Some things in life don't get to take a vacation

The past week I have been vacationing with my family at a beach house in Laguna Beach, which is an absolutely enjoyable get-away even though it is only 20 minutes from the house I grew up in. The town, the beach, the whole environment is not new to me, but what is new is that this is my first family vacation with celiac disease. Any travels with friends over the past two years felt manageable...I guess because it was just me and one other person. And I do dine out with my family about once a month just to get together and catch up, but I don't mind going-without at that sporadic frequency. Eating with my family for two to three meals a day, five to seven days in a row is a much different experience.

The discussion of what sounds good to eat, the excess of choices available to everyone but me, the appetite-inducing conversation that occurs around every meal, and the communal sharing of appetizers and tasting of each others' plates really wore down the defense mechanisms that I routinely put in place so that I am not constantly disappointed by my eating experience.

What this week made me realize is how valuable it has been to figure out my diet on my own, without the need to plan seperate or modified meals for a group of people as would be the case if I lived in a family household. I can figure out what I have an appetite for, prepare it without worries of cross-contamination, and eat it without feeling envious of what others are enjoying. Like I said to my family to try to depict how I was feeling, normally I can get excited about a simple bowl of cereal and be completely satisfied from eating it. That kind of mentality is not so easy to maintain when there's an entire table full of delicious-looking-and-smelling, untouchable food right in front of me. For better or for worse, this vacation reminded me how this part of my life continues to challenge me in new situations no matter how well I think I have been coping.