Do you eat to live, or live to eat? That is the question. Some Facebook friends say they eat to live; others say they eat to live, and at other times, they live to eat. Several live to eat chocolate (I vote for that!). A fellow Goldwing rider declares he eats so he can ride his motorcycle. We occasionally ride with a few local Goldwing chapters and use riding our bikes as an excuse to ride and visit. Meeting at a central location, we then ride to a dinner location, and after dinner, sometimes ride again to an ice cream hot spot.
Eating is so much a part of our social experience. How often do you hear, “Let’s do lunch, or dinner, or breakfast.” Breakfast, if you’re an early morning riser. It’s hard not to imagine a meeting (business/church/social) without coffee and doughnuts, cake, or appetizers. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy food—sometimes too much.
You might recall this past summer I battled with severe intestinal issues which turned out to be an inflamed intestine, colitis. I experienced dehydration, hospitalization, an ambulance ride to the hospital emergency room, then ICU confinement. Not fun! Gatorade® with electrolytes proved my best friend. Eventually, I graduated to eating rice, bananas, Jell-O®, and popsicles. Very soon, I became weary of that boring diet and craved anything except those prescribed items. Once my stomach could digest bland items (and keep them down), I was re-introduced to real food. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.
Eating is good. Eating is necessary for sustaining life. In Julia Child’s book My Life in France, Julia enrolls in a 12-month cooking school at the famous Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She learns to selectively purchase the correct ingredients and cooking utensils to prepare mouth-watering dishes. Julia shares these creations with her supportive husband, family members and friends.
Bottom line: all I do should be done in moderation. Balance is the key in eating, drinking, exercise, education, career, and so forth. Too much of any one thing (even if it’s a good thing) can tip the scales and throw mind, body, and soul off balance.
So, do you think just one piece of chocolate (dark, of course) per day is acceptable?
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17-NIV).
***
