Balance.

I have a friend who studied nutrition in college. After she chose this as her major, anytime I had a food related question she was the one I would ask. Most of these questions went a little something like this... "So, can I drink diet soda?" or "Is Taco Bell bad for me?" or "Does soy really give you breast cancer?" And I always got a version of the same answer.... "Not if you consume it in Moderation." Moderation?! NOT the answer I was looking for! (7 diet sodas a day isn't moderate?) I always gave her a hard time that that is basically a copout of an answer. I really just wanted her to tell me that it was ok for me to eat and drink whatever I wanted and that life would be butterflies and rainbows.

A couple of weeks ago when I was just getting into eating clean I was chatting with her about it and I said something along the lines of... "I'm just trying to find a balance between all of the foods I am eating.... blah blah blah I want to be healthy and energized." After hearing me say this, she exclaimed something along the lines of, "That's what I've been telling you! It is all about MODERATION!" But for me, its not. For me, its about balance. Moderation is a restrictive word, it makes me feel like I'm missing out on half of the good stuff. It can't be about moderation because that word holds so much negativity for me. Balance on the other hand is something I understand and can practice in my life. Everything needs to work together to make yourself whole.

Very zen thought process right there.... this post is getting kinda heavy. Basically what I'm saying is that I have a goal set of the woman I want to be and to get there I need every aspect of my life to work together. I think that is where all these resolutions really come from. Food, activity, friendship, knowledge, I want my life to be full of all of it!

An update on the reading:

I am reading what I want, when I want, with no clear schedule! I'm loving the book "Born to Run." I'm savoring it! I don't want it to end. A year ago I would have blown through it! I love reading with meaning rather than reading for the sake of reading a ridiculous number of books! I also must admit that I am really liking my Nook. I can't say if it is better, worse or comparable to other e-readers, but I can say that it is pretty neat. I can also say that I've missed being able to flip back easily to a page, or to really feel how far you have left before the end. I'm not a complete convert, but I am in a stage of acceptance. I also learned last night that my local library supports the Nook! I can borrow book on it! I'm so excited to save some mullah!