Good News/Bad News

Is anyone else confused about just how we are supposed to be living our lives these days? We are bombarded by dos and don'ts delivered in somber tones by the beautiful people reading the news. Yeah, right. Like they ever have any health issues or weight issues or financial issues.

Is it ok to eat eggs or should they be avoided? Is it better to eat sugar that is chemically manufactured or the raw, natural product? Am I gonna keel over dead if I drink Vitamin D Whole Milk instead of 1% or skim watered down milk? Red meat? White meat? Fish? No meat?

Some days I think it's better to just go on a Peanut M&M diet and call it good.

Here are some good news/bad news situations I've come across this week:

Dan's health - actually there is no bad news in this item. Dan got the results from all of his heart tests yesterday and it turns out that he has hypertension. Yippee! As I said to him on the way home, if you would have told me 30 years ago that I'd be happy one day to hear his blood pressure is high I never would have believed you. So, he'll go on a very low dose blood pressure med and we'll go from there.

Body shape - for years we've heard the dire consequences of having an apple shape vs. a pear shape body. You'll be glad to know that debate has now been resolved. I read in a magazine that it doesn't matter at all to your heart-health what shape your body is. That's the good news. The bad news is that no matter your shape, being overweight is gonna kill you.

Eating soy - Since the 70s (and maybe before then) I've heard about the benefits of eating soy. I even fed my kids soy-based formula because of dairy allergies in my family history. I must confess, I've never been a fan of soy products. As far as I know I've never consumed soy (unless I was served it without knowing it). In my mind soy is associated with making plastic. Anyway, Dan came home the other day and told me that soy is now considered not beneficial to your health (the good news) and downright dangerous to your health by some (the bad news). I googled the health benefits of soy and found several articles on the danger of eating it. Of course there are just as many articles touting its benefits. I guess you're on your own on this one.

Breast feeding - When I had my babies I chose to not breastfeed. I had many reasons for doing so and don't wish to engage in a debate about my decision. It was right for me. My kids were (and are) very healthy. They are not fat. Back in those days, if you were not going to breastfeed, they gave you a shot or pills to dry your milk up. Fast forward to today. Katie is not breastfeeding Thunder. She asked the nurses in the hospital about the shot or pill to dry up the milk. They told her there isn't one. She is suffering mightily right now since her milk came in and her pediatrician gave her a tip to help with that problem that involves cabbage. She called me to say she looked on the Internet and found that the reason they don't give the shot or pill anymore is that it's associated with higher incidents of cancer. Great. The good news is that I didn't have to suffer through as much breast discomfort as she is. The bad news is I guess I'm at higher risk for cancer. I decided not to worry about it though. As Katie said to me "everything today gives you cancer".

Sharing my faith - I have a 101 in 1001 list (see tab at the top of this blog).One of the items on my list is to share my faith with a Jehovah's Witness who knocks on my door. On Sunday morning, I was visited by two female JWs. I opened my door to find the younger one standing with her Bible open. She asked me if she could share a scripture with me. I said no, thank you. Then, for some unknown reason I said "If you'd step inside I'd like to share some scriptures with you that will show you the plan of salvation". She actually backed away from me while saying no. The good news is that I was bold in offering to share my faith with her. The bad news is that I realized I may never have that opportunity. So now I'm praying that every time the JWs visit my home I will be bold in sharing my faith. And that one day someone will take me up on that offer.

Appraisals - 2011 has been an awesome year for appraisals so far. It started out slow, but from April on we have been blessed abundantly with appraisal orders. That's the good news. The bad news is that poor Dan does not have time for anything else. We are trying to figure out how to find some balance in his life amid the appraisals and Sam's Club shifts. We see the finish line in sight, but we aren't sure how long it will take us to get there. We know that with the new mortgage requirements, he can't quit Sam's until we purchase a house. We should be eligible to purchase a house in Feb. unless they change the rules on us again. Please pray for Dan's stamina and health. I'm learning more each day that can help with the appraisals. But since I'm not an appraiser, there's only so much I can do.

Enjoy your Wednesday!