Notes from the 'fast' lane

I just finished a four day 'fruit fast'. I learned a lot...

'They' say that 'we' should eat slowly and saver our bites. However correct 'they' are very few of 'us' do it. You want to know how you can easily incorporate this into your life? Eat only fruit for four days. How wonderful a NOT sweet taste and a NOT soft food can be. OK, so the scrambled egg this morning was soft but the toast was deliciously crunchy.

'They' also say that eliminating sugar from our diet or at least limiting it is a good thing. But there is sugar everywhere. It's hard to miss it. And as an American, I like sugar...or should I say liked. After four days of eating only sweet fruit, I may be off sugar for a very long time. Eric's leftover oatmeal did not have the same appeal this AM as in the days past. I did eat the few walnuts out of it but the raisins did not entice me.

Speaking of leftovers...'they' tell young moms to be careful eating our children's leftovers. I found out how hard it was for me to 'waste' food by throwing it away. But unless it was fruit...throw it away I did.

As much as I enjoy fruit, in season and out, the sweet got to me very quickly. It was a great way to initiate portion control which is another thing 'they' tell us is important to healthy eating. When you don't particularly care for what's offered...it's surprising how little you have to eat to satisfy your hunger.

I also came face to face with my rebellious nature. When I told friends what I was doing, whatever comment they made--I took the opposite side. " I am so proud of you"--this is so hard and I hate it. "I'm not so sure about losing whole food groups"--It's only for four days, it's not so bad. So now, not only am I eating more consciously but talking more so, too. Keeping track of my attitude...it sucks...a lot.

So today, I eat regular healthy meals. Tomorrow, too. Then it's back to the fruit for four more days. I don't know how long I will keep this up. Til I lose the pounds I want to lose or until I can walk by a bag of snack food and not unconsciously grab a handful of whatever it is and eat it without thinking.

This whole thinking thing is not as hard as it seemed it was going to be six months ago. It's not easy but it's more other than hard. Conscious thought--is the key and the goal.

And let's not forget one other thing that has become even more clear to me...My husband loves me. Offers to make special trips to the grocery store to buy me a variety of fruit so I'm not bored. Supports me in this craziness. Fixes meals for himself and Ashley and eats them out of sight so as not to tempt me. Even skips going out to eat. Just for me. It seems so normal to say out loud. But with EVEYTHING so keenly in focus...It feels different, more intense. I can eat fruit for days and days with that kind of support.

Living Life Backwards

I've been reading a book by Robert Littlejohn called "Wisdom and Eloquence". In it he talks about teaching kids with the end in mind. What do we want our kids to be able to do when they graduate high school? What do we teach them their senior year? Their Junior year? And so on down to Kindergarten. As we plan to home school Ashley, this seems like a very good plan.

But I was thinking today...what if I lived my life with the end in sight? As a Christian, my eternal life is secure in my faith in Christ's atoning work. But what about the end of this life?

If I don't want to be buried in a piano crate, I need to keep my weight in check. OK that was a bit of an exaggeration but still. How do I want to be remembered? I'm remembered as the singing cashier at the book store. Or the town crier--for my closing announcements.

And bringing those two ideas together...How do I want Ashley to remember me? What do I want her to learn simply by watching me? Exercise is a daily enjoyable task. Housework is a way of life. That whatever our hands find to do, we do with all our might. That eating healthy is as much fun or even more than eating junk. That cooking is not a chore. That reading is great fun. That nature walks are an everyday thing...rain or shine.

A similar idea is touted in lots of home decorating books...Don't start with the stuff, start with the vision. How do you want your home to feel? to you? to your family? to guests?

I'm going to have to think on these things a bit more.

I've lived a lot of my life for today. Eating what tasted good, even if I feel bloated later. Resting in when a brisk walk would have energized me more. Reading and watching for entertainment alone without even trying to glean nuggets of lasting truth.

There is a balance between living for today and living for the end. Maybe that's what I want to be remembered as...a Balanced Person...

TV Truths

Do you ever have "Whoa, Dude" moments? You know when you are just living life and POW out of the blue "Whoa, Dude!"

I am watching the first season of Monk on DVD. What a crack up! So scitchy, yet so right. Frustratingly, right. Well, in one episode he really wants to see this runner. He is standing on the sidelines waiting, waiting, waiting. He notices a missed button...on someone else's sweater and, of course, HAS to fix it. While he is fixing this poor guy's button, Monk misses his guy. The guy he has stood for how long to see passes him by.

Whoa, Dude! How often does this happen to me? To you? So busy fixing something that doesn't matter at all and POW life passes us by. Mine is not buttons. Mine is Spider Solitare. I play till I win while the bed doesn't get made and the dishes don't get done. I play till Ashley stops asking me to "Come see!"

Play till I have no time to blog.

PUSH

Why is it so hard for some of us to push ourselves?

As I look back I am amazed at some of the things I did in the past when I had someone to push me. I played JV basketball in high school, (it was a small school everyone made the team) I could not count the number of push ups I did, and I had never run that much before, (nor will I in the future). That coach pushed me hard and although I wasn't as good as the others, I did more than I ever thought possible.

Then there was the choir director in college. He would hand us new music and have us sight-read it a capella. This was the same man that in my voice lessons handed me Mozart and said I was going to lean it, (most of my previous experience had been Broadway songs). I ended up singing the solo part not only with our choir, but with three other church choirs all together in a large community event.

I say all this not to brag about things many years ago, instead I want to know why don't I push myself? Why do I think of things and not do them, or only half do them? What could I accomplish if I had a coach next to me every day? (Well, maybe not everyday:) )

In the same way, how can I be that coach for my daughter? To push her to go out of her comfort zone and try new things and reach higher without causing her to feel the need for perfection to please me?

I know some people have good friends that hold them accountable, I would be interested to see that work, the one time I tried it was with a friend that struggles as much as me so we didn't last very long (sorry Steph).

Let me know what works for you, and if I try anything that helps I'll let you know, too.

PREACH.....what I practice

DOMINOES PIzzA......there you go, that was dinner. Hubby wanted to celebrate (you don't have to cook dinner dear), daughter was all for it, and I knew I'd pay for it. That's why I feel like I have bricks in my stomach this morning.

So there you have it, those of you that know me will agree that I know better, but do I put it into practice? Here's the truth :(