In Quest of My Inside Age

MargaretLeave a comment

Today is a day I never seriously considered “happening” to me.  I’m 60.  Sixty. Years. Old.  21,915 days…we won’t count seconds.  I don’t want to admit out loud to being 60.  It sounds offensive.  Six decades!  I think I prefer three score.  My age is a mere three score.

Just yesterday, I was in a whole different decade.  I also had a halo. Well, it was gray roots. Very pronounced gray roots.  My friend, Miss Clairol, helped me get back to normal.  Erm…Normal, not natural. 

In my younger days when I heard something like, “So-and-so died.  She was only in her sixties,” I would think to myself, “She had a good, long life.”  Funny how time changes one’s way judging.  In my heart, I relate to being 40, but that’s my daughter’s age.  I’ll have to relate to her being 24.  Is it denial?  Maybe a mental coping mechanism?  I’m officially old.  Grateful, but old.  My inside age will remain 40 until further notice.

I remember my 40th birthday like it was a few years ago. It sounded old at the time. My sisters sent me a tombstone cake and black balloons to work, announcing my closely guarded secret to my all-male co-workers. Men are occasionally more likely to rib us ladies about our age.  We women are sometimes kinder to each other.  Sometimes not. 

:::Sideways glance at that person who has been known to start our conversations with, “Hey, Old Woman!”::::   She knows who she is.

Just yesterday morning, right after saying “Happy Birthday Eve!” Ole Boy looked at me and said, “60?!  Really??  60??!!”

Yeah.  60.   
I mean three score!

And next week, I will be embarking upon an unexpected event:  Early retirement.  At this moment, I am not sure which direction I will go.  Finally complete my novel?  Write a devotional?  Improve my doodles until I can say its art?  Write in my blog more?

I don’t know. 
I’ll think about that tomorrow, when I am three score and one day. 

In Quest of the Decluttering of my Mind

MargaretLeave a comment

“…Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 NLT

Being mentally tired can feel worse than being physically exhausted.  Too often when I do find a quick moment that could be used to declutter my headspace, I reach for my little Googly machine and scroll social media, look up worthless bits of information, read the latest breaking bad news, or get sucked into some clickbait headline, and before I know it, 10 or 15 minutes have passed, and the moment to clear my overactive mind is gone. 

Nashville Zoo

An even bigger issue is when I’m offended and hanging on to unforgiveness.  That’s when I can waste half an hour having a conversation with them in my head, thinking things I probably wouldn’t even say to them if given the chance.  Then I choose to forgive and repent, but one minute later, I invite them right back into my thoughts and tell them off a little more. 

An undisciplined mind running amuck never helped anyone.  Those of us who eat when we’re feeling stressed may have a little better control of our food choices if our thoughts are purposely rooted on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise.

In Quest of Slowing Down

MargaretLeave a comment

Be still and know that I am God…”
Psalm 46:10 NIV

Procrastination has its place.

You know the story.  You passed up all the fast-food breakfast places on the way to work.  You have a good lunch packed and a healthy snack ready for the afternoon sinking spell.  You are going to do it!  Today is the day!  You walk into the office full of confidence, and then you catch a familiar scent.  Someone brought warm donuts, the ones that melt in your mouth.  So unfair!  Now what?

Even if you do just have one, that won’t be the last you hear from the donut.  Later, you’ll excuse another bad choice, and by 4 p.m. you will have given up on abstaining today.  That’s the way of sugar.  There’s another option, though:  Slow down!  Before you give into the temptation, wait 30 minutes.  I don’t mean impatiently watch the clock, checking the time every 3 minutes until half an hour has passed and then grab the donut.  So what, then?

Start every day well-armed.  Take a few minutes to remember why you are on the pathway to a healthier lifestyle. Take some deep breaths.  Make a goal for the day and say it out loud. Ask Jesus for strength (we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. Philippians 4:13).  Have a scripture ready, “Be still and know that I am God…” or one that speaks to you. And know you can say, “No!  No way!” to temptation.  In other words, be in a forearmed to talk yourself out of temptation by whatever means works for you.  Just because you don’t have a donut today doesn’t mean you can never have another donut.  It just means you aren’t going to throw this day away.  You aren’t going to shuck off the newfound confidence you walked in with. 

Procrastinate!  The longer you put off the bad choice, the less likely you are to give into it.  There’s where you have control of your choices…before you plop it into your mouth.  That goes for the hunger pang that hits you around 10 a.m.  Give it a few minutes.  It will go away, and you’ll be fine until it’s time for lunch.

Tomorrow:  Decluttering our headspace.

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Losing Weight, Day One: Truth

Margaret2 Comments
Huntsville Botanical Garden

Psalm 25:5
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.  (ESV)

Food choice control doesn’t start after the fact, it starts before.  When the side effects of food we know we shouldn’t have eaten hit, we develop good sense amnesia regarding food for the rest of the day, giving in to the growing cravings to eat anything sugary, salty, and fat-laden, that never quenches the desire.  I call it feeding the consequence.  When I am in the throes of a sugar binge, it’s hard to remember I have a choice, and I will toss all resolve to the wind with barely a thought, much less a fight, and eat like the sugar addict I admit that I am. 

For a successful day, we must first make a commitment.  We have to want to lose weight enough that we resolve to remember our triggers, and not pick up the loaded gun of unhealthy food.  We also know those first few days are going to be the hardest, especially if we are coming off a weeklong (or longer) stretch of undisciplined gorging.  It’s easy to unstrap the feedbag on Monday morning.  It’s hard to keep it off through lunchtime.  Go dig out that diet plan that has temporarily worked for you in the past and start with that, but place more faith in yourself than in the plan.  Only we can decide to abstain from trigger foods (even if they are permissible on our plan) knowing it will throw your cravings into overdrive. 

Remind yourself often that you are in control, not your appetite.  If you want to lose weight, then find the way you can live with for the rest of your life and do that.  This will take time, effort and research, and losing weight is going to be slow.  But five  pounds a month is 60 pounds in a year, rather than being in the same place (or heavier) a year from now. 

 Tomorrow:  Slowing Down