Day 20: Water. Cool, clear water.

 "Cool Water" is a song written in 1936 by Bob Nolan. It is about a man and his mule, Dan, and a mirage in the desert. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. (Wikipedia)

"Cool Water"

"All day I face
the barren waste
without the taste of water,
cool water
Old Dan and I
with throats burned dry
and souls that cry
for water,
cool, clear, water"

Today I am focusing on water. I went for a 2 mile jog/walk with my daughter at 2:00 today.  We drank water before we left. But it was hot. I had rivulets of sweat trickling down my back.  We felt like we were crawling across the desert on the way home. A tall, cool glass of water never tasted so good!

And I really need to focus on raising my water intake.  That is one of my focuses week.  More water.

We've all heard the drink 8 glasses of water a day. But a did a little research and discovered that since I am running, especially in the heat and sweating, losing water I need to up my intake. In addition, I am attempting to restrict carbs, especially processed carbs.  I read that when you burn fat, you go into a state of ketosis which requires more water.

To be truthful, today started out really rough for me. Last night was hot and muggy.  I have been rather anxious lately. Worrying about things that haven't or may not even happen.  Feeling frustrated with the slow progress back to health.  I reverted to old comfort eating habits yesterday. And I paid for it this morning.  I ate dinner at Taco Time.  It tasted so good. Salty, spicy, cheesy.  And a root beer in all it's creamy sugary yumminess! I figured I "deserved" it with all my hard work. So I lingered and ate my meal, relaxing before I went home. It had been a long day of teaching. I ate and read from a cookbook on my Kindle.

This is one of my weird habits that I am sure has contributed to my food addiction and obesity. I like to read and eat. Particularly recipes!  I've been doing this for years.  It is like a compulsion.

So I ate. I read. I ate and read.  Then I went home. I told myself I would just have herbal tea and water. But there on kitchen table was a half eaten bag of cheese flavored popcorn. I mindlessly started eating while talking to the kids about their day.

Another bizarre family trait is that both of my kids are super sensitive to the sound of me eating crunchy food. I was happily munching away and talking and laughing. When suddenly I noticed grimaces and knowing looks pass between my son and daughter. My son-in-law was laughing at them. At least HE does not seem to be bothered by my crunching.

My daughter finally came and tore the bag out of my hands. "Mom, your diet", she reminded me.


And I had enough integrity to go straight to the bathroom and brush my teeth. Although, true confession here. I had considered sneaking out into the kitchen in the middle of the night and smuggling the bag back into my room and trying to eat it quietly!

This morning I woke up very early. But I hurt so bad. Felt like I had been run over by a semi-truck. And then the driver put it in reverse and ran over me again!

So I hit the snooze several times. I had planned on an early morning run before it got too hot. But I reasoned with myself that I needed my rest.  Before I knew it, I had slept until 9:40 a.m. Church was at 10:00!!  My heart beating wildly, I jumped out of bed and sprinted to the bathroom to get ready. I was not going to miss church.  I could run later, but I needed prayer this morning.

My reflection in the mirror startled me. My left cheek was crimson, as if I'd been slapped.  My mouth was dry. My heart racing.  I though maybe I had slept with my hand under my face.

I ran up the street and made it to church in record time.  I'm glad I went.  The music lifted my spirits. The pastor read from Colossians and spoke about "standing fast" and being strong.   He also spoke about his experience finding God.  And how he didn't change his thoughts or actions for some time.  But when he did, it made all the difference. He says now he wakes up and thinks of God first and how he will glorify Him with how he lives this day.

If only I had heard these words last night!

I walked to Fred Meyer's after church with a lot on my heart.  I sat down at the blood pressure machine. My suspicions were true. My blood pressure was elevated.  Probably due to the sodium from Taco Time and the popcorn. Not to mention the root beers (I had two!)  And of course stress.

It is now late evening. I feel much better. But I am hungry. I least I feel very hungry. I know I've had plenty today. But I would love to eat something crunchy and read recipes!  I am thankful though, that some small part of me sees the example of how this lifestyle affects me.

Tonight we opened all the windows and turned on the fans and we played games.  Had really good family time.

I want to live my life to the fullest. I would like to be around for many many more days with my family, laughing and enjoying their company.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring. But if I trust in God and take care of this body, mind and heart He gave me, I will be around much longer and live a life worth living.

I am feeling a bit emotional.  What started out as a very difficult, painful day in may ways, ended up being a learning experience. And my heart is filled with love and joy for my family and God.

I hope I can hang onto these truths and continue to be a woman worthy of this life.

I am still learning and growing. But for now, I am happy.

And I am glad I am blogging.  I can now see evidence of my progress. And it does keep me accountable!!

Tomorrow I will step on the scale and post my weight and measurements.  I fear there will not be much progress, except for a valuable lesson learned.

But tomorrow is Day 21. So hopefully I have created a good habit of daily exercise that will stick!!


Happy Sunday!

^"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel."

~Colossians 1: 21-23