Black Dog, White Couch

In Georgia we had a large, beautiful Cape Cod style home, surrounded by three acres of shady wood-lined trails.  The over-sized, overstuffed dark brown, living room furniture set we had went perfect in it.  Then we moved to the beach where I immediately fell in love with the white slip covered style furniture.  But with perfectly fine brown furniture, two kids and a dog, I held off.  Finally this past fall, with the kids being 18 and 20, I thought it was time to get the beach furniture I wanted.  Wasn't too worried about the dog as he doesn't normally shed and I've never seen dog hair on our furniture.

Finally the day came this past fall and I brought home my white sofa and club chair.  Not just any sofa or chair, but Pottery Barn slip covered ones and down-filled cushions and pillows as a bonus.  I then spent hours refinishing the coffee table and end tables in chalk paint colors of antique white and turquoise, completing the beach look I was wanting.  Added the right throw blanket and more down filled decorative seashell pillows and it was perfect.  Until my dog decided it was perfect for him, to curl up on, to run back and forth across the hanging down edge...and leave tiny black hairs all over it.  Black dog hairs?!  On my new stuff, seriously?!  Especially when he is almost 10 years old and never before have I ever seen dog hair on any of our sofas or chairs.  It was then I realized there probably was dog hair on our other furniture, but it was so dark and the type of material it was (suede fabric) that I never even noticed it.  It took the crisp new, white linen to show what was happening all along, and by all along I mean the past 10 years we've had our dog.

So what have I learned from this, other than the obvious of black dogs and white couches don't mix well?  That often in life we don't truly see what is happening.  Surroundings cover it up and we think it doesn't exist, but all along it is there, just hidden.  Because we can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there.  How often do we compare things we do to things other people do?  Because our issues blend in so well and aren't always obvious we easily convince ourselves that our issues don't even exist.  It's only when the true clean, white standard of God's Word is put against our issues do they stand out.  I feel like I'm in a similar season of life.  Things I've done for years, just as we've had our dog for years, are coming to light.  And now is the time of choosing.  Do we cover it with a throw blanket or pillows?  Do we try to place it next to something of similar color or actions so it doesn't appear to be so bad after all?  Or is it time to keep the white couch, the white glove test, the God standard, and remove the source of what is causing the imperfections?  One thing, no matter what the choice, you can't go back to the plea of ignorance.  Even if you hide it, blend it in or cover it up, you are now aware, and with awareness comes responsibility.  A choice to do nothing is still a choice.  Choose wisely... and don't buy white furniture if you own a black dog.

30 Day Sugar Free Challenge - Day 14

After my last post about the fuel you put in your body, I started a 30 Day Sugar Free Challenge.  Decided to include alcohol in it as well. Then inadvertently it included caffeine as all my caffeine comes from sugary Starbucks lattes or sodas.  So anyway, here I am 14 days into the challenge.  Doing good, no knowingly cheats.  Have been very careful checking nutrition menus, ingredient lists and labels.  And I feel so much better.

Day 4 was probably the hardest for any cravings, but the challenge I took includes coaching and journaling homework.  Going back through it I realized that most of the cravings are mental.  It sounds good, smells good, I remember the taste, but when I ask myself, "Will eating/drinking this enhance or hurt my life?" it doesn't match up.  And I've learned what foods to substitute and with the re-calibration of my taste buds, I'm truly enjoying the sweetness of things like fruit.  Frozen bananas, frozen strawberries, with a splash of almond milk and unsweetened Greek yogurt all blended together actually makes a pretty good ice cream substitute!

The other thing I've learned so far is that I often turn to mindless food because of boredom or comfort measures (also learning that most mindless junk food and comfort food is some of the most sugar filled foods).  So on my journey to eat more unprocessed foods and find real foods, I'm also learning more about the real and unprocessed me.  Who knew a 30 day sugar free challenge could turn into an opportunity to learn so much about myself? Believe me, suddenly and drastically remove all sugars, alcohol and caffeine from your diet and you will quickly see your real, often irritable, whiny self, surface as it is detoxed from your body.  But here on past the worst of that, here at the half-way point, I'm excited not just about finishing a challenge (and it has been one! sugar is in almost every single thing) but taking the opportunity to do some deeper soul searching and finding the whys behind some of the whats.