Hello there. I’m never sure about how to start these things, but I wanted to check in and say that I *have* in fact been writing. I still haven’t been publishing much, because the writing that I’ve been doing has only been to help me wrestle with some private issues. I have yet to actually get into a formal writing practice, in spite of the fact that I’ve written out many rules and lofty goals about said practice. Here are some quotes, courtesy of GoodReads.com, to get us started:
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
― Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt“The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
― Anton Chekhov“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
― Louis L’Amour
With that being said, here’s what is coming out of my writing-faucet today.
I’ve been thinking a lot about nutrition, life style, and food as fuel lately. I’m right at the top of the healthy weight range for my age and height, and I’ve been actively working on my general health for some time. What most recently refocused my attention on this subject was my 8-year-old son eating three cheeseburgers in one meal. Three. Cheeseburgers. This would have been an enormous meal for a fully grown adult. I would like it noted that he received permission from a relative (who was not me) to eat this much because he claimed to still be hungry. I personally doubt that he was eating too quickly to feel how full he was, he is a young man who both enjoys the taste of food and enjoys showing off how much he can put away. The showing off part is what I believe got us into trouble on this particular occasion.
What I’m now calling The Cheeseburger Incident started a family conversation about food as fuel. I spoke with my son about why three cheeseburgers is not a healthy amount of fuel for your body, what your body does with that extra fuel, and what would be a better approach. I told him he would have to check in with a parent about his portions until he showed us that he was making good decisions for himself. We started having the food as fuel discussion more regularly, and I now encourage him almost daily to listen to what his body is telling him about being full. Promising dessert “when you have room again” after listening to your body about being full has been very helpful.
I’m not sure my son will be ready to make his own portion decisions any time soon, but I’m ok with that for the time being. What I realized during that conversation is that I haven’t been doing a great job of taking my own advice on the subject. I’m guilty of over eating, and I’m probably setting the example of showing-off-eating. I’m guilty of throwing together a meal that’s quick and easy, but not necessarily healthy. I am the primary food supplier to a small group of young-and-impressionable humans, and the Cheeseburger Incident has me focused again on all our eating, activity, and health.
I should note here that I really enjoy this focus on health, and while I still have a ways to go, I enjoy making better food choices for our family. Please share your preferred diet choice, recipes, etc with me here, or on whatever social platform you desire.
CrustyBeth 