Points and challenges have all gone out the window this week. But I have been thinking about the fear challenge. After my own battle with fear earlier last week I've been riding on a sort of a wave of learning how to deal with fear when it pops up. I picked up some literature on the subject so I'll share some tidbits as I read.
A few months ago I decided it was time to schedule my annual physical. This has been an appointment of dread the last few years. Even if I'm doing perfectly well I hate going to the doctor. Well, at the time I made the appointment, my brother was facing the possibility/reality of open heart surgery. He is by far the most fit of the lot of us but high cholesterol runs in our family. He ended up having the surgery (luckily without opening his ribcage...aren't robots wonderful?) and has since been pretty much fat free for 3 months.
This whole episode has caused me a lot of fear. A lot. My brother has sort of become the family missionary encouraging us all shun fat like it's the weapon that will ultimately cause our demise. Which is very likely. My grandpa died at 50 from heart disease.
What was so interesting was my resistance at first. I was so set on figuring it out on my own terms instead of him dumping this fear in my lap and expecting me see the light, change my ways, and live happily ever after deathly afraid to let any fat between my lips. I was so afraid that I was getting angry. And I've been angry for about 3 months.
Well, as I was retching my guts out earlier this week I had a lot of time to think. A lot of time to pray. A lot of time to repent. And for the first time I could really admire my brother. He was faced with a problem and he did what was necessary to fix it. I'm so proud of him and instead of feeling afraid and angry I feel a lot of inspiration.
My physical is tomorrow morning. I'm not dreading it. I'm actually excited to see where I am and be ready with a plan to improve. I feel empowered, not afraid, about working hard towards where I want to be.
So I've started doing more research about heart healthy foods and which foods to avoid. I feel a lot of peace about making this effort. And some things are quite tasty! We're having a play date lunch today so I thought I'd try kale chips. Here's the recipe.
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
- Preheat an oven to 350. Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
- Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.
I forgot to mention that a little salt goes a long way on these babies! Next time I'd consider using less salt and adding some spices.
ReplyDeleteAnd use olive oil. It's a healthy fat with a lot of benefits. :)
Jenn,
ReplyDeleteYou are always so insightful. I really enjoy reading your post and I will admit I have never heard of kale chips before. I am really curious to try them.
I have to admit I have been MIA a bit lately too though your excuse is much better than mine. I have been working on the program for A's dance competition this weekend. I am just glad it is finally finished.