Monday Musings: Habit-forming

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They say it takes weeks
to form a new good habit,
so, let’s start today!

I have been in the market for a treadmill since before the holidays, but they are so darned expensive, I didn’t break down and purchase one. Then, I realized that a friend had one for sale, which was a good bargain and still worked great!

Part of my rationale excuse for not exercising much lately is that it is dark when I wake up, nearly dark by the time I get home, and besides, who wants to bicycle or walk/jog in the cold? O.o

I picked up the treadmill on Saturday (loading it into the car should count as a workout, in and of itself, LOL!) and walked about a half-mile to “test” it out when I got home. On Sunday morning, I walked for 0.1 mi to warm up, then jogged for 0.5 mi, then walked another 0.4 mi to cool down. That night, I walked/jogged another mile, switching every 2/10ths of a mile or so. I’m pleased to report that this morning, I got up early and walked a mile! (I opted not to jog b/c I didn’t want to burn out too quickly.) I will aim to do at least another mile this evening. Tuesdays are my early morning ladies’ group, so I won’t walk tomorrow morning, but I’ll be sure to do something in the evening.

I’m determined to keep it up, so I’m sharing it with you for accountability. Now that I’ve said it “out loud,” then I ought to be more compelled to continue doing it. Plus, the same ol’ excuses don’t work so well when the treadmill is conveniently located in my living room! 😉

What’s keeping you? (Prayer devotional for the week of February 5, 2012)

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Do you ever have days when it feels like you can’t put two thoughts together without being interrupted? You go from the bedroom toward the kitchen for a drink of water, and a few steps down the hall, you have to pause to mediate an argument between the kids. Then, you stoop to pick up a wayward sock. Then, you remember that there are more whites to wash in your bathroom, so you backtrack to grab the dirty laundry. In the hallway again, you step on a LEGO brick and lecture the kids to clean up their toys while you limp through the living room with an armload of laundry. Laundry loaded and started, and then you remember that you meant to iron that one blouse, so you stop to do that. The iron is out of water, though, so you take it to the kitchen to fill up the steam reservoir.

Twenty minutes after you first left the bedroom, you find yourself standing in the kitchen and can’t recall why you were planning to go there, in the first place.

The Bible tells us that Jesus never sinned, so sometimes it’s hard to imagine him ever having a rough day, in general. Luke 9, beginning in verse 51, tells us about just such a day. Jesus sensed that it was about time for him to leave Earth, so he decided to go to Jerusalem. (The NIV uses the phrase “resolutely set out for,” and The Message says that “he gathered up his courage and steeled himself for the journey.”)

Along the way, he and his disciples faced interruptions. Some Samaritan folks were inhospitable to them, causing two of Jesus’ disciples to ask if they could call down lightning bolts on the village, so Jesus had to intervene. Passers-by approached him as he traveled and wanted to follow him, but he knew that they just wanted to tag along, not really devote themselves to him. He was blunt – perhaps even snippy – with a couple of them, but I imagine that after having a day like that, he’d probably had enough with the constant interruptions. He had a place to be: Jerusalem. He was ready to return to his Father. He wasn’t going to let follower wannabes keep him from his destination.

Is following Christ something we do if/when it is convenient, or are we living like true followers? If the answer is the former, then what’s keeping us from putting aside the distractions and joining him?

Foodie Friday: Red wine

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France and Italy — and California, for that matter — get a lot of press for their wine selections, and rightfully so, but I have discovered some delightful varieties from other states and countries around the world.

I’ve mentioned before a few faves that I found from Australia, and it’s no secret that a glass of Peter Brum is like a decadent dessert to me. I even wrote a Foodie Friday post on mulling spice last fall.

At the risk of offending any white wine fans, I’m speaking only of red wine. I am of the humble opinion that white wine, as a general rule (I can count the exceptions on one hand) tastes like I would imagine licking a sheet of aluminum foil. It leaves a metallic taste in my mouth. Blech.

So, I hope you don’t think that I’m a lush. I prefer connoisseur. Doesn’t that sound better? 😉

Although Peter Brum’s Pinot Noir has always held first place in my book, I recently discovered another German Pinot Noir that is not only smooth and delicately sweet, but also it comes in a gorgeous red bottle that I intend to convert into a flower vase.

Is this not one of the most fabulous wine bottles you’ve ever seen? The angle of the snapshot makes the front look smooth, but it actually has a beveled crease in the center.

The wine itself is lighter than I expected; you might be able to tell that it isn’t the deep purple of other Pinot Noir varieties. It is sweeter than most red wines, which means the sugar content is higher, so the extra carbs need to be taken into account with the other foods that I’ve eaten that day.

Come to think of it, Peter Brum comes in a lovely cobalt blue bottle. The Germans have really cornered the market on outstanding wine packaging!