Except they do.

I was wondering yesterday, for the umpteenth time, why it is I think I can go without eating?

I get all involved in something, and I don’t want to stop.  Just let me mow this one more patch of grass, pull this one more weed.  Let me check Facebook and then answer this email.  Let me figure out why this WordPress plugin isn’t working the way it should.

Just one more minute.

And then it’s two o’clock, and I haven’t had breakfast or lunch.

My head hurts, I’m tired, I’m making mistakes, and I am grouchier than a grizzly bear.

Everybody has had that happen, right?

Only, I am way old enough to know better—so why?

There are laws of physics, biology, gravity.  Nobody is immune.

The truth is I—and every other human being on the planet—function better with a blood sugar level that hasn’t dropped below 70 and some reasonable amount of sleep.

It’s a fact.  We know this. Why do so many of us ignore it?

It’s like we’re walking around thinking, Okay, I know if I drop this anvil on my foot, it’s going to crash down and break my toes, but today, I’d rather throw it up in the air and watch it float away, and it’s going to do that because that’s what I want it to do.

Yeah.  Right.

One of the things they say in AA—I’ve heard—is you should never let yourself get too hungry or too tired.  It undermines your sobriety.

Here’s another thing.

It undermines your creativity.

Art takes energy.  Your brain needs to be sharp and alert when those brilliant ideas come along.  At the very least, you can’t afford to make the dumb mistakes like not saving your novel before the computer crashes or having your hand tremble as your paintbrush is just about to finish the hat.*

So, why is it that I think I can go without eating?  I really do wonder.

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* Stephen Sondheim, Sunday in the Park with George

It’s only slightly related to this post, but I wanted you to understand the reference. Enjoy!