Last week was a good week for me to practice mindfulness. My spiritual belief includes the practice of Lent. Joan and I sat down and talked about things we should and shouldn’t do to make our lives fuller, richer and more in balance. We decided that during this time we would not eat away from the home, unless it was necessary. I, more than her, am often required to lunch with clients so we wrote in that exception. We believe that when Jesus went off into the desert for forty days it wasn’t to punish or deny him. It was for him to crystallize his mission and ministry and to do that he removed all the distractions. It would be really nice if I could hop a plane, find a desert and evaluate my life for forty days. Unfortunately I don’t have the luxury. What I can and am doing is evaluating my life its practices and where I need to be less wasteful and honor myself more. My health is one of those arenas.

Eating inside my home means I have complete control over what I serve and eat. I shop for it, prepare it and consume it. I control my portions. The first few days were tough. It’s much easier to “grab a meal” rather than go home. It caused us to plan ahead a bit. (Not a bad idea.) I spent an afternoon exploring the deep freeze and found all sorts of cool and healthy stuff i.e. chicken, turkey, boneless pork chops. We set a loose menu, which means we had alternatives for dinner should we get tied up and not be able to cook for an hour when we returned home. A turkey breast sandwich on whole wheat with a slice of tomato can fill you up. I’m discovering I am big because I eat big, lol.

This small change in my life cost me 2.4 pounds. That’s a good thing. It wasn’t a large or grandiose change. It did take a bit of planning but it also brought to light some sloppy eating and drinking habits I re-developed. This week I’ll concentrate on those habits and let you know how everything goes. It’s not about denial. Joan’s birthday was on Valentine’s Day and yes I had a slice of her cake and yes it was a moderately healthy slice. I knew it was coming, planned accordingly and enjoyed the cake.

Maybe eating at home isn’t what you need to do, maybe it’s something else. Look around; see what small thing might make a difference. Just between us, I feel great this morning!!! There’s less of me to love.