[You can listen to the below, as live on BBCR2, here]
For the last few years, I’ve been a pescetarian, (like a vegetarian but I eat fish) – and I can be, admittedly, fairly vocal about my diet choice. So, I was delighted to discover that Sir David Attenborough became pescetarian last year; and surely he’s the guy to follow when it comes to protecting wildlife and the environment? (I must be in with the right crowd.)
But why have I dragged Attenborough away from the beauty of our blue planet and into my confession?
Well, you can imagine my horror when – at 10 weeks pregnant – shopping for a lunch party with friends, I found myself irrepressibly drawn to the smell wafting from… the two rotisserie chickens in my trolley. Thankfully, some self-restraint was shown as I managed to wait until I was home to rip open one of the bags and – after years of meat free life - tear off a bit of chicken and start chomping.
My husband found this so amusing that he quickly got out his phone and filmed my moment, or five, of chicken fueled weakness. Not a video I’m particularly proud of but hopefully a blip I can put down to the crazy cravings of pregnancy.
Now I’ve told you though, does confessing help? Yes – I believe it does. The guilt begins to leave you. It’s almost shared. Because, once you’ve done the deed – there’s no going back. The chicken is forever eaten! What else is there to do, but confess? I love this quote from Ghandi: “Confession of errors is like a broom which sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface brighter and clearer. I feel stronger for confession.”
With all the unrealistic ‘New Year, New Me’ resolutions being bandied around, confession is the ideal secret weapon and antidote. Perfection is impossible – yet consistent admission of when we’ve got it wrong genuinely is achievable. The Latin writer Pubilius Syrus wrote in one of his moral sayings: “Confession of our faults is the next thing to innocence.”
So I’m going to aim for that – ‘fessing up when I’ve messed up… Sorry Sir David – but now you know!