S gluten-free rice porridge. My star player of the weekend. Or MVP (Most Valued Porridge), if you will. Or perhaps VIP (Very Important Porridge)? Okay, okay, I’ll stop now.

Naturally, being Niamh, I couldn’t just have NORMAL porridge, oh no. I had MAGICAL HALLOWEEN THEMED WITCHY PURPLE PORRIDGE, made all the more extra-special by adding…drum roll please…BLUEBERRIES! So it actually looked more like this:

Yum.

I know what everyone is thinking. Yes, it may literally be just your average bowl of porridge. But for me, this symbolises much, much more than that. This simple bowl of indigo sludge holds in it an immense power, a power which gave me the strength and desire to break an eating routine which has taken control of seven years of my life. By increasing my daily calorie intake by consuming this one extra food substance this weekend, not only did I have a little extra energy to perform tasks which would have otherwise been completely painstaking for me, I also shattered the mocking illusion which lived in my mind that somehow my entire life would come down around me if I did not stick rigidly to the eating regime which has ruled my every waking moment for so long.

Needless to say,  I am not cured. Porridge is not some elixir of life, my energy levels still being sub-zero, and my aches and pains still being constant reminders of what I have put my body through. I am also not a convert. In four days, the star of this post has only filled a hole in my belly on two occasions. But it’s a start, right? As they say, two steps forward and one step back…

But a victory is still a victory.

Over and out.

-Niamhy xx