Pearls, Pigs and A Little Perspective

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I bet you’ve been wondering where I’ve been. OK, maybe not. But in case you have been curious as to why Chatty Cathy hasn’t been so chatty, I’m going to fill you in. 

I wish I could tell you that there hasn’t been anything to write about. Nothing could be farther/further (whatever, the English language confuses me) from the truth. I’ve been wanting to write… OK, rant… about a lot of things. Because a lot of MAJOR things have been happening in my world. So why haven’t I? Well, some of the junk is not mine to share. Some of it is inappropriate to share because it involves other people. And some of it, well, God basically told me to keep my big mouth shut. 

Want to know what’s more uncomfortable for me than dealing with a bunch of major junk at once? NOT being able to talk about said junk. Ugh. I hate when God decides to work on the hard stuff.

Although I can’t go into the details, I CAN share some valuable lessons I’ve learned and I’m trying to apply to my life.

• You can’t change anyone but yourself. I already knew that, but I’m really trying to focus on my involvement in the problem. Instead of ruminating on what other people are doing wrong, I’m focusing on what I need to do right.

• You CAN change your reaction to what others are doing. This is really hard for me. I’m very good at being right. I’m even better at telling people how right I am. That’s not always helpful.

• People can’t always hear the truth and it’s not always my job to tell it to them. God keeps reminding me of Matthew 7:6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” If people aren’t ready for the truth, you telling them will only cause them to turn on you. And sometimes God reveals things to you for you, not for you to tell everyone else.

• God’s blessings ALWAYS outnumber the bad things in your life. You just have to refocus your attention and be deliberate in thanking Him when it’s the most difficult.

• A little bit of perspective goes a long way. All of a sudden, I’m old enough to be surrounded by hospitals and funerals. I’m not sure how it happened, but here I am. People I know and love are dying or suffering from horrific diseases or having parts of their bodies stop working. It’s becoming the norm and I don’t like it. But somehow in the last 7 days, I’ve become thankful for it. Only God knows how many days we have left. Who am I to waste the days He’s gifted me with on nonsense? I’d much rather focus my efforts on fixing relationships and glorifying the Lord with all I do and say.

So let me leave you with this thought… Are you really living today? Or are you wasting time on things you can’t control anyway?

Is It a Hill Worth Dying On?

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This past year has been so emotionally charged for me. There have been two deaths in our family, difficult health situations, emotional reunions, new exposure to old wounds and plenty of unintentionally hurt feelings. As someone who naturally ruminates about everything for long periods of time, I’ve found this year to be particularly difficult.

Obviously, we cannot control what life throws our way. BUT we can control how we react to things. Over the last several days, I have been reflecting on how I want to react especially when I experience interpersonal conflict. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

• Realize and remember people are not out to get me (most of the time).
• Determine if the conflict is a hill worth dying on. If it is, go to the person and deal with it directly. If it isn’t, evaluate the situation and see what I can learn about myself from it.
• Determine if I do the same thing to others. If I do… I need to stop.
• Honestly decide if I am overreacting. Am I so hurt because of what was said or done? Or is there a deep seeded issue I need to deal with?  

Clearly, this is going to be a process. And I’m sure I will continue to have the this-is-what-I-think-about-the-situation conversations in the shower. But I am confident that by taking this approach to the stressors in my life, I will be buying less Anxiety Drops.

Have you asked yourself if it is a hill worth dying on or do you fight every battle?

Our Un-McVersary

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Our what? According to my QuickBooks file, we have not eaten at McDonald's (or any similar fast-food chain) since June 24, 2011. Happy Un-McVersary to the Schneiders!

Prior to that date, I was not functioning well because of my hormone imbalance. Some days the brain fog would be so bad that I physically could not make dinner… or lunch… or do anything that required me getting off of the couch. On those days, I would call Adam in a panic and beg him to pick up dinner. 

It wasn’t always McDonald's, but it was McDonald's A LOT! I just ran a report in QuickBooks and here’s what I found: From June 25, 2010 to June 25, 2011, we ate McDonald's 93 times and spent $1,156.96 on that nasty processed food. I.could.die!! And frankly, I’m surprised we didn’t. I can’t even fathom what the total would be if we included the other random restaurants.

Please understand that there is no judgment being passed by me if you are eating McDonald's more than you should. I get needing to survive. AND I get that we are all in different places regarding what we eat and why. This has been a big part of my family becoming healthier, so I thought I was important to share.

Since cooking at home more and making healthier food choices, we have noticed the following changes:

• I have lost approximately 20 lbs.
• My allergies are better and I’m taking less allergy meds.
• My daughter’s allergies are better and she is off all of her allergy meds.
• My son’s allergies are better and he is off all of his allergy meds.
• My son’s asthma seems to be gone and he is off of all of his asthma meds.
• All of us have been sick less often and when we do get sick, we recover quicker.

I firmly believe that when we fill our bodies with processed junk foods, our bodies have a harder time fighting the stuff we normally need to fight. So what do I do when I just can’t make dinner? I pull out some frozen Homemade Chicken nuggets or a Home Run Inn frozen pizza (no preservatives) or we have a sandwich. And if we need to pick something up, we opt for things like Chipotle. 

We still have a long way to go on our food journey, but the progress we have made in the last 12 months is mind-blowing! Happy Un-McVersary to us!