I've held up pretty well against the food temptations over the past 10 weeks, that is, until this past week. This week was one of those weeks of holiday celebrations designed to test my resolve to eat well and remain within my limits. First there was the annual Christmas potluck and awards meeting of the "We-love-to-grow-plants-and-eat-them" folks. These folks can put out a spread of foods ranging from gourmet fare to good old home cooking that's a delight to see and taste. I had a cohort at this event. We both boosted our resolve with a couple of nice, healthy green salads. If you put enough salad on your plate, there's not a lot of room for too many heavy foods. A bite of this and a taste of that and you're good.
I realized what I'd done and wondered if I'd undone too much of a weeks' hard work. We'll see as I watch for pound #20 to disappear this week. If it hangs around, I have no one to blame but myself.
I've dealt with another temptation this week that, for me, is more serious in nature. I love books. I still love being read to like a little child. Audio books allow me to indulge in both those pleasures. I was at a point where I'm between between book series and was looking for something new. I found a series that is both long and interesting. There's just one problem with it. It's raunchy.
I've got a policy that if an entertainment isn't fit for my children it's probably not good enough for me either. I endured through the first book and got interested in the story line. It's a good, compelling story. I thought surely the author would back off a bit and let the story tell itself in the second book. Sadly, that's wasn't the case. One of the characters was even more foul-mouthed in the second book. I found myself being fearful that my boys might accidentally hear one of the expletive laced passages and ashamed of myself for listening.
The second pot luck meeting/party was harder. The food was just as tempting and tasty. I was being so good right up until my sweetheart sat down beside me with pecan pie. Now, mind you, I'd avoided even looking at the desert table at both functions. I have a weakness for a good pecan pie. One little nibble told me this one was excellent. It had plump, fresh pecans toasted to perfection in their bed of luscious, buttery pie filling.
I managed to stop at just two or three bites but the sweet deliciousness haunted me. I made it home and even resisted temptation for a couple of hours. First I realized there were just two small, lonely croissants left in the bread basket. Those are so good warmed with a little butter. I couldn't let them go to waste and I was the only one home to save them from a pitiful demise as stale bread. Then I remembered there were cookies in the cookie jar. Vanilla Oreos don't hold a candle to a good pecan pie but nonetheless, 4 found their way into my hand. They were gone very quickly.
I realized what I'd done and wondered if I'd undone too much of a weeks' hard work. We'll see as I watch for pound #20 to disappear this week. If it hangs around, I have no one to blame but myself.
I've dealt with another temptation this week that, for me, is more serious in nature. I love books. I still love being read to like a little child. Audio books allow me to indulge in both those pleasures. I was at a point where I'm between between book series and was looking for something new. I found a series that is both long and interesting. There's just one problem with it. It's raunchy.
I've got a policy that if an entertainment isn't fit for my children it's probably not good enough for me either. I endured through the first book and got interested in the story line. It's a good, compelling story. I thought surely the author would back off a bit and let the story tell itself in the second book. Sadly, that's wasn't the case. One of the characters was even more foul-mouthed in the second book. I found myself being fearful that my boys might accidentally hear one of the expletive laced passages and ashamed of myself for listening.
Enough! I've deleted the book. There are too many good books out there to allow my mind to be cluttered with the guilt and dirt.
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