The Journey of 1000 steps ....

should really be done on a bicycle. (Jason's proverbs)

You know, our society screams at us everyday. Most of those screams we ignore or tune out in the hope that insanity will not beset us, but there are some screams that are louder, more attractive, and packaged more prettily than others. Those screams are the numerous weight loss advertisements and pitches for the right product for you.

I wonder as I watch the latest celebrity to strut their stuff on 'Jenny Craig' why we never see them sweating their butts off (literally) in the gym. Why we don't see the camera shot cut to a sweating blob attempting to get one leg in front of the other before the treadmill ejects him (or her) off the back of it and into a wall. You know you would laugh at that, but would it sell you the idea of what weight loss and good health is? I doubt it. It is much better to think that we can write a check, wait for the mail carrier to deliver a box of food to our door that we are then rationed on until the next delivery. Didn't something like this already happen during the great wars? The only difference in these rations is that of course you need to go and buy the main ingredients for your newly acquired diet before you assemble the pieces.

Why is it so difficult to limit the amount of things we put in our mouths? Is it really more difficult than that? Isn't there a simple philosophy that is you want to lose weight then don't eat more than you are willing to burn off. Before anyone gets their knickers in a twist and explodes over their keyboard about the importance of balancing the major food groups accurately (coffee, chocolate and cake - any type of cake) I understand all that stuff - even the conflicting information which Al Gore's invention provides into our homes.

What I have noticed is that the self-discipline of restricting calorie intake seems to be too difficult for many to cope with as they abdicate responsibility to Jenny or others to package their food, prepare it and eat it. This abdication allows us to blame someone else when it doesn't work - when our results are not what we see on-screen but are much more typical. We follow someone else's plan so we can blame them for our failure. It's the American dream.

So let's flip this thought of taking responsibility to the whole point of my endeavor this year - to see children rescued from lives of poverty and given a chance to have access to food, shelter, basic healthcare and to build up and support these families as they raise these precious little children.

Have you considered sponsoring a child through Compassion International? What has stopped you? What argument have you used to abdicate your responsibility of being in the top few percent of wealthy people in the world and yet not willingly sharing some of your wealth to support a child who struggles just to eat every day? Check out Compassion International's web site and see what this group is all about. I am supporting them because they work with local organizations to support entire families as they support these precious children.

Are you willing to sponsor a child and make a difference? Are you maybe not in a position to support a child long term, but maybe could give a one time gift to support the work of Compassion? Don't listen to the arguments that will rationalize why you need to spend your money on food that your diet says you shouldn't have anyway. Take some time and make a donation. GO TO THE DONATE LINK ON THIS BLOG AND HELP THE CAUSE!