Better to Laugh

I am taking a stand to keep as many processed, sugary, fatty snacks out of my cupboards as possible.  I am replacing chips of all kinds, packaged cookies, pretzels, snack cakes, etc. with fresh fruits, vegetables, low-fat cheeses, nuts, whole grain crackers, and plain greek yogurt with basic fruit and whole grain cereal add-ins.  There is still a stash of my favorite bite-sized chocolate; I haven’t been able to let that go.  I want to make an excuse for it, like chocolate has medicinal purposes, but I am just going to own it; I want chocolate. 

This is the first week of the new regime, so I have not heard any backlash yet from the younger generation males of the household, but as the junk food diminishes, I am bound to get some sort of revolt.  I tried this tactic once before; as soon as the sour cream and onion chips were gone, my younger son was making requests to replenish the supply.  I caved that time, but I am now stronger in my convictions to eat foods as close to their original source as possible.  My husband has congratulated me on my efforts; we will see what his attitude is in a few weeks.

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As I got ready to take off for a run on a cloudy day, my husband stopped me at the end of the driveway and told me that my grey long-sleeved shirt and long pants made me blend in with the road.  He suggested I put on my high visibility vest I had just gotten from our daughter for Christmas. 

“I am already behind schedule; I will be alright,” I said.

I was a little over three miles into my four mile run when I got a sharp pain in my chest.  I started walking a few steps.  The first thought that popped in my mind was, “Is this it, Lord?”  followed by, “If I fall down on the road, I will blend in, cars won’t see me, and I could get run over.  I don’t want my family to have to deal with that.”  Thankfully, after a few steps, it passed.  The pain must have been indigestion or something.  Next time, I will definately wear my vest.

Later, I reflected on the event and thought about how my first reaction was to speak to the Lord and not feel fear at the thought of death.  Cool.

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We are out of cookies!  We haven’t had cookies for a couple of days.  Do I really want to buy them and have the temptation in front of me?  We do have cookie mix, but that would mean taking the time to mix and bake.  Hmmmm, making it yourself is kind of like freezing your credit card in a block of ice; you get some time to ponder it and reconsider.  By the time you get the package of mix and bowl out, you just aren’t in the mood.  If you are still in the mood, at least you will burn some calories mixing it yourself.  There is a shiny, red apple on the table.  It’s not a sweet, crunchy cookie, but it is sweet and crunchy and ready to eat.

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Walked (ran a very little) in a half marathon yesterday with my friends Alli and Lindsay.  Here are some highlights:

• Was the first half marathon for Alli 
• The weather was beautiful.
• My bladder was about to burst, so I stopped at the port-o-potty, not a highlight.
• Ran to catch up with Alli and Lindsay after using port-o-potty.
• One water station handed out strawberry Pop-Tarts…yum! Since I was walking, I took one.
• Saw my first barefoot runner finishing the full marathon…crazy!

It was a great race.  Afterward, I walked another six miles to complete one day’s distance for the breast cancer walk that I didn’t get to complete due to not receiving the minimum 1,200 dollars in donations.  During that six miles my husband walked with me, and we stopped by the Dairy Queen on the way back, of course!

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Before

Rain

After rainy race - Still smiling!

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