His Phoenix

Good morning! Well I have a few things this morning to touch upon, with the first being that my mother is home and doing great! My Aunt said that she actually walked from the car to the house with no assistance! This is a big step taken for her and in itself has taken a huge weight off the old shoulders. I am so proud of her!

Secondly I was just reading a new post over at FTS this morning ( The Post ) and I have a few points to add and or rather say about it. I am happy that FTS is finally making several moves in his life that will take him to places that will make him much happier. He is truly one of the deserving few that could use more smiles in his life and less stress. Now I don’t want anyone to think that I am attacking his post because that is not my intention. I am just making a few observations and comments as they relate to my own life. I guess I have been around Carlo so long that he is starting to rub off on me!

“If we are what we eat, are we also defined by the company we keep?

I was listening to a fitness talk show host on the local sports talk
station as I drove to work last Saturday morning, and he commented that part of the reason some people have trouble losing weight is because they surround
themselves with overweight friends. His reasoning was hanging around like-minded individuals will influence them to continue with their bad dietary
habits.”

First is the above statement. I just don’t agree with this totally. I know that this is not something that FTS said but that he is quoting someone else. I work in an office filled with persons in different stages and types of weight issues. Of the 4 people I work with 3 of them are dieting. Another girl has been struggling with cancer treatments and cannot afford to go on a strict diet because she needs to eat to keep up her strength. I need to diet badly and their eating habits have somehow worn off on me. I have stopped eating things that I know I shouldn’t, such as that one donut I was allowing myself every morning for a wake up sugar rush. I don’t do mornings well and do not like the taste of coffee (it is too bitter no matter what you do to it). This one simple change and the fact that our garden has come in with veggies out the kazoo has managed to drop me a pants size. I didn’t try and did not even realize that they were influencing me. This one pants size is something that was a huge milestone for me… it has been years of actual dieting and no results and here I lost the weight without trying.

My point is that the people we associate with influence us all in some way. Good or bad it can be a learning curve. Just because the persons I am talking to may be fat or skinny, young or old, smokers or non, religious of any kind and non-believers; they all have something to teach us. I have lived with a drug addict and helped her get away from the drugs, I have dated a thief and helped him get a real job, I have lived with non-smokers and respected their space by smoking outside and not smoking in their cars, etc, etc, and etc. I would not stop calling someone a friend or stop associating with someone because of their habits or choices in life. I am not saying that FTS would either… as I said before this is just another point of view.

“Similarly, people who claim to have issues with organized religion often use
that as an excuse not to attend church, when the real reason is they always
leave feeling guilty about something in their life. If they don’t go they don’t
have to deal with those feelings.”

There is more to this post and I encourage you to go read it here. But my philosophy on churches has been written here before and I believe it is worth reading again. I think my “beliefs” are straightforward when it comes to churches in general. I have never come away from a church with a feeling of guilt… but more of a bad taste in my mouth for the general infrastructure of the people that were associated with it. I know, I know, this sounds bad on my part and I know not all churches are the same, and ditto on all people. As I have said before and will say again. I prefer to worship this mighty earth of ours and celebrate her beauty, than go to a church and listen to people gossip. Just me. Hope this does not offend anyone.

Your thoughts?