Courtesy! To be...or not to be, where do you stand?

Before proceeding with this Courteous Or Not post, I'll put it out there that it would be enlightening to hear the opinions or experiences of others about this dilemma.  So, without further ado, the painting of the picture and scene of the quandary...

My little family unit have lived in this home on this friendly street for four years.  We have exceptionally lovely neighbours of whom we do the fence line banter with often.  One particular neighbour, the Lovely C, offers care and socialisation for my boys  on a regular basis.  She has taken them for walks, shares toys from her own older boys and is a dearly reliable carer.  But despite all this socialisation, we have never had a meal with any of our neighbours.  No Christmas drinks or street BBQs.  This has been as much about us not inviting them, as it is the neighbours not inviting us for lunch or dinner.  Not from want or thought, just life and laziness.  Well, that was until yesterday however!!

For the first time in the four years living here, the Lovely C knocked on our door inviting us over for a small soiree to Christen their newly built wood-fired oven!  Now, while keeping to the program meant that 'homemade pizza' was still able to be made to a healthier 'option', we didn't anticipate 'trouble'.  A little preparation and we wandered on over there with our own pizza toppings of some crisp fresh vegetables and made a pizza ala Michelle 12WBT style.  Yummy veggies and cheese free!!

Sounds great... right...well.....

The dilemma unfolded when smarts and strength should and would have stopped me at one piece of pizza, a comfortable 250 calories (approx), BUT, I went on to eat three pieces in total!  "OH"... "GASP" I hear!!  Well, let me tell you that my self destruction did not have to stop there.  The Lovely C's husband served up onto the table one decadent, home made cheesecake with strawberries and raspberry sauce.  He had worked on it that very morning.  I was challenged!

Now, hubby and I had only just been talking about our success for the first two weeks into the 12 week Body Transformation when we were promptly dished up with this testing cake.  Now, when I say testing, it wasn't simply the temptation of the sweet taste of the cheesecake, but the debate of being 'courteous' or not in a very new, impromptu dinner party setting.

In the taste of hospitality, to eat the cheesecake shows gratitude for the invitation, the generosity and appreciation for slaving in their kitchen all morning.  A gratefulness for pulling the three families together;  BUT, as I type this, alarm bells go off ringing the sounds of excuses and justifications.  But to not eat a small portion, even with the game plan of working it off running through your mind, would it have been rude.

I realise how ironic this is that it occurred during the 'no excuses re-evaluate' week of this 12WBT, but it stood out as a true challenge due to it's spontaneity!

So, I put it to you, what would you do?  Courteous or Not? These situations arise for everyone everyday, but in the face of the goal of loosing weight and gaining wellbeing...would you eat the cake or not?