Update On Life

 It has been over a year since I updated this blog, and, despite the fact that I'm sure nobody reads it, I will update it anyways.  2015 is turning out to be year of change for me.  I watched a movie (www.backtoedenfilm.com/) earlier this year that I had watched before but never really paid much attention to.  But when I watched it this time, something within me said "do it".  So, this year I am putting in a Back To Eden garden.  I had planned on trying to grow as much of my own food as possible, and this seemed like a good way of going about it.  I figured I would buy meat, milk, eggs, and anything else I can't grow from a local source.  Since we have a lot of Amish around here I didn't figure this would be a problem.  I started watching YouTube videos (www.youtube.com/user/L2Survive) done by a guy who visits and interviews Paul Gautschi  (the Back To Eden gardening guy) about his gardening methods and his life in general.  Turns out he only eats what he grows (plants and eggs from his chickens) with very few exceptions.  So he only eats plants and eggs, and mentions Genesis 1:29 which says, "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."

     Then, earlier this month I scrolled through my Netflix playlist for something to watch and found a movie called Forks Over Knives that I had put in my playlist years ago and never got around to watching.  I watched it once, then again, then again, then I watched the follow-up called Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue.  These used clinical, historical, and scientific evidence for giving up animal products and processed foods and adopting a whole food, plant based diet.  For the first time in my life I seriously considered giving up eating animal products.  I am not getting any younger, plus I'm overweight by quite a bit (6'4" and a little over  300lbs)., and have eaten the standard American Diet for most of my life.  Maybe it was time for a change for a better future.  I knew if I did it wouldn't be that bad because I gave up meat for Lent last year with no problem.  Of course, this means I couldn't use milk, eggs, cheese, oils, butter, and such that I did use last year during Lent since I only gave up meat.  I watched the Forks Over Knives  Extended Interviews and Hungry For Change.  Then, a couple of weeks ago I saw that Penn Jillette, of Penn and Teller fame, had lost 105 pounds.  When I read how he did it, it mentioned Dr. Joel Fuhrman and his Nutritarian Diet, which is a whole food, plant based diet.  The exact same thing as in the movies I had been watching.   I couldn't ignore all these things coming up now and pointing in the same direction.
 
     So, two weeks ago today I started.  I had several eggs left and some butter, so I went ahead and used those through the first week.  All the meat I had went into the freezer for eating later in small amounts after I have lost a lot of weight and gotten overall healthier.  Although, I am now considering just giving it away to someone and not worrying about eating it later.  It has not been that bad.  In fact, I have started eating things I had only rarely had before, like kale and portobella mushrooms.  Overall I am liking what I eat.  I am eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and looking into recipes that use things I have never tried before, like tofu.  As for the results so far, this morning I weighed in at 282.5lbs, and I am feeling much lighter, having more energy, and generally feeling better, which makes it easier to continue.  I will update my progress on here as it warrants.

     I am also laughing a lot, which some say improves health.  I discovered a series of movies last year called the Carry On movies.  They are a series of 31 low-budget British films parody various aspects of life and are hilarious.  My favourites are Carry On Sergeant, Carry On Nurse, Carry On Cabby, Carry On Cruising, Carry On Camping, and Carry On At Your Convenience.

     Another change is that I am seriously working on saying as many of the Hours as I can each day.  I usually rise around 2:30-3:30 each morning to say the Invitatory and Office of Readings (Matins).  I then get up at 6:30 and watch mass from Holy Cross Monastery in Rostrevor, County Down, Ireland.  I then get ready for the day and say the Morning Prayer (Lauds).  Then on the way to work I say the Midmorning Prayer (Terce).  At noon I use my Inner Monk app from Saint Meinrad Archabbey and the Midday Prayer (Sext).  On my way home each day I say the Evening Prayer (Vespers).  At 6PM I say the Angelus.  Then, later in the evening I say the Rosary and Night Prayer (Compline).  On my days off, I say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 3PM.  Since I am not allowed to follow my monastic callings I will try to imitate them as much as possible in my daily life.  One thing that distinguishes monks is also that they don't eat meat.  So the previously mentioned changes also fit in with this also.

     With all these changes, there is little time for me to get into trouble...or to have much of a social life.  So, I feel like I am moving in a positive direction in my life, and I will see where it leads.