On Honey.... And other things

So you all know that I am a type 1 diabetic and that I have basically avoided any straight form of sweetener aside from Truvia or Stevia. I am known to indulge in ice cream and a sweet every now and again but I try to keep it to a minimum.

So a month or so ago, I was over a friend's house for lunch. It was much needed girl time with some dear friends. And I was truly blessed there. 

What I want to mention though was for dessert we had these amazing fresh sliced strawberries! So I had some and I sat there thinking,"What IS that taste?" I finally asked and she had added honey to them because they hadn't been sweet enough. (She was totally apologetic but I can have a little on occasion and I was totally fine from it.)

What struck me as funny was that I couldn't pin point the taste. I always used to have honey in my tea- always. And on Rosh HaShonah the traditional dessert is apples dipped in honey. I can't tell you how many years I would be licking the bowl after! So to forget the taste of Honey- yeah that was really really strange.

I guess that is what happens when we cut things out of our diet or our life. 

I remember a time when I was totally at ease at a bar when I turned 21 and was spending time with my love there with our friends. Now- I feel totally not at ease anywhere like that,

So it goes to follow that if I cut out harmful things from my life- that possibly I will eventually forget them and feel uncomfortable around them. This is a good thing! I don't want toxic things in my life! 

So I am asking questions and trying to identify my toxins and rid my life of them. I'm asking God's help, of course. And I might enjoy them later on occasion. The lifestyle change of removing it and living without it is the goal.

What do you need to remove from your life???

Changes

MY life has changed drastically the last 5 months.  I went from being mostly healthy, but extremely overweight to being a recovering hernia patient who MUST lose weight in order to prevent a new hernia from occurring.
Mind you my operation and recovery were nothing short of miraculous!  The Dr even telling me "You just had major surgery.  You are making this look easy.  That makes me look good.  I like you!" Yes, he made me laugh but I recovered well, thank you, God!
I have begun walking 1 mile as many days as  can- then I got bronchitis- I get this often.  I then took a week to do nothing.  Yes, nothing.  I needed to prioritize my life and all of my activities were distracting me from the main focus of my life- even though many were God centered activities.  I had lots of time to pray and to listen and to slow down (I am still learning from that lesson).  Well, God, family, then me- that is my new order for my life.  And I discovered in the past week that when I put God first, family second, I have more time for me in the long run and I am less stressed!
So- Go ME!!!  I am reclaiming my house from 5 months of sickness and depression and inability to tackle things.  I AM a Competent Woman!
And, I have 2 great kids.  They deserve me to have my stuff together so I have time for them when they get home.  Same goes for my husband who is amazing!

on being competent...

OK, this is a more serious day I guess. Growing up, I never felt that I could do a job competently. Someone always had to come and fix what I did to make it right.

No, I guess that is not really true- I could fix a bike chain faster and better than any kid on the block by the time I was 8 and that lasted until my bike was destroyed in a freak u-haul accident coming home from camp.

But let's say my expertise has been few and far between. For many years I have been dangerously overwhelmed by my responsibilities and a feeling of incompetence. Think about it! I have never been the most organized person- always wanted to be but never quite achieved it- and I am the Mom of 2 boys. This is a big responsibility and the toys alone are too much to look at some days. I have usually been able to get the clothing done, and dinner cooked. But for quite a long while, that was the extent of what I was able to do.

Recently, I realized that I was the one who was looking for someone else to fix what I saw and that I didn't want to own up to my responsibilities. It was too much work, or too hard for one small person like myself. It was also scary having no one to fix any mistakes I might make.

Then I got sick, I realised how much I can do in a bed going through papers and decluttering. So, after my recent bought with the flu- I have begun to clean and declutter with a purpose. I like having friends over my house and my children deserve to have rooms clear of clutter so they can play and breathe without the dust that accompanies the clutter. Boxes of anything gather dust more quickly than anything else I am aware of. I'm a cleaning lady- I should know. And my youngest son and I are asthmatic while my oldest son has tested positively for dust allergies. And it is just nice to have a house where you don't trip going from one room to the other because of the clutter on the floor.

So, I have been going through boxes of papers and hand me down clothing and washing, sorting and boxing up what is too big, giving away things that we have too much of or are too small, and breathing more freely for the last week. And I often pat myself on the back by letting other people know I have done it. I am prideful about being competent because I feel like I finally am. It took me a very long time to get to this place and I hope I will be able to stay here a while. I am able and capable of doing amazing things and I will share them with you, Readers, as they occur.

So, tonight, I bid you sweet dreams with a feeling of accomplishment.
Cindy