Commanded to stay out of the kitchen, he stands at the edge of the hall carpet watching as I move about the kitchen preparing dinner. The other rooms, filled with toys, books, and sibling playmates, hold no interest for him. Only this room, the one temporarily off limits, will satisfy.
He thinks I'm not watching, but I am.
Slowly, carefully, his pudgy little toes inch across the gold metallic strip marking the boundary between hallway and kitchen. He tests just how far he can go before suffering the negative consequences promised for crossing the line.
I continue to prepare supper, not acknowledging his toe-sized offense. He looks up at me. I can tell he's wondering if I notice his toes.
Slowly, carefully, he places his entire pudgy little foot onto the vinyl kitchen flooring. There can be no doubt of his challenge to my instructions.
Now I am faced with a choice. Do I issue the consequences I promised or do I wait until both feet are across the line? Or wait even longer until he stands at my side?
I am like my son.
When it comes to weight gain/loss, eating nutritious food, and exercising I am like my young son. I test just how far into the unhealthy zone I can go before I suffer the consequences of my actions.
- I drink a
glasspitcher of sweet tea each day.
- I skips workouts.
- I eat chicken strips and french fries for supper.
- I binge on bread sticks and 3 meals worth of pasta drenched in cream sauce at my favorite Italian restaurant.
 |
| My boys and a friend flirting with the edge of a huge boulder! |
How far can I go before I suffer the consequences of my choices?
Before I can no longer keep up with my children? Before I have high blood pressure, diabetes, or a heart attack?
Will I suffer negative consequences for staying ten pounds overweight?
Probably not. But why take the risk? Why flirt with the edge of being healthy just as my son flirted with the edge of the hall carpet? Why not step back from the edge and be completely healthy?
While my son endured a spanking for his choice to step over the line, I don't want to endure the consequences of my unhealthy choices. So, I'm going to back away from the edge of healthy and place myself solidly in healthy territory. Will you join me?
Do you flirt on the edge of healthy? In what ways?
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4 comments:
This was so well written I loved reading every word. Its so true too right? Great post title.
Excellent post - it is so easy to try to toe that line...and then see how far you can go!!
Really wonderful post that really hits home. I've flirted on the edge of healthy for a long time until Project 10 when I've started to really hold myself accountable, thank you for this! xo
Thanks, Ladies! It's what I was feeling and thinking after last week's post. I forget who, but someone mentioned "flirting on the edge of healthy" in a comment last week and it struck me as accurately describing my frustration with this 10 pounds!
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