Growing up, it was common to hear someone in our household saying, “Give Terri a cookie.”

This was because, when I get hungry; I tend to get hangry. 

Well, not exactly angry – just really, really grumpy.

As the years went by, I would forget this about myself; until, my own body and nature, would bring it back home to me in ways that could not be ignored. 

Even now, if I find myself being unreasonably grumpy (literally – grumpy for no fucking reason; which is very different from being grumpy for a perfectly good reason), I often realize that it has been a long time since I have eaten anything. 

Sometimes, even when have a perfectly good reason for being grumpy but haven’t eaten anything for a long time, and I find eating something seems to alleviate the grumpiness (but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t grumpy for a good reason in the first place). 

I forget this sometimes.

People around me tend to remember this.

Which is why when I told my dear husband that part of my prep for my colonoscopy included a period of fasting.

He actually whimpered. 

I know he whimpered, because I asked him, “Did you just whimper?”

He didn’t say confirm or deny it, but he did explain that not eating did not tend to bring out the best in my (otherwise fucking adorable – my words – but I’m sure it’s what he meant to say) personality. 

But just being aware of the possible issue, really helped. 

It’s really true – the first step to solving a problem is to identify it. Huh. Go figure.

I want to assure you that we made it through the fasting with no blood shed (on either side).  In fact, I don’t believe there were any unkind words exchanged.  My husband may have been tiptoeing around me a bit (the survival skills are strong in this one); but I was also aware of what was going on with my body and my mood. 

And since it was a clear liquid fast – not a total fast – I learned a cup of chicken broth is almost as effective as a cookie under the right circumstances.

Almost.