Lunchtime Blues

I had an epiphany today. Although disheartening, I’ve come to grip with the fact that the most important decision I make on a daily basis is, "Where am I going for lunch?" I always thought in my calculated, self-important, emotional life I would have bigger issues to tackle. But, as the veil of self-denial has lifted, I see that I do not.

Simplistic and unassuming in its delivery, no other question has such a profound impact on my life. The riposte to the query constructs the framework for rest of my day. If I stuff my face with a nefarious amount of Chipotle burritos, how can I expect myself to get anything done after the clock strikes 1:00pm? Should I try to eat healthy, stay at the office and consume a bowl of cereal? Or should I gorge at the trough of the Green Turtle, scarfing down a fat laden, calorie dripping, artery clogging chili cheese burger with a couple 22oz. frosty mugs of brew to take care of the liver while we're at it? If I go the later route, what is the level of depression I'll feel when, after heading home and planning to workout, I get distracted and forget? Will I climb into bed and remember the broken promise I made to myself earlier, causing a chain reaction of curses and self-deprecated name calling before passing out. And finally, when am I going to eat dinner or do I want dinner at all?

Thirty minute conversations at work are many times, exclusively dedicated to the pursuit of an antiphon to the lunch question. Group decisions can be complicated when deciding on the most insignificant issue. If the issue carries the weight of everyone’s day, subscribing to a consensus is often unattainable and ofttimes requires the group to split into smaller groups. The element of share experience intertwined in the existential meshing of the lunch question comforts the soul but does little to ease the troubles of the mind. What great feats could we accomplish with the collective wasted time of a nation? Would we have cured cancer, aids and the common cold if we didn’t have to ponder over lunch?

Ok, its lunchtime and I have no idea where I want to eat.