Reading is easier than writing

Well, this weeks goal of reading and writing an hour a day, was mixed in its result. I did manage to read an hour daily, some days more, which is definitely an accomplishment. And it was more than just the sports page. One of the truths about Ben is that he would furthered himself well beyond his artisan roots, mostly because he was a dedicated reader who would often stay up all night reading. Now, I didn't do that, but I have been reading up on Health Care, as well as continuing my research on Ben, and I will be writing on Health Care in the coming weeks. I was spotty on the writing as it does take a little more time and preparation, and I didn't want to write just to say I wrote. I think I will continue the daily reading part, but I am going to re-commit to 5 times/week writing. We'll see how that goes.

This week I am going to work on my diet. What does this have to do with Ben, one might ask?
Well, Ben had an interesting relationship with food. When he was young, he definitely "Ate to live, not lived to eat." He prided himself as someone who didn't particularly enjoy food, and at one point in his teens ate basicly broth and bread in order to save money for books. He was an on again off again vegetarian, out of a moral bend of sorts, (his pragmatic morality was consistent in his character). Of course, he grew to be portly in latter life, which was somewhat the result of his station in life, as well as moving from an English diet to a French one.

In my own life, I grew up looking very much like a Sudaneese refugee. I tried to put on wieght, and managed to get up to 155 lbs. by the time I graduated from High School. Now, you've got to know that I am 6' 2", so that was still rather skinny for a guy. Anyway, I finally did fill out to about 185, and for a couple of years, from about 20-28, I looked pretty good, but through the next 17 years I've battled the dreaded "Counselors belly". I've seen it with many a male counselor, you know the belly that looks like you are about 6 months pregnant. I attribute it to the fact that we sit around all day in a slowed sense of being, ( a necessity to effective therapy. Do you want a anxious and figidy therapist?) Also, I learned to eat throughout my day, probably to calm my nerves, (you also don't want a hungry therapist. I tell my clients, if they have to wait while I shouvle down my dinner while they have to wait outside my office for an extra 5 minutes. "I eat so I won't be a grump, and a happy therapist makes for a happier client.")

As I sit here, I don't look six months pregnant, as I have managed to lose about 20 lbs over the last 10 months, but I still look about 3 months pregnant. I would like to lose the last of my "baby" weight, so I have looked to Ben and my roots to see if I can't do so over the next 2 months. Specifically, I am going to return to a diet very similar to the one that my mom gave me growing up. She, like Ben, was a 90% vegetarian, who ate mostly to live, and as a result taught my brother and I this as well. She was such a bland cook, that most meals I simply endured. Also, have you ever tried to gain weight eating fruits and vegetables? I am going to revert back to that diet over the next months, but in a way that would do the scientist Ben proud. I am going to do my childhood diet 2 weeks, then do a high protein diet for 4 weeks, then go back to the childhood one for the last 2 weeks, to see which is most effective, and to create a little friendly internal competition, another Ben trait. Oh, I'm also going to institute 1 1/2 hours of physical activity/day, 2 times the usual, to see if I can't jump start my therapist metabolism. So, here I go, and off to the grocery store to get the proper bland food that would do my mother proud!