Saturday, February 4, 2012

It's Time

The day my son was born, my mother came into my hospital room and said, "It's time to start letting go."

What?  Because of complications with his birth, I hadn't even held him yet!  But Mom had the long-range perspective.  Becoming a parent meant it was time to start acting like a parent.  And now I feel it is time--past time, really--to act like a grown-up about eating.

This whole process of dieting and blogging for the past six months has helped me see how I have misused food most of my life.  I ate because I was happy, or sad, or mad, or confused.  I ate because there was food in front of my face.  I ate because I couldn't think of anything else to do. 

These days, I'm eating because my stomach is growling.  Food is fuel.  Food is wonderful, delicious, and enjoyable...but it is still fuel.  God could have provided only manna for us to eat--the same bland food day in and day out forever.  But He didn't!  He gave us a beautiful Garden-of-Eden smorgasbord of delightful and delicious foods to fuel our bodies!  As I transition away from eating little powdered sugar donuts and french fries and toward munching on crisp apples and juicy, sweet oranges, I taste what I've been missing all these years.  Eating healthy food is not a deprivation; it is a delight!  And I need to quit stomping my foot and pouting about missing the inferior foods I don't eat in mass quantities like I used to. 

It's time.

2 comments:

  1. Please pray for me... The IRS is coming at the end of the month to audit 2010 payroll and vendor tax compliance. Although I know that I have done all I can to do things right, I'm not infallible and this has really thrown me for a loop. I'm not sleeping and I'm depressed over all the extra work, the fear of grumpy IRS personnel, and the BIGGER FEAR that they will find something wrong and it will be my fault and there will be no end of trouble. Consequently, many of my usual wise choices have flown away in the face of this overwhelming dread. I have not felt so out-of-control in a very LONG time!

    Thanks! Jill

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  2. Hi Cindy,

    Your comments remind me that a healthy plate should have foods of all the colors of the rainbow,and powdered sugar donut colors (tan and white) are not rainbow colors! How wonderful that you live in the perfect state to enjoy fresh-from-the-field produce year round. Joy to you on your journey!

    Also, prayers of peace for Jill.

    Love you,
    Your sister

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