Is An Hour of Taste Better than 23 of Living?

I’m trying to write this message through a ton of brain fog after a night of not only nightmares, but multiple night terrors. Stress manifestations. I hope the message flows anyway. 

I didn’t do so well resisting temptation this weekend. I made “better bad” choices, but y’all know how I feel about that. I was frustrated with myself, more so just confused really. Why did I want those things? It probably mostly came down to just being around the foods I avoid usually, but the mental connect of celebration and food is still stronger than I thought. Thanks, Roman Empire. 

Anyway, I had one of my “ah-ha” moments and my perspective on meals has changed forever. 

How long does it take you to eat your food? Most of us probably finish the food in 15-20 minutes. Even if we sit at the table and fellowship for longer, that’s likely about how long we spend with food in our mouths, so about thirty minutes to an hour a day of eating. We spend 6-8 hours sleeping. We spend up to 17 hours a day living. 

Why the hell are we more concerned with how that 30 minutes to an hour TASTES than how the other 23 hours FEEL? Why do we give that 1/24th of our day the power to make our sleep poor, our bodies ache, our brains muddy, our steps heavy, and our experiences stunted? You give me any good excuse for that, I challenge you, because I see no logic in it. 

Is that insignificant amount of time so important that you’re willing to take years off your life? To miss out on memories with your family? To have to sit out vacations or parties? Is the taste on your tongue more important than the moments you’ll miss? 

Live for your tomorrows’ treasures, not today’s pleasures. I love y’all.