In a few short hours it will be October and our month of changes will be over. I remember feeling at the end of August how much I needed this month. I was in a rut and stuck in some habits I didn't love. While this month was a lot different than I expected it definitely achieved the results I was looking for.
As J and I were talking the other night he declared himself to be five times happier than he was last month. A pretty bold claim but I think it actually might be true. Our marriage is better, we are healthier, we are not as focused on our selves and feel more connected to God.
In terms of not eating junk and sugar, I have definitely seen the benefits. Between us we have lost 11 pounds without even trying. I think I've realized how quickly snacking can add up, especially when you do it whenever you feel like it. I never quite mastered the art of having a bunch of healthy snacks on hand....something I'll keep working on.... but the cravings for sweet things disappeared and I don't really miss them. This week I will definitely enjoy a Coke and popcorn and probably some form of chocolate but going forward I plan to keep my sugar intake significantly reduced. I believe in moderation, I just think my perception of what was moderate was a little skewed.
I think not watching TV has been the hardest just because I enjoy it after a long, busy day. But this month was so busy getting our house ready to host and other life things that it would have been a lot more stressful trying to fit our favourite shows in. The benefits were evident though. J and I had so many good talks, almost nightly, that we often didn't make time for before. We made some pretty significant life decisions and communicated really well as we processed things. Going forward we're going to limit our TV nights to twice a week so we can keep on up on a few shows we really like and enjoy a weekend movie. It will still be a challenge as I know we'll WANT to watch more, but it will force us to be not as lazy and more relational which is always a good thing. I do miss connecting with people on Facebook and plan to go back on, but in a much more limited way. I'm sticking to a few minutes at nap time and then after dinner while Joel cleans up. I don't need up to the minute information on what you're having for dinner, but the reality is I get to stay in touch with many more people than I would and I find it a great place to bounce ideas off of other people.
Journalling didn't go at all as planned but in the end I'm okay with that. It wasn't about the journalling so much as reconnecting with God and I am definitely moving in the right direction. I do want to be more disciplined about gratitude (in my one thousand gifts journal) and recording significant thoughts. I'm a huge fan of going back and reading where I've come from and what I was processing at certain times of life. I think following Jesus is best done in community and I'm very thankful for several little communities that are forming, even just in this past month, where I can do life with others.
I wish it only took a month to make all the changes I want in my life. Although I guess if it was perfect it would also be a little boring. What I wanted was momentum that I had severely been lacking and moving forward, even if it's slowly, is a lot more rewarding than not moving at all. I hope your September was a good one too!
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