Fruits of the Lori

Check up time again.

Health. Still doing well on the exercising and eating, especially now that I've been counting calories again. Even now that the sugar has been added back to my diet, just before Easter I had lost another 2 lbs. I've also added protein shakes to the regimen, it's given me a lot more energy and probably contributes to my weight loss because it is made from lipids that are more likely to be burned than stored, and by the only kind of sugar to feed energy directly to the blood stream rather than be converted to fat. And am loving the nicer weather, exercise can be outside now, going for walks or even yard work is a treat after being cooped up inside with the same old.

Self Discovery. Still catching up on some of my blog topics I've started but have yet to finish, although I did get a few of them in this month. I've been working on a really deep entry for my creative journal, and because I'm so anal about being chronological, I refuse to jump ahead a few pages and do some short entries until this ONE is done. I've been doing more self-discovery through prayer and reflection this month, which, although wasn't specifically part of my goal, is definitely key in discovery. My creator definitely has something to tell me about what He designed me for, and I need to spend less time thinking and more time listening sometimes. Which is hard, I'm much more a proactive than reactive.

Self Discipline. Still making very good progress on my daily Bible reading, after all, it's April and I've finished Genesis, Exodus, Matthew, Mark, and almost done Leviticus, half way through Psalms, and about a third of the way through Proverbs and Luke. Still only a few days behind the schedule, but on track! Sugar on the other hand, well.....I started off really good, had two or three days I caved, but then a lot of the days I found sugar substitutes, and so even though I managed to be 95% SUGAR free, I was not sweetner free and ended up feeling like I cheated more with splenda, aspertame, glucose/fructose than I did the three days I had actual sugar. I got too legalistic I think....great analogy, because although it was permissable it most definitly wasn't beneficial. I did learn a few other lessons in this as well. Like, a little indulgence in the thing I'm craving goes a LONG way. Usually I can have just a bit of sugar and my craving is satisfied and I'm then done snacking, but trying to satisfy a sweet craving with non-sweets just meant eating a LOT of non-sweets. Very NOT disciplined, I now think there is more self discipline in having a small amount of chocolate than a bowl of pretzels. I also learned that some truly sugar (sweetner) free items are just as good as the ones chalk full of sugar. For example, I will stick with sweetner free peanut butter and raspberry jam, ooooh that was so surprisingly still yummy! I'm going to have to do more taste-testing and experimenting with sweetner free items, because if it tastes just as good, who needs the empty calories! This was probably my best learning experience from lent.

Consideration. While I felt utterly exhausted from giving soooo much last month, I feel very differently this month, and I probably gave just as much, but this time much more willingly. Difference being, instead of just acting needy, some of the people who drained me actually showed me how much they needed me and it seemed to make a world of difference. It was a small bit of validation, but it really re-fuelled me and I was able to focus even more time, energy and prayer into them with very positive results. I still wonder why it is so much can go wrong in the lives of these certain people, and how much longer I'm going to be the only positive part of their life, but for now I'm not worrying about that, I'm just trying to maximize my opportunity to bless them with the consideration they obviously need, especially while I'm feeling the desire to do so rather than the obligation.