Provisional Order on Healthier Groceries Tomorrow

What Would Have Happened If the Transition Had Begun on Monday

The plan was: finish the existing chips on Sunday. Buy healthier groceries on Monday. Start fresh.

This is a workable plan. It is also a common plan. The plan has been executed, in theory, approximately nine times this year.

What Actually Happens on Sunday

The chips are finished. This was the condition for the plan's activation.

During the eating of the chips, it was noted that there is also a half-packet of biscuits in the back of the cabinet. The biscuits are not chips. The biscuits should also be finished before Monday, otherwise the cupboard will not be empty, and the healthy start requires a clean slate.

The biscuits are started.

What Actually Happens on Monday

The biscuits were not finished. They were started. The plan requires the biscuits to be finished. The plan is therefore deferred to a better moment.

The better moment requires the biscuits to be finished. The biscuits now have prerequisites.

What Happens at the Grocery Store

The healthier groceries are purchased on Tuesday, which is close enough to Monday to count as the transition. The groceries include: vegetables, yogurt, almonds, and a specific kind of cracker that the person has decided is healthier.

The person also purchases one item that doesn't fully fit the new regime because it was on sale, or because it seemed manageable as a controlled indulgence, or because it was there.

The item joins the cabinet. The cabinet is not fully empty. The better start has a small asterisk.

The Cost

Healthier Groceries Tomorrow has been a recurring item in the weekly mental backlog for a substantial portion of the year. Each iteration involves some planning, some good-faith effort, and one exception that resets the starting conditions.

The cumulative planning overhead is not calculated here.

The cupboard will never be fully empty. The plan requires it to be. This is the permanent tension.