Well, today I must have left my notebook with today's meditation at the dentist's office. Rather than complain about it, I'll just keep this brief and save it for tomorrow after I've retrieved it.
Today was my first no-sugar day. Because Mondays are still my weekend, I went to bed at my weekend time (which is still earlier than I have been) and got up just a half an hour later than I set my alarm for. No walks on the weekend, so I started my morning writing in my journal and reading Scripture!
I really appreciated all the discussion in the group today, from breakfast ideas to Mexican corpses to detox symptoms (especially helpful for me today) to colon cleansing methods (which was a detour I took in one of the articles my friend posted on detox symptoms).
Our family is planning a move to Redding, California, this spring, and the one major obstacle in my psyche about this move is the fact that it gets very hot there in the summer. I was excited to read that sweating in a sauna is a great way to detox, and I now look forward to having a positive attitude about the heat. I can even visualize myself going out for ten minutes a few times a day to sit in the sun and sweat! I'm actually eager to experience nature's sauna and further improve my health by sweating out toxins while simultaneously getting regular doses of Vitamin D, which my body is depleted of at this point.
As for the mental part of today, I've been meditating all day on one of the definitions of complaining...not expressing annoyance. Once again I'm appalled to discover that this is my normal state of being...annoyed! My poor family! I'm happy to share that I did manage to stop myself from showing my annoyance a few times, and during the times I was not able to control myself I still recognized that I was annoyed. I count this a great victory for today!
My favorite example of stepping out of my normal reactionary state (which is the best definition of a fast in my opinion) is when I placed my hands over my ears at the dinner table and said calmly, "I'm just going to keep my hands here until it's safe for me to come back out." My daughter, who had been spooning pretend salad in my bowl for me to eat was distressed at first because I could no longer use my hands to eat my pretend salad. Suddenly, her countenance changed when she realized that now she could actually feed me my pretend salad. That was fun.
My son also enjoyed the moment, shouting louder and louder, testing my resolve to not blow up like I usually would. I didn't blow up, but I did finally ask him nicely to be a little quieter. I was further encouraged by what I just heard Eric (my hubby) very nonchalantly say as he walked out of the kitchen, "I think I'm done listening guys."
I'm open to suggestions for how to encourage indoor voices without shushing and being annoyed all the time. I'm also open to suggestions for how to encourage my children to take turns when talking to me. I get overstimulated very quickly when they are both calling my name, vying for my attention. This is probably the number one area where my annoyance leaks out, and I struggle to control it. I'm so glad I don't have to find the solutions; I just keep saying Yes to God, knowing that He has the solutions, which He can give to me through you or even just download them in a moment of need, when I give Him the space in my life to show me them.
I suppose today my definition of fasting would be this: Halting my normal reactionary state (whether self-medicating with sugar or going off on my kids), and giving God an opening to show me a different way to be.
Until tomorrow, Peace & Joy to you!
~Angela
P.S. Once again, He gave me a little treat when searching for a photo for this post. Click on the image credit to read another woman's journey toward God and away from bad habits!
You never cease to inspire and encourage. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteAt school we use conscious discipline by Dr. Becky Bailey. In your situation at the table I would have said, "I am available for listening when I hear an indoor voice." When the child obliges you would say, "Great Orion you used an indoor voice, you did it! Now I am available to listen to your words." Or sometimes at school I say that my ears are only available for one voice at a time and it is Orion's turn, you can be next. I admire you for taking on sugar, and complaining while undergoing a big change, you are braver than you think.
ReplyDeletePessimism is often a result of negative self-talk. If you can switch the inner self-talk to one of positivity and gratefulness, you will drastically improve your day. I love the exercise of whenever you feel grouchy, to make a mental list of 10 things you're thankful for. Remember that YOU have COMPLETE control of your thoughts. I loved the book, Learned Optimism! :)
ReplyDeleteMark developed a propensity to whine as a 2-year-old. I consistently responded to his whining that I didn't listen to whiny voices and would otherwise ignore him until he spoke in his normal voice.
ReplyDeleteSugar and annoyance--wouldn't be surprised if there's a correlation.....
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your words of wisdom. I am writing your ideas down and will tackle that as soon as the physical effects of my sugar detox begin to ebb. No need to add anything new to my plate right this minute. Thanks everyone for reading and commenting.
ReplyDelete