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This morning I stopped by Dunkin’ Donuts to buy a dozen tasty treats in celebration of a work anniversary.

At the counter I was asked by the attendant whether I wanted to pick them out myself or let him choose a dozen for me. I was thinking about that even before he said it, and had already determined that asking him to pick out the donuts I chose was really kind of obnoxious. After all, they’re only donuts, not jewelry or a lifelong choice like a tattoo. One does not need to be that fussy about which donuts go into the box. That process has to drive the donut people crazy. He filled the box up with 12 donuts, and I was on my way.

One for the money

I suppose there are people in this world that hate donuts, and for all the right reasons. They’re high in all three bad categories of food: sugar and carbohydrates and fat. The trifecta of pudge.

Despite all these drawbacks, donuts really taste good. Some even offer a textural experience. Applesauce donuts come to mind.

At the office I opened up the box and pulled out a chocolate donut. The rest I left for people to scarf on during the day. My chocolate donut with the chocolate flecks let me nibble away in that fashion reserved only for something nasty good to eat. So I was satisfied.

Shaq says it all

This weekend we watched an episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. They interviewed Shaquille O’Neal, who shared that he’s a giant booster of Krispy Kreme donuts. He’s both a spokesperson for the company and an investor. Shaq said he only does testimonials for products in which he really believes. Then he shared, with a smile, “The Shaq brand is fun.”

When the interviewer teased Shaq about his penchant for donuts, the Big Man dared him to poke him in the mid-section. “It’s rock hard. Moderation in everything is key,” he replied.

Shaq is 7’1″ and 380 pounds. But it is his business acumen and smarts that seem to be the biggest part of the man’s persona. Yet he’s not afraid of a donut or two. In moderation.

Which is worse? 

The same could probably said for the rest of us. Many who run and ride like to do so because it affords us the luxury of the occasional donut (or doughnut, which somehow seems worse to say) along the way.

The new Trek cycling catalog for 2018 even features a double-page spread featuring a big wall painted with donut images and bikes leaned up against it. The point being: You can afford a donut if you go out and ride eighty miles beforehand.

Not on the daily menu

We all get that excess carbs and sugar clog create fat that clogs the arteries, puts plaque on the brain and can lead to heart disease. Donuts should not be on the daily menu, You know better.

I still laugh when recalling how one of my high school cross country teammates scarfed down a donut right before the race. He had a horrible run as a result, and threw up. Donuts are not ideal pre-race fare. No one is suggesting donuts or doughnuts are even good before a workout. Eat a Larabar instead. Those will digest at least.

But Donuts? Doughn’t go there. 

Droolworthy

But go ahead and drool at the donuts in the photo above. I took that photo myself, and it amounts to a special occasion admission that I ate the one with the chocolate bits stuck to the chocolate frosting. And it was damned good.

Why not enjoy life a little? Or a lot.

Just know the next hill may feel a little harder when you climb it. That is how this all works. There’s a price to pay for every indulgence in this world.