Throwing Food Away

Sometimes after we leave the beach my daughter and I go to Candy Kitchen on Madeira Beach.  They have the best birthday cake ice cream!  They make their own ice cream and for this one they make the cake, frost it, and decorate it, then mix it into the ice cream.  Oh yeah! 

I got some last night, but only one scoop.  I was enjoying the ice cream without one bit of guilt on my way home and had one bite left in the cup and one on the spoon when I passed this sign:

 

I thought, “You do satisfy, Jesus.  And so does this ice cream.  Of course, You satisfy me more.”  He said, “Do I satisfy you enough for you to give up the last bite of it?”  Of course He does!  So I did, and I did it gladly!

For lunch yesterday we went to Cracker Barrel and I got brown rice with mushrooms as one of my sides.  I brought it and some of my other food home and was eating it for a late supper last night.  Something happened as it sat in the fridge because it was very salty - too salty for me to eat.  In fact, that was my thought as I took a couple bites.  God said, "So why are you still eating it?"  I immediately got up and threw it away. 

There's freedom in being able to throw away food that doesn't benefit me.  Of course I'm not wasteful, but it's okay to occasionally throw something away, especially if God prompts me too!

Come Run With Me!

I ran at Philippe Park this morning. 

It’s a very popular park with runners and walkers, I found out.  I had no way to measure distance, so I just ran for 40 minutes, which is about how long it takes me to do 3.1 miles.  I warmed up for a short time and then decided to tackle the hill first so I would be fresh when I did it. 

Once I got to the top of the hill and did a little victory dance (not really), I ran down the stone steps. 

Then along the seawall (baywall?)

for quite a distance.  When I got to the end I doubled back and ran uphill (a different one and not as steep) again.  I then headed down a road that ends in a loop but turned around before I got all the way because it was boring.  Who needs flat same old-same old when there are hills to run?!  I’m not sure of my route after that.  I just knew I needed to keep running for 40 minutes.  I think I did the hill again then down the steps again, then something else, then up the steps

Then down the hill. 

After 40 minutes I felt better than I usually do after a run because I did something different this time.  I don’t need change all the time (in fact, I fight change that's just for the sake of change), but I do like it occasionally if it’s for a good reason.  It’s about a 15-mile drive from my house to this park so I won’t be doing this very often, but it’s nice to know there’s a pretty place to get some hills into my workout.  And this park has so many draws – woods, water, hills, flat areas.  Love it!   

I took some videos of going up the hill and up and down the steps, but they were taking a very long time to upload so I decided to leave them out.  Here are some other pictures of the park: 

Looking downhill with people for perspective.

Distant view of beautiful tree

Left side of same tree

Right side of same tree

Thank You, God, for the beauty of Your creation and how You meet our wants as well as our needs.  

I Keep Learning

I thought I was hungry, so I took a bowl of beans and rice out of the fridge to heat up.  As I walked to the microwave I took a bite of ham that was sitting on top of the rice.  I immediately knew that what I was feeling was not physical hunger so I put the bowl back in the fridge and am eating nothing. 

I don’t need it.  I thought I did in order to keep working this evening and to fuel my run in the morning, but I guess I don’t.  God is still teaching me how to deny myself. 

I think my lack of progress in increasing my running time is directly related to my weight loss being at a standstill.  If I could lose another good amount of weight, I might get faster.  Over the last couple weeks I noticed that the Olympic runners were almost all super thin.  Don’t get the wrong idea!  I’m not going to starve myself or take any supplements nor am I saying anyone should do that to get a certain look.  It’s just an observation I had.  I hope their leanness is a result of good nutrition and training.  I’m not training for the Olympics.  Maybe realizing that bite of ham was not what I needed is God telling me to trust Him with fueling my body.  Maybe I don’t need to eat as much as I think I do.  Maybe I’ll eat a little bit after I wake up and before I run in the morning.  Maybe not.  We’ll see.  I just know I don’t need anything tonight, and I realized it before I ate the entire bowl of beans and rice. 

I am a runner. I am a distance runner. I endure.

I watched the Olympic men's marathon Sunday morning. Even though they were running about the same pace as the sprinters, they kept it up for more than two hours, not just for a few seconds or a few minutes. And their feet definitely didn't seem to move as fast or as high as the sprinters. I can't figure that out.

Anyway, even though I liked watching the shorter races, I absolutely identified with the marathoners this morning. I don't know if I'll ever run one myself, but it's certainly a possibility. I'll be 43 next month and I'm obese, but I'm running and I enjoy it. That's the important thing. I'm slowly increasing the distance I run and improving my pace at the same time I increase the distance. I am a runner. I am a distance runner. I endure.