Battle Plans

I am a chocoholic.  I do not want to give up chocolate, but I do need to better control my frequent (nearly constant) chocolate urges. 

At work, I constantly have the munchies.  I realize that this is more emotional than a result of hunger born of hard physical labor!  But it feels real. 

This is a constant battle for me.  As I have diabetes and I am overweight, it is rather important that I win this battle more often than I lose.  I am coming out of a rather unsuccessful period on those fronts.

I put up a post it note on my work computer with sketched reminders of battle strategies. 

 

When I feel the urge:

1)     Look in the mirror.  (that sight is enough to make almost anyone lose their appetite)

2)    Think about

horses (I promised myself that at a certain weight (still far too much) I will take myself horseback riding.  Then I will set another goal for another ride)

clothes (clothes for less heavy people are easier to find and look better)

family  pictures (need I say more?)

the joy of living and how much nicer it is when healthy

3)    Drink water.  Drink more water.

4)    Chew gum or eat some healthy snack (harder to come by and keep than they should be for my good!)

5)    Move

6)    If I succumb to the urge – really SAVOR and ENJOY it, after all Dark Chocolate (in moderation) is not only heavenly to the taste, but also good for you,  : )

I have been doing quite well for me.  I went for 3 days straight without eating any chocolate and a few other days with very, very little.  (Or much other unhealthy snacks, but chocolate is the real temptation.)  I haven’t had a cup of cocoa/chocolate milk in at least a week.  I am not giving it up, just learning to have better control - consume less and enjoy it more.  

My struggle gives me some sympathy for others with their addictions.  It isn’t easy no matter how much we know or want to do better. 

I find myself hoping that if I improve my own self-control, that somehow that can help strengthen others I care about with their struggles - some of them more serious than chocolate. 

I also remind myself and consider that if I am going to live up to my heritage as a daughter of my Heavenly Father  and hope to be entrusted with greater powers, I need to learn to handle what I have. 

What are some of your battle strategies for whatever demons you are fighting?

Arrogant Mormon Men

I have heard/read that Mormon men are arrogant because they hold the Priesthood.  Sadly, it is true that some are. I have known a few.  

However, I think the majority are good, humble men who try to live the counsel of President George Albert Smith (President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from May 21, 1945, to April 4, 1951) (emphasis added):

"Some men think that because they hold the Priesthood that that gives them a special way in which they may conduct themselves in their homes. I want to tell you that you men who hold the Priesthood will never get into the Celestial Kingdom, unless you honor your wives and your families and train them and give them the blessings that you want for yourselves.

"The authority of our Heavenly Father is upon the earth for the blessing of mankind, not to make those who receive that authority arrogant, but to make them humble; not to make those who have received special privileges feel that they are greater than others, but to make us humble in our souls, prayerful in our hearts, and considerate of all men in all that we do, and thus exemplify by upright lives that which our Heavenly Father desires us to teach.

"Being a member of the Church and holding the Priesthood will not get us anywhere unless we are worthy. The Lord has said that every blessing that we desire is predicated upon obedience to His commandments. We may deceive our neighbors, and we may deceive ourselves with the idea that we are going through all right, but unless we keep the commandments of our Heavenly Father, unless we bear worthily this holy Priesthood that is so precious, we will not find our place in the celestial kingdom."

I know and admire many fine LDS men who work hard to support their family financially, then go home to love, help, teach, and serve them temporally and spiritually and play with them, who give of their time to serve the church and the community, who are warm, open, friendly, good humored, helpful, kind - anything but arrogant.  In fact, the more respected they are in the church, the humbler and gentler seems to be their bearing. They are not stiff or standoffish, but welcoming and make others feel special and cared about both by their manners and by their actions.  They serve in callings where they have been asked to serve, but they also find countless opportunities to help and serve unbidden - always with a smile.


I don't think there is anything finer than a worthy Latter-Day Saint man (a worthy Latter-Day Saint woman being entirely his equal)

Falling Through the Cracks

With his wisdom teeth successfully removed, Benjamin should now be ready to submit his papers.  Except that we need to tract down some forms..

The dentist, whose office is closed on Fridays (today) needs to finish and fill out papers now that his teeth are out.  I don't know yet if that necessitates another visit so she can see for herself or what.

The doctor whom he saw Dec 29 did who knows what with the form we left with him.  After several phone calls and emails, I was finally able to speak to a helpful person who said that we need to take the form the medical secretary's office ourselves and Benjamin needs to sign a release.  Forms left with doctors tend to "fall through the cracks."

Off we go.

.......

They said it's a 10 day process.

As we were submitting the request, it occurred to me, being as we are having it mailed to Bishop Adair, maybe it was?  Benjamin does not think so.  This time we are having a copy sent to Bishop and to us, so we will know.
 : )

Tuesday Errand Night

Last night went straight from work to do a series of errands:

Home Depot to look for a fan for my desk - strike out

Target - look for a fan for my desk and maybe a replacement for my worn out little back-pack purse, and just for fun look at mini TV's like my co-worker has - strike out in on all 3

David's - to deliver a plate of cookies and say Happy Birthday, but he lives in a locked compound and didn't answer his phone - strike out

Pharmacy - to pick up Benjamin's pre-oral surgery prescriptions, but I didn't know it closed at 6 - strike out

Finally to Winco.  Can hardly loose there as they are open 24 hours.  There I successfully spent $200.  Let's hope I wasn't too tired to shop properly.Canned goods are now sitting around the dining room waiting to be rotated in and put away.

And on the way home, called David (using my hands free blue tooth) and was able to take him the cookies and visit very briefly with him and Teresa. : )

One remarkable and pleasant thing.  Winco was very busy (no, that's not the pleasant thing).  Full of families.  The whole time I was in the store, I did not hear one child crying.  I did not hear one parent yelling.  I heard normally spoken, polite corrections.  I heard chattering, laughing and singing.  I saw children helping get groceries.  I say parents playing with their children as they went down the aisles.  I heard a mom tell her child, "You are amazing!"  I thought about how tired these parents probably are after a day at work, but their love was stronger than their weariness.   It was heart-warming.  Gives one hope.

I am a Carnivore, Omnivore, actually, with strong Carnivore leanings

Why do the Costco samples usually taste so much better than the product does after you buy it?  I have been “caught” by this more than once and now, if I am at all interested, I ask the sample person how they prepared it.  Which helps. 

So the guys and I all had some “Meatless Ground” and were pretty impressed.  (Tomato sauce added)

Joseph bought some for himself for work and I bought a couple of packages.  It’s better than most meat-substitutes I have tried.  (Do not put Tofu in anything I am supposed to eat.  Just leave out the meat if you must).  But it seems to really need support from tomatoes.  Joseph was pretty disappointed in using it for a cheeseburger.   We had it in overly spicy (for me) spaghetti-like stuff.  Not bad. Tomatoes and spice (but not quite so much, please) cover a multitude of sins. (and the left-overs heated up well in the microwave for lunch today.  The package warns against overcooking and as they recommend you cook it in sauce, I suspect that it will pretty much dissolve if you cook it too long)   We think it is probably good for spaghetti and tacos and things like that.  I will probably buy it again.

We each of us to varying degrees would like to reduce our meat consumption – for humanity and (supposedly) health.  But I really, really like meat.  And I know I need protein to feel and function my best. 

Do you have any good vegetarian recipes for carnivores?

Teens

It seems to me that teens in trouble are in the news a lot. Which might lead one to believe that teens are nothing but trouble.   

 I just heard on the radio that 1 in 3 teens has snuck out at night – usually to smoke and/or drink.  Teen thieves.  Teens beating up people.  Speeding,  And I confess, when I am waking or biking down the street and I see a group of teens, I go on a bit of an alert.  Is there danger here?  I also have been subjected to my share of rude teen heckling.  There are indeed many troubled and troubling teens.  Too many.  One would be too many.  They are precious children of God who do not know who they are and whose behavior makes it easy for us to forget as well.

But let me tell you about the teens I know.  These teens spend their Saturday morning helping people they may not even know. Helping people move.  Helping with yard work.  And these kids don’t just do service because their church leaders ask them to.  The youth leaders go to the adults and say, “We want to do service.”  I have heard them say it. Often the youth find the service to do and let the adults come along.  Kids who sneak out, well they don’t sneak, their folks know where they are going, they sneak over.  Sneak over to someone’s house to leave a plate of cookies and maybe “heart attack” their yard – leave lots of paper hearts, some of them with loving messages stuck on plastic forks in the ground.  Someone they admire.  Someone they know has been having a hard time.  I know teens who babysit for free so the parents can go to the temple or attend an church activity. Or just to give a harassed mom a bit of a break.  Teens that automatically help carry things, open doors for people, give up their seats, help clean up before they leave any activity.  I know teens who smile and greet people of all ages, even have pleasant conversations devoid of any foul language.  I see teenagers reaching out to the lonely.  Teenagers standing for truth and righteousness in their daily lives.  

Teenagers can be wonderful people.