Resolution Road

I made a few resolutions this year, a few of which are still going pretty well I might add as we wrap up February.

1) Be healthier by eating with a focus, and exercising 3x week.

This is still working. Although I haven't lost gobs of weight yet, I at least feel more in control of food vs. the food controlling me (see post from early January). I have a plan that I have been sticking to, and it seems to be working. It is amazing to me how much this then channels into the rest of your life. If you feel in control of the food, you then feel in control of everything else. Funny how that works! When I try to stick with just one plan, say South Beach, or Weight Watchers, you seem to only want what you can't have, so I have found by mixing it up each week, those cravings don't get the best of me. It's sort of like Girl Scout cookies. I mean, are they really that amazing, or is it just because you can't get them most of the time? No disrespect to the girls in green saches, but seriously, the hype surrounding Girl Scout cookies befuddles me. They are hard, they are small, and what, do you get about 3 in a box for about $8.75 nowadays? But, I digress...

2) Spend more real time with the kids--goal: minimum of a 1/2 hour each day with each child actually playing.

Sometimes you realize you are around the kids all day, but you are not really spending any time with them. While I can't say I do this every day, I am conscious of it all the time, and find when I actually do this, I feel much more connected with them. It sounds pretty pathetic that there are days you don't spend even half an hour of focused time with the kids, but if you start paying attention you might realize you have days like this too.

3) Spend more time with God.

This is the one I am still struggling with. Currently, I attempt to pray after I crawl in bed which doesn't go far before I fall asleep. I would like to try a set time of day where I read a devotional, the bible, or just pray, but I haven't seemed to have gotten there yet. This is especially frustrating now that we are in the season of Lent, yet I still haven't found my motivation. I am not sure what the hangup is, but I haven't felt this disconnected in quite some time. Thankfully our God is a forgiving God who waits patiently while we refind our mojo that we have lost. Any suggestions here are welcome from anyone else who has gone through this!

On a related note, I am reading Life of Pi. I took it on vacation, but just couldn't seem to get a good bite out of it so it's been a slow read for me so far. I did, however, come upon this passage which I really liked and it made me think. The author was discussing the difference between agnostics and aetheists, and says,

"Doubt is useful for a while. We must all pass through the garden of Gethsemane. If Christ played with doubt, so must we. If Christ spent an anguished night in prayer, if He burst out from the Cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", then surely we are also permitted doubt. But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation."