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I Cheated and I Paid for It

I have a confession to make

Michele Maize
4 min readAug 7, 2023
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels

There it was staring at me from across the room — the most delicious-looking cheese platter. I was famished and the cheese was giving me that look.

I could hear it calling my name.

Just try it. A small amount. You’ll be fine.

I don’t drink. I don’t do drugs. I don’t eat meat. These things are by choice.

I can’t eat cheese because of my stomach. I have what they call microscopic colitis, an autoimmune inflammation of the colon. Well, there isn’t anything microscopic about it when it returns with a vengeance.

You see, I’d been giving in from time to time when out of the house. It hadn’t bothered me yet, so I indulged once in a while, hoping and praying that I could just be vegetarian.

At a family dinner, I had some parmesan on my pasta. Just a sprinkle. I was fine. Maybe it didn’t really bother my stomach and maybe my problem back then was just the alcohol.

Alcohol exacerbates it, too.

So, I tried it again another time. A bite here and there. All good.

I believed I deserved some of that cheese platter. Just a few squares of sharp cheddar and a slice of brie with apricot jam on top.

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Michele Maize
Michele Maize

Written by Michele Maize

Sober Traveler | Wannabe Vegan | Yoga Addict. Dog-loving extrovert turned introvert. Owner of "The Maze". Editor at Black Bear and Globetrotters.

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