Sometimes when I am working on meal planning, or all things related to the blog for that matter, and I ask myself, “Is this really important?” I mean in comparison to the many desperate and extreme things going on in the world, and the many difficult things going on in the lives of those I love, how important is meal planning really?
I struggle with the attention and time that is poured into not just meal planning but all the mundane day-to-day stuff. I am aware that there are bigger things that need tending to than my laundry, my dishes, my (lack of) cleaning, and my (over)eating. The problem I have, and am trying to get away from, is that I don’t want food to be my obsession, so I just don’t want to take time to think about it… but then I have a new problem… I am still getting hungry, so I eat whatever I feel like, whenever I feel like it… (because what I eat “isn’t that important”) and you can easily imagine where that kind of thinking has landed me.
You may have heard the phrase before, “Your health is your wealth.” I don’t know how you feel about that phrase but I, personally, don’t totally agree with the statement. Many of the most influential people I have known have not been terribly healthy. They have dealt with, or are dealing, with physical limitations, but they persevere and strive to make a difference in the world in spite of them. Their lives are full of wealth in my eyes because their heart for the the Lord and for others is strong.
Your health is not everything, but it is something…
While I don’t want to obsess over my health, I can also see where putting no effort and no attention into my health will cause many problems that eventually will limit how much I am able to help others. If I daily neglect something important, like brushing my teeth for example, then over time it will become a problem for me. I won’t notice it the first day I stop brushing my teeth, and I might even convince myself that I don’t need to brush my teeth because I didn’t yesterday and nothing happened.
But then, down the road, I will stop wanting to smile at people so they won’t look at my teeth.
Then, perhaps, after a while I will start to notice pain.
I can continue to go on like this letting it get worse and worse because, after all, they are just teeth and are not as important as so many other things in my life, but eventually it will all catch up to me. Eventually I will either be in extreme constant pain or I will have to pay a large sum of money to correct the damage that has been done.
It is not necessary to be extreme,
but I do have to care at least a little.
If, on the other hand, I form daily habits that protect, clean, and strengthen my teeth and I go to routine check-ups, I can smile without covering my mouth, I can eat with no pain, and I can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing that I have healthy teeth. Turns out the thing that seemed so unimportant really is important after all.
Side note: I don’t have perfect teeth, but I do what I can to take care of them, and I still smile, and you should too! This is a picture we took right after Sarah laughed so hard she was crying. Love this picture.. 🙂
And, of course I am going to bring this back to food because that is where my biggest struggle has been in the past several years, and it is the struggle I do not hide on here.
The little things can sometimes add up to the big things.
I love Mexican food. Not just any Mexican food. I love authentic Mexican food from Mexican restaurants. Give me a chimichanga and a coke, and I am a happy girl. Add to that cheese dip and WOW! Don’t get me started! I don’t even have to tell you what will happen if I eat there everyday, because we are all too smart for that. It’s not that I am stupid; it’s just that I choose not to care in that moment.
Weight Watchers reminds me that indulging, from time to time,
is okay but indulging ALL the time is not.
I am deciding to care in 2016. Not just for me, but for my children, because they watch what I do, hear what I say, and eat what I feed them. I do not need my children to be the healthiest, most athletic children in their school, but I DO need to know that I am doing what I can to set them up to be healthy into their adult lives. I am not perfect at this. We eat dessert in my house, I let them order chocolate chip pancakes when we go to Bob Evans, and I let them eat their candy on Halloween. I don’t obsess over their eating or operate out of extremes, but I do try to provide healthy dinners and I try to explain to them what healthy eating looks like and why it is important.
This is where I am at with my eating,
and what I want to teach my children.
I am learning how to be healthier, and I am teaching my children what I am learning. We don’t pretend in our house. My children understand that being overweight can be uncomfortable and limiting, but they also know it is not the most important thing in their life. I have no intention of insulting their intelligence and telling them otherwise. We let them know that their heart will always be more important than their waistline, but we also let them know that they will have a happier, stronger, and (possibly) longer life if they can make choices that are healthy. This is what I hope and pray for them and for myself: that we would live in a comfortable balance of embracing a healthy physical AND spiritual life that we can feel good about and be proud of.
As I create meal plans, lists, and resources. this is the thinking I am operating out of. Thank you for going on this journey with me. for letting me be honest and vulnerable with you, and for the way you are encouraging me and one another on here! I appreciate so much the positive and uplifting community that is being formed on here. You guys rock!
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