Pure Moralizing and Being Forewarning, Complaining Way Unfair

The Matron is on Day Seven of the Three Week (that would be 21 days each composed of 24 hours - you do the math) Cleansing Diet.  

This is diet is a Matron-Special Mix, designed by yours truly:  vegan, no wheat, no sugar, no caffeine,  no alcohol.  

Every day at about 4 pm, the Matron would like to main-line espresso and dive into a vat of  milk chocolate.  But so far, she does not.   

The act of abstaining -- from the gooey food, the cocktail, the brownie, the Old Dutch cheese popcorn, the Sun Chips --has made her consider just how of our food and lifestyles operate in direct opposition to good health.

Lest the Matron sound all holier than thou, cleansing and observing and all, just know that for a good decade--when the Matron was Young Miss -- her lifestyle not only operated in opposition to good health, it was sort of paving the path to the grave.  That's a story she hasn't told here yet.  So she considers herself one of the struggling masses, the current three week experiment aside.

Today she heard on Minnesota Public Radio that 1/3 of cancer cases are caused by smoking and nearly another third by other lifestyle choices:   lack of exercise, diet, and alcohol.

As she was listening to this, the Matron sort of balanced the scales.  How do you see that cheesecake at Grandma's Sunday dinner, then?  Fifteen minutes of life is the cost per slice?  Because she might just trade those 15 minutes for a particularly rich and creamy cheesecake with chocolate crumble crust.  

It's the cummulative effect that's problematic.    Those 15 minute pieces of cheesecake, add up.

She's also been thinking about other research on longevity showing that the surest way to a long life is calorie restriction.    That's right.  NO cheesecake or hardly ever.  Eat less than your body craves and you'll live longer.  

Here she imagines herself--all of us -- caught in the grip of desire:  for life, as much as possible!  for the chocolate torte!  grilled steak!   eggs benedict!

Maybe it's age.    Maybe it's the clarity of a martini free week night (okay, she hasn't had a martini in two decades but doesn't that sound hip?).   But lately she's thinking it's better to tip the scales in the direction of Life.  Sure, chip off 15 minutes here and there with that lasagna or heart-stopping bacon and eggs breakfast.   Once in awhile.

But for the balance?  Saying no to one set of goodies allows you to be awake -- and alive-- for a whole set of others.    But it's HARD.  It is not easy to set aside what's pleasant, available and easy in consideration  (not even a guarantee!) of a much later, less tangible, good.

That's just the purity of Day Seven calling.  Let's see how she fares on that final lap. . . .