Settling into the new year

This year I made zero New Year's Resolutions. Actually I have never made any, so this year has been no different than other years in that aspect. But it turns out that trying to improve myself and my life has been something that has swooped down upon me and overcome most other options.

First I found out through one of my favorite blogs that if I read 5 or 6 pages of the Book of Mormon every day (starting a few days ago), I will finish it by Easter. That sounded like a worthy goal. So I've been doing that and it feels good to be reading with a purpose. And while studying it out slowly is amazing and revelatory, reading it more quickly also provides insight I don't normally notice.

Then I challenged my sister to a no-sugar, see-who-can-go-the-longest-without-it competition, the non-winner (see:loser) buying lunch for the winner. It's been since Monday (four days ago) and I've been doing awesome. Except for my constant need for a really good chocolate cake or homemade brownies with ice cream. I feel like I'm not necessarily craving the taste or the sugar, but rather the texture of the former and the flavor explosion of the latter. And the lovely way that dessert fills up the empty parts of my stomach after dinner. But I really like that my pants are really getting to be too big. Too bad I just (like, a month ago) went through all of my clothes and got rid of all the smaller ones. That's a little annoying. Oh well. There are worse things.

And when I stopped eating sugar, that night is when Alan started getting real sleep. Instead of waking up every two, two and a half hours, he went to four or four and a half hours. Bliss! And then I found that bananas affect him ill as well. It's crazy how much better sleep is going for us all!

In addition to no sugar, I've been eliminating most all processed foods and foods that are really not good for you no matter what person or machine made them. I even bought brown rice, quinoa and israeli couscous. I think this will go well.

Then the visiting teaching lesson this month pushed me towards the part of its message that discussed the diversity among women in Relief Society, that the diversity makes us stronger in unity because of the charity we need towards each other to function at our fullest strength. I realized that I need to further extend my charitable feelings to people I've been holding back on for one reason or another. Is it enough to know that I would help them in crisis? Do I extend myself enough to know when the crisis is there? Those are questions that I need to answer for myself. (I'm hoping the answer is yes, but uh, yeah.)

I think my next goal will be to read through the entire Bible this summer. And that would be the only worthy reason I can think of to get an e-reader. But then again, principles are at stake and carrying a Bible around is not the worst thing in the world.