Fruitful Life

 Good Morning! I've been on the no-C.R.A.P. regime for over a week and the most prominent discovery has been my addiction to caffeine. When the food-for-perkiness is removed, I'm left with having to deal with the rolling terrain of caffeine ups and downs.  I've decided to get out of the caffeine cart. So far side effects include eyes that are squinty and watery. Kombucha, as you know, is made with tea leaves and sugar fermented with a symbiotic community of bacteria and yeast. I've enjoyed this tart and tangy drink on and off for years. Caffeinated, mildly alcoholic, and tangy with a tiny bit of sweet, booch provides a nice soothing distraction from my day. Well, I've been convicted of using it as a distraction from my day's troubles, tasks and toils. Instead of seeking God, I sought the booch and was rewarded with nice flavor and some "chill."  Unfortunately or fortunately, I have unpleasant side effects from enjoying the tasty beverage. A mild "...

 It has been a somewhat difficult few weeks. Having said good by to my kombucha and SCOBY, I had felt sad and free. The discomfort I was feeling began to recede immediately, but not as quickly as I would have liked. My mornings are not as "brisk" without that kick of caffeine! Adding yoga in the mornings on occasion has helped get my blood pumping, enjoying devotional time on my back porch with the breeze and natural light is marvelous! When I feel myself lagging, I have a tiny hit of caffeine -- say, 1/4 cup of caffeinated tea or two or three sips of coffee. It is just enough to clear the brain fog but not enough to energize me artificially. My brain may have been permanently changed by my life long habit of tea drinking.  The best part of being caffeine-freeish is sleep. My nights now end about the same time, 10:30 or so, and I sleep all night long with no one or two hour wakeful periods that used to plague me. I wake up at 5:30 or 6 ready to start my day. Sleep is wonderfu...

 Day 6 of no CRAP (calorie-rich-and-processed) foods.  My caffeine ups and downs have become abundantly obvious. On a normal day I have a strong cup of tea with protein powder, a drop of honey and a dollop of coconut cream in the morning. I enjoy some kombucha or green tea in the afternoon. It doesn't seem like much, but not having the supporting boost of energy provided by CRAP in my diet has highlighted previously unidentified highs and lows. I start noticing my eyes drooping about five hours after my morning tea and have a little green tea at lunch time, then again around four in the afternoon -- traditional tea time -- I am lagging again.  My habit had been to snack when I lag, but now I am reaching for water and more tea. This is definitely a physiological habit I will address, someday. My fat intake rose dramatically with the addition of an entire smooth and creamy avocado to my morning smoothie. When I felt mental energy flagging on day three, I decided to see if I...

I awakened this morning pondering how to help a woman in a difficult marriage. Her story is much like mine which really boils down to self-righteous spouses who are afraid of one another and desperate to be the "right one." Each likely thinking they're right in Christ. Neither willing to move off the desire to be vindicated in their thinking or acting. The humbling effect of recognizing that my hope for my marriage was not placed in Christ and His righteousness was jolting. My hope is (was?) I will be proved right. That, like in movies and novels, the unloved woman would receive the love she wanted with a dramatic and romantic apology -- "I haven't loved you the way I should have. I'm so sorry, will you forgive me? I vow to love you well." Or perhaps it is from a child, "Mom, you were right all along. I'm sorry for my rebellion." (Funny thing: I did call my parents and while I did throw in the 'you were right' I sought forgiveness f...

 Today my devotional, "Do We Know Jesus" by Adolph Schlatter, read: "Our worldview is true because, and to the extent to which, it arises from our experience. At the same time, however, it is completely certain that we are not at the center of the universe and are not its architects or rulers. For this reason our ideas about this world do not yet tell us what will take place or what ought to take place." Page 280, June 9. The clincher for me: "What ought to take place." I have a way I think things should go, but God often has a different idea and plan for it. When I wrangle my way into my days, God's plan still stands and He will patiently wait, allow both pleasant and unpleasant consequences, create opportunities for me to turn to His "ought to take place" instead of my own. How often do I presume upon grace by delaying the work I must do -- the dishes?! I am able to provide all sorts of somewhat plausible, mostly specious, arguments for why...

 Rising Early After sleeping a sound and restful 7 1/2 hours, I woke to bird song, soft rain, and a small dog eager to go outside. Good morning! The Huberman Podcast educated me on the great benefits of sunshine early in the morning. Explaining details about our body clock, Huberman teaches that getting sunshine in my eyes in the first hour of waking will help regulate my sleep cycle. I used to wake up anywhere between 5 am and 8 am. After deliberate sunshine-getting my wake-ups are timed well with sunrise. Either a result of the sunshine or rising earlier, my bedtimes are growing more consistent as well. Feeling more rested and disciplined is the result. Huberman extols the foundational need for regulated sleep for every system in a body and mind. Observing the effects of sunshine on my two teen boys I see that just one day of sunshine after waking causes them to awaken earlier the next day and provides them with better regulation of bedtimes. Huberman doesn't explain how to get a...

 Random habits, an oxymoron! James Clear in his book "Atomic Habits" makes it clear that our habits, our actions are a reflection of our character and personality. If that is true, then my behaviors reveal a few things about me -- that I am loath to admit. I have many wants, or perhaps James Clear would say "goals," that are never met. These goals are completely under my control, as is the reaching of them. My randomness in developing habits causes those goals to simply remain dreams. Mr. Clear would rather have us developing our characters and good habits that will allow us to strive toward any goal we choose. As a mother, wife, woman, there I have many good habits. Read my bible and pray daily. Always replace the toilet paper. Floss and brush. Drink tea. Workout. Sleep. Make sure healthy and fun food is available to my family. Pay the bills. Feed and water the animals. As a blogger, writer, student, however, my good habits fall flat. My study is inconsistent and q...