If You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!
Friday, January 18, 2013 at 3:00AM Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. WILL ROGERS
There is a certain virtue in patience, but there does come a time to act. If you never change your oil, your car will do fine for a while. But eventually it will stop. If you are anything like me then you have several areas where a little action is in order.
It might be as simple as getting up 15 minutes earlier than your norm, along with going to bed a half hour early, as many of us are not getting enough sleep. I like Jay Leno as much as the next guy, but sleep is better.
What will you do with that 15 minutes? I suggest that instead of hurrying your morning and rushing to Starbucks for a coffee and a pastry on the way to work, or worse a McMuffin, that you make breakfast.
I know you are dying to know what your favorite blogger had for breakfast this morning. I doubt it takes me 5 minutes. I make Senseo coffee, about three cups. I add a little stevia and use a little half and half. The result is a good imitation of a $5 cup of coffee at Starbucks. My coffee does not cost $1. Then I start making the oatmeal. I begin with a scoop of soy powder. (I realize that I just lost a portion of my readers as soy is controversial in some circles, but maybe in another post I will mention the benefits of soy for men with prostate issues.) I add a little stevia, 2 Brazil nuts, and 8 almonds. I then put in 1/4 cup of oatmeal and 1/4 cup of a high fiber cereal called Sensato. I would prefer a product without artificial sweeteners like Sensato has, but right now this works for me. I add one cup of hot water, stir, and let it set for a minute. I then microwave it for 45 seconds. I add the left over half and half (1/2 cup for both) to the oatmeal. Yum.
While it may be, (and is!), somewhat anal to talk about my breakfast, I do so to make two points.
First one can eat oatmeal on a low carb food plan. My breakfast is 23% protein, 22% carbohydrate, and 55% fat, very close to my planned eating of 25, 25, 50 for the day. I know that many of my friends are on various low carb eating plans, (no diets, it has the word die in it) so this idea might help them incorporate more fiber into their diet. This is a big, and valid, criticism of a low carb lifestyle. My breakfast just gave me 9 out of the 22 grams of fiber I am told we need. (I will later eat a Quest bar which will provide most of the rest.)
The second reason is that I am convinced there is great value in thinking about the details of our individual lives. We tend to coast through life, and then wonder where it went. Inertia is the great ally of the system, or as I call it, Babylon. What decisions you make are your decisions, make them. Or as Yogi Berra said, if you come to a fork in the road, take it.
Every day we come to many decision trees. Do not necessarily go along with the crowd—think about your choices and make some changes if you need to. Relatively minor changes add up. Making breakfast for yourself is a lot more important than you think.
Oh, what do I do with that extra ten minutes I gained by getting up a little earlier? Many of my friends have made the commitment to go through the Bible in a year. I have joined them. I have purchased the Bible Experience on CD and listen to it as I eat and drink my coffee. We modern humans have the historically unusual ability to read, or listen, to God's word. If you think the Bible is God's word, are you acting on that belief?
Find out where you need to make changes. Make those changes. Act now.
[Positive Dennis]
I wanted to add two points. First my Senseo machine died and I have switched to a different coffee machine, I am not happy. Second I have for the time bine eliminated oatmeal from my diet as I am gluten sensitive.
Bible, Health, Leaving Babylon 
Reader Comments (1)
This is great! I can't believe I'm leaving a message for a blogger who is my own brother. Very happy to hear you are eating oatmeal for breakfast and have forsaken Jay Leno. The coffee sounds very sophisticated and I would join you in a minute but nutcases are warned off caffein to alleviate anxiety and it seems to be working. This is so professional, Dennis. Looking forward to more "Prophecy."