Satiety part II

I did it.  I focused on "just enough" for a week.  Let me explain how this learning opportunity propelled me forward.

Healthy aging is ultimately what I'm after.  And now, I'm convinced that simply enough is a way to appreciate the blessings in my life and to push me to give from where I have extra... and I feel great!  I started with a focus on time.  It is the element that plagues me most.  I have frequently felt like I need a 26 hour day just to get all of what I need to done.  And, since I have yet to find the 26th hour, I have felt stressed about the things left on my plate at the end of the day.  So, I turned off my multi-task magnet - that forceful pull that compels me to be doing 5 or 6 things at once.  And when I was on a task, I was completely there.  Seems to have saved me a boat load of time.  I was able to juggle family, work, kid activities, exercise, house work...even a "date" with my husband!

My next focus was intellectual.  I am an information junkie.  I read everything, regularly delve into topics of interest  and prefer to read text-type books than anything!  I organized my approach and found it extremely satisfying.  I read nightly (as I usually do) on wellness topics (currently reading Fasting and Eating for Health by Joel Fuhrman, MD) and spent time daily on clinical topics that I can apply in practice.  It was the right combination of sharpening the saw for all you who've read The 7 Habits.

My reading pushed me in the direction of food intake.  Dr. Fuhrman's book convinced me that to really know what my body needed in terms of food, I needed a clean slate.  I completed a 19 hour fast.  Water only for 19 hours.  It was the killer caffeine headache that ended it.  Then, oatmeal and fruits/veggies only.  I have not even looked for junk since then.  I don't feel the need to sweeten my tea, put syrup in my oatmeal or grab some processed snack.  And, looking in my kitchen cabinets at all of what is available to us, prompted me to join a local effort that will be packing food for Haiti.

It felt so great to have all of these pieces in check.  I had found simple happiness in each.  And, in feeling this way, I was able to better appreciate perspectives that others were coming from.  In not being distracted by my own needs, I felt more in tune with people around me.  I was able to give from my "surplus" of resources and really care during my interactions with people.  What I realize looking back is that in doing these small things, I was filling my own "feel good" tank.  Wow - that's powerful stuff!  I think I'm really on to something!

My perspective - oh yeah, highly recommended!