It's All About the Food, AGAIN!

It’s All About the Food, AGAIN!

     Those of you who know me well have heard me say so many times that I am not a religious person but I consider myself to be very spiritual.  So part of my routine is to read from my Bible as often as I can, which is not every day.  I will be the last one to tell you I do this perfectly.  Many times it is hit and miss.  A few days ago I read in Isaiah 55:2 “Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good.”  Wow, I never saw that before, even though I have read all the way through the Bible completely.  That did not register in my mind the first time.   One of my goals when I started this blog was to put myself out there and hold nothing back.  This is going to be one of the most honest postings I have done yet and I hope you will be patient with me. 

            When I was in elementary school, about in fourth grade, I started to put on weight.  By the time I got to sixth grade I weighed one hundred thirty pounds and was the largest student in the whole school.  By the time I had gotten to high school, I had gained almost fifty pounds more.  Looking back, I can tell you exactly why I was eating but was powerless to stop.  Food was my friend and my comforter, my constant companion.  The irony is that now I know what I ate over all those years ago because I have spent many hours in therapy finding the answer.  So why am I still overeating?  I am in awe of the human body, how it is made up of so many parts that all work together to keep me going every day of my life.  Why don’t I take better care of myself?  I hear this voice in my head saying, “You have been given this amazing body and what have you done with it?”

            I LOVE to cook.  I have loved cooking ever since I stood by my granny as she made delicious food on her wood- burning stove in Kentucky.  Her food was not fancy, but I would take a meal prepared by her over anything I have ever eaten in the fanciest restaurants in California.  Her food was seasoned with love.  Over the years as I have cooked for my family and friends, I have seasoned my food with love.  One Thanksgiving, I decided I was not going to bake my pumpkin pie or pecan pie that year because I was just too pressed for time so I went to the bakery and bought them.  When I served the pies to my family, my daughter looked at me and said, “This pie tastes awful. Mom, I can tell you that there is no love in this pie.”  I have never served them store bought pies again during the holidays. 

            So I guess in my mind, food equals love and I need both things in my life.  Now I just need to remember that I can eat what I cook but I need to get moving more.  My very talented husband once told me that singing was like breathing to him.  I feel like that about cooking.  It is so natural and brings me so much happiness.  It is unreasonable for me to think I can give up cooking, but I need to find the balance between cooking and eating.  I must admit that since my family came to visit I have put on a few pounds.  But it is less than ten so I know I need to do something NOW to get them off before the total goes any higher.  Do I go back to WW and begin again?  I don’t know.  I don’t have the answer.  For today I guess I just pay attention to those words, “Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good.”