I had great hopes for this reflective journal, but somewhere life got in the way. I went out of state to my dad's home to get it ready to rent. While stripping wallpaper, I fell off a short ladder and broke my heel. That was December 1 and I am still limping around and wearing a boot most of the time.
I have had to deal with home repairs, car repairs, elderly parents, and a child in the "launching" phase. And all of this I have had to handle away from home and without my husband's help. He has been a real trooper and very supportive, and I will say I now appreciate all the things he takes care of that make life run smoothly.
My dad's health is failing and my stepmom's dementia is a strain on my patience, but hopefully working with this has increased my patience. I haven't broken yet.
The good news is that the time away from the responsibilities in my real life has given me time to reflect on other matters. I have lost 40 lbs. since October and have gradually found a healthy way of eating after all these years. I have given up sugar, grains, and seed oils. The good news is that I don't miss any of those things. My weight loss has stalled out now and I would like to lose another 15 lbs. This may be hard since I cannot get much exercise with a broken foot. My goal for today is to try an Intermittent Fast....eat only between the hours of 2:00 and 6:00. If this works, I may try this on Tuesday and Thursday. I don't think I am ready for any longer fasts, but I am convinced that the body does need a rest from insulin production now and then. I am also going to attempt two meals a day on Saturday and Sunday.
Hopefully I can get the house finished, daughter can find a job, parents can be stabilized, and I can get back home by June!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Monday, November 8, 2010
HABITS
I have been thinking a lot about habits. Over my lifetime I have tried to establish many habits and I have tried to instill good habits in my students and my daughter as well as myself. However, I am beginning to think that some habits cannot be established, i.e. a person will always have to exert will and decision and not expect the desired virtue to become automatic.
There probably is truth in the Myers Briggs categories. For instance, children who have been trained for years to make up their beds, put away toys, etc. can still be very messy adults. They do not "see" the mess until it is huge and it does not cause noticeable stress for them until it reaches disaster level. Others are more sensory and cannot begin to study or start a project until things are in order. A neat well ordered person may say that they were trained to that behavior, but I suspect that they just have the same inherited trait for neatness. Another example can be seen in adult obesity. I am beginning to believe that there is a very strong genetic component to body composition, weight, and hunger issues. I think the intuitive eating programs which depend on a person becoming a "normal" eater do not work because the naturally hungry or overweight person must always be mindful to maintain a 'normal' body weight. I have seen children who were adopted have a completely different attitude toward food from the rest of the family. One mother I am thinking of raised two birth children and later adopted two girls from birth. One of these girls has been overweight from preschool through a young teen. All the rest of the family is thin. An older sister when pregnant did not carry any extra body fat and was back to her original size in weeks! The mom told me that she was shocked that she couldn't leave the candy bowl out like they had done for generations because of this child's obsession with it. And the other adopted girl raised in the same environment is extremely thin.
My thought now is that if I want to work against what is natural for me I have to not focus on too many changes at once. I have tried elaborate plans in the past: Bible reading schedules, house cleaning charts and plans, weight loss and exercise programs. In all of these categories I have found that I tend to overreach. Perhaps the answer is to pick one simple thing to do and do it daily for 30 days. Maybe it won't become automatic but it should become easier.
I also have to accept the fact that I cannot change someone else's behavior or make their habits for them. That does not mean that parents or teachers shouldn't establish house rules. What is the truth about training? I am not sure. I am thinking now that about all we can do is show someone the way, the path; but since we all have free will, decisions and all changes are an individual matter.
There probably is truth in the Myers Briggs categories. For instance, children who have been trained for years to make up their beds, put away toys, etc. can still be very messy adults. They do not "see" the mess until it is huge and it does not cause noticeable stress for them until it reaches disaster level. Others are more sensory and cannot begin to study or start a project until things are in order. A neat well ordered person may say that they were trained to that behavior, but I suspect that they just have the same inherited trait for neatness. Another example can be seen in adult obesity. I am beginning to believe that there is a very strong genetic component to body composition, weight, and hunger issues. I think the intuitive eating programs which depend on a person becoming a "normal" eater do not work because the naturally hungry or overweight person must always be mindful to maintain a 'normal' body weight. I have seen children who were adopted have a completely different attitude toward food from the rest of the family. One mother I am thinking of raised two birth children and later adopted two girls from birth. One of these girls has been overweight from preschool through a young teen. All the rest of the family is thin. An older sister when pregnant did not carry any extra body fat and was back to her original size in weeks! The mom told me that she was shocked that she couldn't leave the candy bowl out like they had done for generations because of this child's obsession with it. And the other adopted girl raised in the same environment is extremely thin.
My thought now is that if I want to work against what is natural for me I have to not focus on too many changes at once. I have tried elaborate plans in the past: Bible reading schedules, house cleaning charts and plans, weight loss and exercise programs. In all of these categories I have found that I tend to overreach. Perhaps the answer is to pick one simple thing to do and do it daily for 30 days. Maybe it won't become automatic but it should become easier.
I also have to accept the fact that I cannot change someone else's behavior or make their habits for them. That does not mean that parents or teachers shouldn't establish house rules. What is the truth about training? I am not sure. I am thinking now that about all we can do is show someone the way, the path; but since we all have free will, decisions and all changes are an individual matter.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The Beginning
Before I begin I should clarify the title of my blog. I am using the "Belief in Progress" title to refer to me as an individual. I do not believe that mankind is evolving and progressing for the better as we gain knowledge. The 20th century should have settled that. There will be no kingdom on earth...no utopia. However I do have a belief in the progress of the individual because God has promised us that. We are to grow and mature as we walk in His steps...Christians believe we're in the process of being made holy which we call sanctification.
This is my first attempt at a blog therefore I expect there will be errors which will be an opportunity to learn. But that is OK. I am a senior lady who believes that life is a journey and that I must keep learning, changing, and improving. This life is temporary and fleeting, but I want to grow through the process as I am being transformed by the renewing of my mind.
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." (NIV)
Romans 12:2
My posts will probably be random as I begin. I am at a transition stage in my life--a new season. I have learned lessons over the years that I want to share, and I have new and old challenges that I need to work through. I have been doing much thinking lately about the formation of habits. More about that in later posts. For now I want to establish the habit of putting my thoughts in writing to help me to see more clearly what I do believe and what I have learned.
This is my first attempt at a blog therefore I expect there will be errors which will be an opportunity to learn. But that is OK. I am a senior lady who believes that life is a journey and that I must keep learning, changing, and improving. This life is temporary and fleeting, but I want to grow through the process as I am being transformed by the renewing of my mind.
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." (NIV)
Romans 12:2
My posts will probably be random as I begin. I am at a transition stage in my life--a new season. I have learned lessons over the years that I want to share, and I have new and old challenges that I need to work through. I have been doing much thinking lately about the formation of habits. More about that in later posts. For now I want to establish the habit of putting my thoughts in writing to help me to see more clearly what I do believe and what I have learned.
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