Medieval Times are Fun Times

June 7, 2010

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Medieval Times to celebrate the girl I tutor's eighteenth birthday. We had fun watching the show, although I must say that more than watching the show, I enjoyed seeing Chrissy-the girl I tutor-enjoy herself. Chrissy has a developmental disability and depression and anxiety. In a world that often demeans or makes invisible those with developmental disabilities, I think it is so important to make sure that she feels special, appreciated, included, and at ease as often as possible. It makes me happy when I think she feels that way.

In fact, I feel that is my main purpose in working with her-to make sure she has some time where she feels special and joyous. Of course, learning how to count money and follow directions is very important, but I feel there are much more important things than academics. As someone who has often felt devalued and anxious due to my mental illness, I can attest that feeling valued and at ease is critical to having a good quality of life.
(Me and Chrissy)

Now onto the food! At Medieval Times, you eat with your hands.
There isn't the best lighting, so I did not take a lot of pictures of the food. The food was okay, but nothing I would order if I was at a regular restaurant. Well, I might order a tomato bisque at a restaurant, but this bisque tasted like something out of a can. I consoled myself with the fact that one does not come to Medieval Times for the food, but for the show and bad English accents!(Tomato Bisque)
The one exception to the food was the chicken, which was very juicy and tender. It was not heavily seasoned, but the simplicity of the chicken combined with its superb juiciness was refreshing. And man, they gave us each a half of chicken! I took half of mine home and put the chicken on top of a baked potato with salsa, cheese, and sour cream.

Unfortunately, this meal was not without some inner turmoil for me. Because the portions were so huge and there were so many courses, I ate too much. When I eat too much, the uncomfortableness I feel in my stomach causes me to obsess and to want to get rid of that feeling as quickly as I can, which means throwing up. Fortunately, I am learning how to sit with uncomfortable feelings and so I did not succomb to the urge to purge. It makes me angry that the way I deal with feeling uncomfortable is to want to purge. I wish it were not a part of my mindset, but you know, recovery is a process. More and more I am trying to view life as many processes instead of a straight forward journey of right and wrong. I no longer succomb to my desires to act out, but that does not mean that I will not still have the desire to do so sometimes. And that is okay. Life is a process and people are rarely healed completely all at once. Sometimes when I have difficulty accepting this, I say to myself, "It's a process, life is a process," over and over again. Overall, I had a great time at Medieval Times, despite ED wanting to win. It did not and perhaps next time I go, I will be able to stay more in the moment and the moment will be a little easier. There is only one way to know and that is to continue living life and experiencing new things.

One comment on “Medieval Times are Fun Times”

sophia says:

June 8, 2010 at 12:07 pm

Don't be angry, Corey...wanting to purge from a uncomfortable distended feeling...it's almost impulsive, unconscious desire. I sometimes get that, too. But you didn't act on it. That's the key thing! And you had a great time! I think, overall, it just proved that you are stronger and better than ED! 😀

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Medieval Times are Fun Times

June 7, 2010

One comment on “Medieval Times are Fun Times”

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