Saved from the Pain

I've still been thinking about the thought from the tea bag that every moment should be enjoyed. The biggest reason that every moment is not enjoyable is because this world is going to be difficult at times but it is just those painful times that force us on ours knees and make us dependent on our Savior. Because of Him and His sacrifice, those moments that we don't enjoy can work for our good.

Calories

For most of my life, I haven't paid very close attention to how many calories are in the foods I eat; but now that I have an app on my phone that tells me how many miles I've run and how many calories I have burned, I have started to notice the calories of the foods I eat. HOLY SMOKES! To realize that when I work my guts out burning 300 calories for an hour and then see that I can eat that many calories in a few seconds now gives me a moments pause before I eat. Just a moments pause, mind you; too bad it doesn't actually stop me. 

Being Good to My Body

I know that I am being good to my body when I cut out sugar, and the interesting discovery is how that small little decision ripples out and affects all aspects of my life. I am suddenly drawn to other ways that I can be good to my body and then I am motivated to honor other parts of myself as well as take good care of other people. Eliminating sugar is one small step for me but one giant leap for mankind. Brilliant thought. I am so original--just don't tell Neil Armstrong.

Enjoy Every Moment?

Some mornings I drink the Yogi brand of herbal tea and it has a little thought attached to each bag. This morning this was the thought about the purpose of life. Because I am a seeker of truth, I also want to know what is the truth, and this morning, I questioned whether this thought was the truth.

My understanding is that we are here to learn from our experiences, and let's face it, there are a lot of experiences that I don't necessarily enjoy. Can I learn from them? Yes, but enjoy them, no. In hindsight I have learned that I can be grateful for painful experiences because of what I have learned from them, but I don't believe I am expected to enjoy them while in the moment. I know that there have been so many moments that I enjoy but those moments don't have the depth of learning that the painful moments have. I do want to learn to enjoy all the good moments, but I know that isn't my sole purpose. I am here to learn and although I want to get better at learning from all that is good and wonderful, I also know that I must know the pain in order to appreciate the good.

Maybe I will get to the point when at a really painful time, I can say, "Wow, I am enjoying this because I am learning so much." But I doubt it. The best thing I can do is enjoy the comforting Spirit that will come during hard times and trust that I will see the blessings later. Maybe that is what this thought is talking about.  

August

Last year I finally realized that August is my least favorite month because I am usually kind of depressed and lethargic the entire month. Maybe it was that I was born two weeks late on August 31 (start shopping now), which had to make for a miserable month for my Mom, and so I started off remembering August as a painful time. I also know that I really don't like being hot (beside, of course, my physical presence) and I really don't relish the end of three months of Summer and the lack of order and structure that it deteriorates to. I mean, by the end of Summer, I am totally laying around bored and lazy.

So...I decided that started today I was going to reclaim August and spend the month detoxing from sugar. I know that how well I am disciplined physically has a huge impact on the rest of myself, so I am counting on how great I feel being sugar free to carry me through and make for a better August. Wish me luck. One day down.

What will I give up?

Yesterday in Sunday School the teacher asked what sins we would give up to become a better person. I appreciated what someone in our class said about the fact that sometimes it isn't a big sin we need to give up but just a little thing such as how we use our time. Timely because I had been pondering all weekend about using more of my time to try and make a difference instead of the insignificant time wasters I often engage in. That ultimately means that I have to give up something so I have more time for something better.

I Crave Order

Yes, I crave order and when things get too disorganized, it is dangerous for me. This is the tricky though because just like it is uncomfortable for me to have too little order, trying to have too much order is equally dangerous. Balance is always key. So my life-long quest is to achieve just enough order to stay sane but not get too obsessive and become OCD. Right now, I just created enough order that I am better able to relax and let my ideas flow as I type. I feel peace and as I have said so many times before, it is the feelings of peace that help me know that I am in a good place but honestly it doesn't have to be the conditions around me that create that peace. It is something I can generate from within. With God's help.