Resolutions

Okay, resolution time:

1. Continue to praise God every day with my actions and intent. 
2. Continue my journey to great health. 
3. Finally get back to scrapbooking regularly. 
4. Finish more projects. 
5. Learn to say, "No."  
6. Catch up on blogging and my website posts.

Number one seems like it should be easy to accomplish, on the surface, but focusing my thoughts on always being the type of person that pleases God is quite difficult.  You know that moment when you think, "Why is she wearing that?" or "Wow, that is not being a good parent," or "Why do others have so much when I have so little?"  Those moments of thought are the ones that do not follow God's word.  Those thoughts are judgmental and covetous.  See?  It really is difficult.

Number two is definitely happening, because I love the changes I have made and seen in myself over the past twelve months.  I am in much better health than I have been since my late teens, and being strong is so empowering.  Eating strictly vegan dishes, instead of mostly-vegan, cutting down the sweets (again), and not eating after 7:00 pm (again) are my first objects to tackle.  In addition, I have decided to change up my exercise routine a bit in the hopes of kick-starting my weight loss again.

Number three has been bothering me since we moved to Maryland.  In Minnesota, I cropped regularly (at least monthly) with a fantastic group of women at a local scrapbooking store, but I have yet to find such a place in Maryland just yet.  Have I really exerted much effort in the search?  Not so much.  My fault?  Absolutely.  Will I be rectifying this situation in short order?  Definitely.

Number four has been a personal challenge and cause for several years now.  I am horrible collector of ridiculously creative ideas and materials that never get used to their fullest potential.  Chronically.  The bulk of this trait can be referenced back to number three above.  I love resolutions that build on one another.

Number five is, by far, the single most difficult task ahead of me.  I love making people happy and spending time with others, which leads me to over-schedule my life sometimes and over-extend myself quite often.  I need to learn to say no in a kind and considerate, yet firm, way.  Please have patience with me while I endeavor to perfect this necessary balance in my life, friends and family.

Number six is all about procrastination and lack of desire to remain stationary for very long.  Someone should author an application for blogging via voice.  Boy, would I love to multi-task this way by blogging while on the treadmill at the gym.  Oh!  How about a treadmill or stationary bike with a built in tablet?  Now, who is the genius?  This gal.

The 18-Hour Energy Diet

I think this would be a fitting name for an all-natural, organic, mostly (if not completely) vegan diet. If a diet rich in vegetables and fruits and a modest amount of complex carbohydrates were marketed in this fashion, it would be all the rage.

Never, in my wildest dreams, could I have imagined that I would have so much energy that I could barely sit still nearly every day, just because of my diet. My sleep is peaceful, I wake up happy and ready to roll, and I am not "just making it through" the day now. I take my kids on walks, run errands, cook, clean, and work out. This is fantastic!

My next goal is to tailor my vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements to my diet and health needs and wants. What a blessing it is for the Lord to have opened my eyes. I thank Him every day for showing me the path to health and happiness. May I show Him all the praise through my dedication to treating my body as a temple and encouraging others to do the same.

Passion

I never dreamed I could feel so passionately about food and exercise.  When I see others making poor food choices, crash dieting, or being sedentary, I want to scream, "Don't you know that you are the one in control?  Don't you know that you can change your life?  Don't you know what you are doing to yourself?"  I fear I am becoming one of those obnoxious health nuts.

Excuse me while I try to remember to carry my soapbox instead of stepping upon it at every opportunity.

Romans 15:7 “Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.”

The Silver Rule?

Today is one of those days when I wonder what happened to the saying, "If you cannot say something nice, do not say anything at all."

When did we, as a people, stop supporting one another? When did we begin shooting down other's efforts to better themselves? When did it become offensive to choose a different dietary path than the one with which a person was raised?

What it really boils down to, for me, is why others judge first and close their minds to new foods rather than asking questions or sampling new foods before forming their opinions. If one does not understand my choices in food, ask me about them. I have worked very hard to study nutrition and cooking techniques in order to make healthy and great-tasting food. I will not feed guests in my home foods I know they do not like, but I also expect them not to ridicule my choices in food for the rest of my family.

Junk food is not "normal food." My children are not suffering. They do not live some sort of sad existence where I only feed them dandelion greens and parsnips. They do enjoy eating organic foods a lot more than they ever did processed foods. They do learn about new vegetables and from where their produce came. They do take part in preparing meals. They do feel better and act better.

Good nutrition is not a form of punishment to others; it is essential to clean living. At some point, I hope that our extended families will accept that we are just living our lives in the way we deem best and not in defiance of them; they never entered our decision matrix. It was not as if my husband and I looked at each other and said, "What can we do to our diet that would offend and impose upon our families the most?"

Eating organic, mostly-vegan food just feels right. I love the way I feel, I love the way I look, and I love the clarity of thought I have now. This is a choice. MY choice. This is me.