New beginnings...

There is something about Januarys that make us assess. (Well, at least make me assess.)

Each year, we get this 'new beginning.' 

If you notice, the wellness industry capitalizes on this.  You will likely see more advertising in the next two weeks for gyms and fitness products than at any other time of the year.

When I first became a vegetarian, I went on a personal journey about food.  The driving thought behind that wasn't only health, but also the idea that if God made 'every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it' for food then maybe there was something to that.  An idea that vegetables were designed to fuel us and nacho-cheese-flavored-Doritos were something else entirely.

This is a photo of me from 1999.  I had been living different versions of vegetarian at that point. One of my friends would have said I was living 'cheesatarian'...I simply stopped eating meat. I didn't focus on eating vegetables.   It wasn't too long after this that I discovered  Marilu Henner's Total Health Makeover.  After reading the book, I went through my house and got rid of every bit of food with preservatives, dairy, or sugar. Moreover, Marilu introduced me to a world of food beyond french fries and cheese pizza. (Causing 12-year-old Chase to dub Marilu "the woman who ruined his life.")

But for me, the results were pretty dramatic. Within about 4 months I had dropped four dress sizes and my face had completely changed shape.

Now, I find myself in a mode of rethinking food again.

I live in the land of a zillion restaurants.  I like them because they are easy. They are social.  And best of all, I don't have to do dishes. If there are places in the world where food is scarce, I would never know it.  Because here in Dallas, there is a buffet of choices 24/7.

While the team is in Africa for the next two weeks, I'm fasting. Not completely not eating, but doing the 'Daniel' thing of only eating fruit and vegetables. (And none of the fun ones like potatoes or corn.)  I find I'm hungry a lot more often.  And last night I even felt a bit whiny because I wanted Thai food. (Then I started thinking about manna.  And how the Isrealites got whiny about Egyptian food. So I got over that pretty fast.)

I think there is something to feeling entitled to certain types (or even certain amounts) of food.  Something I've never explored in myself before.

I like the idea of doing this in a January. New years are a great time to rethink and reframe.  I'm curious where this leads.