Why being healthy isn't ALL THAT

I was doing just fine. I mean, sure, there is a history of heart disease in my family. Sure, I am predisposed to cholesterol and high blood pressure problems. That didn't stop me from enjoying more than my fill of junk food and high calorie goodness. In fact, it has always been a source of great pride for me. It is my signature trait. I could eat a burger and fries with the guys and still fit into my little black dress.

Well...not sure if you heard, but I had a baby. Also not sure if you heard, but I am not a huge fan of what this beautiful miracle does to one's body. So in an effort to save what's left of my wardrobe (yes it was a decision motivated first by cute jeans...), we made a decision a couple of months ago to eat only natural foods. I know...it's so cliche. It's the "it" thing to eat natural. But after hearing from multiple people the benefits, we decided to give it a try. So we've slowly been using up the regular food in our house and replacing them with natural items. (Side note - do you know how hard it is to find butter without added ingredients I can't pronounce? It shouldn't be that hard. It's butter. It should have milk and cream, right?)

So the change has been going well. I must say, I feel better. However! This does not change that I'm mad at healthy food. Why?

It all started with the taste. Foods I have loved all my life don't have the same taste. Mac and cheese, fish sticks, spaghetti o's, hamburger (and chicken and tuna) helper...these have always been some of my favorite foods. Yes, I'm aware I ate like I was 9 years old. But I did so joyfully. Now if I try to eat those items, it just doesn't taste as great as it used to.


But after the taste, it moved to a far greater issue. My body has stopped participating in my junk food binges. It just no longer accepts these foods. I have been working out and eating well, so I decided I deserved a treat today. I went to one of my favorite places - Taco Bueno. Going for good junk food isn't the same without friends, though, so I dragged Stephanie and Janay down with me. We had our tasty lunch (there's a reason it's called Bueno - cause it's good!) and I dropped them back at the church. I headed to Target and that's when the trouble hit. I won't go into details you don't want to know. I also won't tell you which Target I went to in case you saw me running for the restroom.

The point is this - Healthiness is rude. I was content living my perfectly little unhealthy life and reason, logic and a sound mind had to go and rain on my parade. So what's for dinner? Chicken and veggie kabobs and spinach salad.

Its all how you look at it...

For the past several months, I've wanted new furniture. I feel like there are parts of the house we never use because we don't have anything in the room. What you must understand is that I do not live in a house where furniture is purchased lightly. (Or where anything is purchased lightly.) So when I say months, I mean MONTHS. I am married to a man who has a calculator and is not afraid to use it. (Reason #278 I love him.) After saving and budgeting, I got the green light last week that we can get a few new items. Yes! I love a shopping trip! Before I went on a spending spree, though, I had the presence of mind to invite my interior design friend over. I expected her to begin giving me a list of what I needed to buy. I had my pencil and paper ready. To my surprise, we started rearranging first. We moved the dining table to the den, the office desk to the dining room...it was chaotic but really exciting. At the end of the day, I had an idea of what to buy but was no longer rushing out to the store. Instead, I have found a new love for what I already have. The space wasn't unusable because we didn't have stuff. I just had to rearrange to see it differently.

So after spending most of the day moving furniture in this new-found love of my existing things, I can't sleep. I'm teaching at FIG tomorrow (Flavour Influence Groups), so I got up to prepare. The lesson is on giving hope, and I plan to talk about the winter season my family endured the past year. You see, my niece got the cancer. She's 3 now, but she was barely 2 when diagnosed. It's hard enough to respond when someone you love is sick and hurting. When it's a baby, it breaks everything inside of you. Part of what I'll share tomorrow came from the website where Zoe's progress was journaled each day. I have spent the past hour reading the journals that, at the time, we lived minute-by-minute. This day, she had a good day and got to ride in a wagon with Papa. The next day, she was so sick they had to feed her through tubes. The day after that, her counts were too low to register and she weighed almost the same as my 6-month-old. On those days, as they happened, all we saw were those results. On this side, as I'm reading, I'm smiling. I know that day wasn't the end. I know there's no evidence of disease in her body. I know cancer was necessary for Healing to happen. I know fighting Zoe's cancer made my sister stronger than she knew she was. I know supporting them made the rest of us wiser.

Sometimes you don't need more stuff. You don't need more anything. You just need to rearrange, see from a different side. It's all how you look at it...