01/01/11: Getting Into the God Groove

Yesterday's food:

12/31/10: Bed at 10:30 pm/up at 6:45 am

*Fudge (1” square)

*+Cookie (x 1)

Egg white

Apple

Tea w/creamer

Kashi cereal

*+Applebee’s Oriental Salad (1/2) w/ dressing

*Sombrero (Kahlua and cream)

*Ice cream shooter (at Applebee’s; 2 T)

*Haagen Dazs ice cream (1 c)

As you can see, I whooped it up sugar-wise for my last night before abstaining for the year. As of 12:01 am this morning, I'm happy to say that I munched sugar-freely on two Nightfood bars (allowable) and some plain yogurt with Polaner All-Fruit jam before proceeding to stay up until 3 am, just right after composing my previous blog post about the importance of adhering to my sleep/wake schedule in terms of sugar intake, LOL. Still, I managed to wake up at 8:30 am, which isn't too shabby, so I could have a fairly good start to the first day of my experiment.

In keeping with my overall goal (see blog title), I arranged rides to get to adult Sunday school and the regular service (it's a long story involving a "double-layer" handicap and having a "travel" wheelchair instead of a regular one.) I'm experimenting with various forms of conscious contact with God, and adult Sunday school is one that I don't pursue very often, so I thought I'd do something different this year. For this experiment to work and to have any meaning at all, I have to do the seeking as I eliminate sugar, or the only thing I'll end up with is a very crabby, willful self who is back to her maniacal ways of eating. If nothing changes, nothing changes.

What else do I do to seek a connection with God? On really good days, this is what my morning looks like (the goal this year is to have more and more of them, regardless of the outcome):

• I pray even before I lift my head from the pillow
• I journal a letter to God that's at least two pages long (double-spaced), sometimes more
• I pray for the people on my church's prayer chain as well as certain friends and family
• I turn my will and my life over to the care of God and ask Him to show me His will for the day
• I read from various publications (see "Favorite Ways to Get Into the God Groove" on the right sidebar)
• Sometimes I practice my transcendental meditation (more on this in a later post) (Note: I'd like to do this more often)
• I get on with my day

It's an immensely grounding and peaceful ritual that I've been blowing off for the past few months, and I can really feel it. So, I am to get back in the God groove by reinstating my usual forms of connecting and perhaps developing  few more.

Hope to see you tomorrow.