This morning, in Sherwood, Oregon, there is a winter-wonderland outside. Several inches of snow blanket everything. This means there will not be much traffic anywhere, and it will be a very quiet day. I look forward to lots of tea, completing lots of work, a walk to take pictures, and perhaps a nap.
What I will not be doing is going off my Food Plan and throwing all caution to the wind, because IT SNOWED! I do not have small children; therefore, I will not be making hot chocolate from scratch. No baking or making treats for the neighbors. I work from home; I can moderate my work however I want. I choose to work and take my walk later in the day.
Why questions are big questions that are much harder to answer than what or who questions. There is some thinking out there that says you cannot tackle a problem until you know why you have it. This thinking is flawed in many ways.
Say I have a problem with over-eating, portion control, and eating food with little nutritional value. Do I need to understand why I have this problem in order to change my behavior? NO! I can stop over-eating, start controlling my portions, and eating nutritional sound foods without EVER understanding the past.
I can start taking care of my body properly right now. I live in the now. I do not live in the future or the past. I can decide that I will always use the present moment to be healthy.
It might be profitable to investigate the past and consider “the why” that made me overweight. If this thinking enables me to move forward with more confidence and conviction to become the best me ever, than sure, it is profitable. Instead, I think it tends to be an excuse to hold onto tired old unproductive thinking patterns that no longer serve me.
In my head I am now singing The Eagles Song “Get Over It”…here is the first stanza lyrics:
I turn on the tube what do I see
A whole lotta people cryin’ don’t blame me
They point their crooked little fingers everybody else
Spend all their time feelin’ sorry for themselves
Victim of this victim of that
Your momma’s too thin and your daddy’s too fat
Now I am going to listen to the song in its entirety. My advice to myself: Never give away your power to the past.
Anne Ivans Home and Family 