Struggling With Weight Control

Lately I have cut down on my meals. I have an early and heavy breakfast; I skip lunch except for an occasional snack; and I have a late dinner with a regular all-in-one dish.

Eating 3 rice meals a day, with 3 dishes and 1 soup for lunch and dinner, is an old habit that is very hard to break. Some say it is physically impossible. Some say it is not good for health and daily functioning. Some say it is not recommended for a healthy weight loss. I don’t know; I'm no expert; just that without diet control, my regular exercises all these years had never really brought down my weight.

I have started an all-in-one dish for lunch and dinner for a few years now. Though weight is not going up, I still feel very heavy. Walking up the stairs has recently become a deadly task; standing for a long while always makes my legs numb and ache. Buying clothing or shoes has become an embarrassing experience, with the salesgirls talking and giggling from behind. Maybe the only place I can be at ease is the eatery outlets.

Buying a weighing machine recently has been a great help in controlling and reducing my snack consumption. I have also cut down on stimulating drinks and sugar consumption. I haven’t reach the stage of depending solely on plain water; but I’m enjoying now boiled tea without sugar.

Lately I have seen a positive sign on my weight loss as I intensified my exercise walkout.

Maybe my efforts will pay off.

I really hope to see myself in good shape soon.

A Pondering Heart

Finally I realize there are many things that I don’t know how to do; finally I realize there are many others who know better and can do better.

And this realization sometimes brought me to shame and disgrace.

And this realization causes me to want to learn more and become more involved in all that I do.

But ultimately I am brought down to my foolish pride.

No man is an island; whether we like it or not, we are brought to submit and thank others for the many things that we have and are enjoying now.

We are indebted and dependent on others for everything and anything.

And ultimately it is the Almighty God that we owe our existence, our providence and our sustenance.

After living almost half a century on this earth; after seeing what have transpired and continue to transpire before me, I realize the folly of self pride.

Sometimes I wonder why the Almighty God did not reveal to us clearly our talents and abilities; He has left us to explore and discover on our own.

Over the years we have made many bad decisions and stupid mistakes.

And it has taken much time and effort to discover, polish, and perfect our specific skills and talents.

And with them come self pride and gratification.

Until the day when we are brought down to our knees that no man is an island.

Then we begin to feel thankful and grateful for what others have done for us.

Life is a journey of exploration and discovery; but sometimes it just takes too long and exhausts too much energy.

Sometimes I feel jealous and envious of others who have made a success with their lives. They have discovered what they can do earlier and they are making full use of it.

But sometimes I feel angry and resentful at those who know about their gifts and abilities but hide them away to rot; they have no intention to make use of what they know and know better.

I do hope that I can discover at my own pace all my talents and abilities.

I wish I can make full use of my life, for the sake of myself, others, and the whole world.

Half a century has almost gone.

What will the half bring?

More reflections and more regrets?

More hard work and more effort?

I don’t know……. I only hope that I’m not too late.

Rose

I received the following story through an e-mail. I desire to share it with you.

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being..

She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this 'time machine' as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing."

"There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die."

"We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!"

"There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up."

"If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight."

"Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets."

"The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets..'

She concluded her speech by courageously singing 'The Rose.'

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those months ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

Remember.......

Growing older is mandatory. Growing up is optional.

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Silly Jokes

Sometimes a silly joke can brighten up the day.

But we use them sparingly.

My friend is rather depressed these days.

He was summoned for a very minor traffic offense few weeks ago, and now he was given another one.

His wife was cheated into buying a fake cell phone battery that couldn’t be recharged.

The eldest son was having bulging red eyes with very poor visibility after many hours in front of the PC.

And the family faces acute financial constraint since all the children are in school and universities.

We sit opposite one another, and we used to talk and have fun together.

Sometimes we create innocent and silly jokes and laugh out loud.

It helps to minimize our stress level and encourage us to carry on with our daily tasks.

Sometimes 24 hours a day is just not good enough when we are the only bread winner and driver.

Everyone needs our attention and action.

Sometimes I do feel rather depressed and sad too when I can’t find time for myself.

Initially I just don’t have time for all the silly jokes.

But now I do feel a little help from stress.

When our friend was grumbling about the shopkeeper who sold his wife the fake battery, he looked very angry; it was not good for him.

So we created a few silly jokes to help him to relax.

We told him to buy car battery instead from a famous tire shop in our small town and if he needs good dentures he should look for this good dentist in our town.

We have a good laugh with swelling tears.

Stupid jokes like these sometimes help us laugh and forget the problems.

Of course, they are not good practices and can sometimes lead to misunderstanding if use inappropriately.

Sometimes we, masters of the house also need attention from the house.

We also can break down easily.

If only they know.

It’s Not Easy

It's not easy,

But it has to be done.

We plant a seed, we want it to grow; we want it to become a tree.

We bring up our children, we give them quality time and attention;

We teach them to love God and to respect authority,

We give them care, guidance and education,

We want them to be stronger, smarter, happier, and wiser,

And we want them to excel in academics, athletics and social life.

It's not easy,

But we have done all we can to bring them up;

We have seen them improve by leap and bounce,

We have seen them triumph over many trying circumstances,

And we have seen them grow, prosper, blossom, succeed and thrive.

It's not easy,

Now that we have to let them loose and let them go;

But we don’t want to tie them down,

In fact, we encourage them to chase after their many dreams,

We give them freedom and responsibility,

And we train them to be independent and strong.

It's not easy,

Now that departure is imminent.

But it has to be done.

We send them away and bid them goodbye,

And we continue with our lives.

But our heart goes with them,

cry and laugh with them,

Wherever they are,

And whatever their life journey has taken them to.......

It's not easy.