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Year Two, Day 363: Black Coffee and D's Double

I did something very brave this morning!

I got up a little earlier than usual. Threw on a t-shirt and sweats and walked vigorously 3/4 mile to the corner gas station, where I fill my coffee mug for only $1.09.Usually I add 2 - 3 creamers and 1 packet of sugar.

Today, I decided to drink it black!

I usually HATE black coffee. It reminds me of tobacco.  However, I do LOVE me some tea!

But I told myself I needed to make this change.  I can't do the sugar anymore.  I remembered reading in a book about Aruvedic medicine that it is healthy to stimulate all the taste buds.  I love salty, sour, sweet...but I have usually avoided bitter. Coffee is bitter.

As I took my first sip, I expected to gag. But I was ok! I told myself I was waking up my system. I drank the whole cup. And I lived to tell about it!

I can do this! I can give up, or at least greatly reduce sugar!

It seems to be working. I was down another .2 lbs this morning.

I am done with my morning office job. I must confess, I timed my walk to the mail box...in hopes of seeing "D" drive by. I did not see him. Another bus driver was on the bus that sped by as I pretended to be looking at the mail.

Maybe I will stop looking for him. Because it is much more rewarding for him to look for me!

I was just feeling pretty in one of my favorite spring dresses.  Don't you just hate when you feel pretty and there is no one that tickles your fancy to compliment you?

Oy...most vain am I!

I think I should work on humility this week. It is not on the 9 fruits of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22. But "gentleness" is.  That will suffice.  In addition to humility, I will focus on gentleness again today.

Gentleness with others, and gentleness with myself.  Letting go of judgment. Just being the spirit of love.

Current mood: 7 (scale of 1-10, 1 being severely depressed; 10 being ecstatic)

I am going to sit under my tree and enjoy this last day of sun before the rain returns. I didn't get a chance to pray and journal this morning....talk to you a little later! :)

Under my prayer tree :)


Ok. I am back. It is now 9:30 p.m. After my prayer time, I decided to have lunch again at the Ukrainian deli. It was that good! I purposely had a bit of protein (canned salmon) earlier, so I could just have a plate of assorted salads. Mostly all raw veggies, but so good! And today's plate was only $5.75.
Assorted Ukrainian salads, a pickle and 4 Greek olives at Plenty Food & Deli.
 


I have decided to go up to the deli on Friday and buy several pounds of salad for the week.

But I must tell you about an amusing thing that happened on my bus ride to the deli! Well, truthfully, it was an almost very embarrassing situation!

I must admit, I kind of planned my trip so that I would be on "D's" bus today. Usually I only see him on Mondays, because of my teaching schedule. But I was thinking about him. And I thought I was having a good hair and face day...although right now typing this, my face is red!

So, there I was. Waiting at the stop.  I got there early so I wouldn't miss him. I glanced down at my phone for a moment and, WOOSH! There went the bus right past me!  I waved and jumped up and down. The bus stopped about 20 feet from me.

I boarded and looked at the driver. He looked like D, but different. Well, there was the facial hair. I didn't remember D with a beard. I thought maybe he didn't shave this morning.

He said, "Sorry, didn't see you there".

"I must be invisible", I laughed.

And I didn't show him my pass. I never show D my pass, because he knows I have one.

I sat down and looked at the back of his head. He seemed so...different. And it seemed like he was glaring at me in his rear view mirror!

Luckily I did not try to start a conversation with him. I figured he was just busy. Or maybe he really wasn't all that interested. Maybe he was married and giving me a ride home the other night was just a polite thing to do.

I sighed and opened up "Words with Friends".

Then I snuck another look at the driver. I heard him talk to a passenger. His voice was so much higher...

I sat up straight. IT WAS NOT D!

It was a different driver. Same color hair, sun glasses, male, about the same body type. But beard, higher voice, younger...

OY, this could have been a very embarrassing situation!

Thankfully, it turned out ok. I was a tad disappointed not to see D on a good hair and face day. But oh so thankful that I didn't start up a friendly conversation with D's double!

Ok. Face is still red. But here is my food log.  My mood is still good. I'm wondering if reducing sugar and salt has anything to do with it?

Food Log
May 10, 2017

10:00 a.m. 1 mug black coffee, NO CREAM, NO SUGAR!!!
11:00 a.m. 1 packages Quaker Instant Grits 100 cals, 310 mg sodium, 0 sugar, 1 T sliced black olives 20 calories, 1 t butter 34 cals, 1mg sodium
1:00 p.m. 1 can Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon, 150 cals, 540 mg sodium, 10 Trader Joe's Popped Barbecue Potato Chips, 60 cals, 95 mg sodium, 1.5 g sugar
3:15 p.m. Ukrainian salad assortment at Plenty Food & Deli, approximately 540 cals, approximately 300 mg sodium, approximately 9 g sugar
 6:30 1 Simple Truth Blueberry Ginger Kombucha Tea, 80 cals, 0 sodium, 16 g. sugar
 7:30 1.28 ounces goat cheese 132 cals, 187 mg sodium, 1 apple, 95 cals, 2 mg sodium, 19 g sugar, 30 raw almonds 208 cals, 0 sodium, 1.73 g sugar.

Grand Total:  1,152 calories, 1,057 mg sodium, 47.23 g sugar. (~9 teaspoons)

I am definitely within my calorie and sugar consumption limit for today! I might have underestimated the calories in the Ukrainian salads, but they were mostly vegetables, no gluten, nothing fried. There was a bit of smoked chicken in the carrot salad. I am a bit over on the sugar again. But not by too much today. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 6 teaspoons a day for an adult woman.  
As far as exercise, I did my vigorous 3/4 mile morning walk. Then I walked 1 mile home. But not so vigorously. My bladder was most full - it was more like a 1 mile waddle!

So, before I go to bed I am going to do some stretching.

And that is about all I have to say.

Well, I have much more to say, but a woman has to sleep!

Talk to you tomorrow.

Happy Wednesday!

(My face is still red)

Love, 

Zita
Me at the bus stop thinking about my embarrassing moment. Well, my face FELT red!

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