Still on The Tree

Yesterday was one of those days where I bent pretty far. It all started with the realization that not only is this the last week of school, but the kids don't get their usual "hot lunches" this week either and the day just sort of spiraled from there.

As is usual for a Monday morning, we were low on food because Monday's are the days my wife goes shopping. We plan our meals out pretty well for the week not only for organization sake, but also because of the economy and the fact that I'm not working.

When my son, CJ, reminded us that he had to have a lunch for the day, all we had that even resembled a "take to school" lunch was some bread, peanut butter, and jelly. There was one yogurt to throw in there as well, but he was going to the park so we had to round it off with something else. On the way to school, I stopped at the gas station to get him a drink and a small bag of chips. Next thing I know, I'M eating a bag of hot fries and a dilly bar before I even had breakfast (my wife took all the kids to Dairy Queen the night before and bought extra. They are 210 calories by the way).

For lunch, I had a 6 inch turkey sub from Subway that only ran me 370 calories (Thanks Jarred) but I also had a PBJ that kicked me up another 500 (even on wheat bread) and who knows how much fat. For dinner I had a pork chop, 3 cups of mashed potatoes, and some salad which put me over my daily allowance of 2000 calories, but not by much. I then had to have another PBJ for some reason, which really ruined the day. I also did not get a chance to work out at all (probably from so much time spent eating nonsense) so I felt really bloated and fat again, which in my case, usually leads to more "guilt-eating"..

However, after talking to my friend, who is herself a health nut and looks no older than 30 at 44, spoke the words I needed to hear. "You had a "bend" day", she said. I asked the obvious, "What is a bend day?", to which she replied "A bend day is when, like a branch, you bend when the wind blows, but as long as you're strong enough to not break, who cares...you're still on the tree".

Kinda weird and It took a little thought, but I realized that these were, in fact, great words and exactly what I needed to hear.

Do you have any motivation advice someone may have told you that you really took to heart and cleared things up for you? I'd love to hear them! You can write me about anything at all and I'll try and get at least one story/question posted a week.