A Trial Separation

Dear Dr.

You have been a part of my life for many years now. When I am feeling run down you are the first thing I reach for. When I want to celebrate you are there, and when I need to comfort myself you are my first thought. I seek you out no matter wherever I am in the world, I even managed to locate you in Cambodia! My friends know that I will always be happy if they bring you with them to a party I'm organizing.

Lately though I've been reconsidering our relationship. I've begun to see that what once was just an enjoyment of you has become something more unpleasant. At times I find myself thinking that I can't get by without you, that somehow life will be less if you are not by my side. Rather than getting the rest I need I turn to you for stimulation. Everything is good in moderation, but lately I think I am around you too much and I worry about the effect you are having on me. I don't blame you completely for my recent weight gain, but you are a contributing factor.

Therefore Dr., I've decided that we should spend some time apart for a while. I know that will be tough, because you are everywhere I look. It is difficult for me to even sit down at a restaurant without wishing you were with me, but if our relationship is to become healthy then I know I need to get some separation from you so I can gain clarity.

Please don't expect me to look for you until Easter, and even after that time, I fully anticipate our relationship will be far more casual than it has been the last few months, at times it has felt so consuming that I've felt twinges of doubt. This trial separation is my way of honoring those 'twinges' within me.

So, dear, sweet Dr. Pepper, I'll see you in a few months. Know that I will miss you, but I'll survive.




Peter