Driving while eating

This is kind of silly.

Or maybe, kind of normal.

I have all day to accomplish just the few things that must get done. Yet, I often find myself in a crunch, racing to get someplace when you'd think I'd have the time to get there in a leisurely fashion.

When I get up in the morning, I end up spending hours at the kitchen table, which has kind of become my office. (Filing system: Bills on one chair, newspapers on another, stack of books on the table, odds and ends on the stool.) I read the paper, talk on the phone, check e-mail and blogs that I follow, do some writing and some "work," talk to the kids, gaze out at the garden and tell the dog to be patient, we'll go for a walk soon. There goes the morning.

The other day I had plans in the afternoon and the evening. I was going to Deb's at 3:30 for a doggie play date and coffee and cake, and then to Meryl and Danny's for dinner around 7. I had told Meryl I would bring bread. I didn't want to bring just any supermarket bread; I was looking for a nice baguette or sourdough.

Suddenly I realized I wouldn't have time to eat lunch. I shouldn't skip it, either. So I threw together a sandwich, wrapped it up and took it in the car with a bottle of water. Ate half on the way to Atkins Farms Country Market, went in but didn't like the bread. Got back in the car, Purelled, ate the other half and headed into Amherst to the Black Sheep, a deli and bakery. Found a good baguette there, headed home, realized I forgot to get local blueberries (got to eat them while they last), went back to Atkins, then home to get the dog and on to Deb's.

This rushing, and the eating while driving, is contrary to what everyone tells you. You are supposed to eat at the table, not on the run. It's better for digestion. If you are into mindfulness, it's good for that too. It's better for concentration on the road.

I'm sure I'm not alone. I learned it when the kids were young. You get them fed and then realize, oops, I forgot to take care of myself. So you grab something for the road. I perfected it when I was working. To get my morning run in, I often didn't have time to sit down for breakfast. So I grabbed a bagel and coffee and ate in the car. I had to have a poppyseed bagel. Hence, poppy seeds all over the car. And as a reporter sometimes rushing from one assignment to another, I often had no time for lunch. I ate on my lap while I drove from one place to another. I got so good at it, I could even eat a salad or pizza on the run.

So when I ate my sandwich in the car, I felt kind of silly but kind of normal.