Mindfulness of Eating

This morning I made a commitment to be mindful of what I ate throughout the day.  As usual, I ate no breakfast.  Instead, after checking out of my hotel, I went directly to get food for lunch.  I managed to quiet the urges to eat chips, nuts and candy, and instead bought a salad, an apple, water and unsweetened tea.  I ate my lunch at a rest area, spending less than $5.00 for the meal.  I also had baby carrots to snack on during the drive; no chips, no candy.  For dinner this evening I had a turkey club sandwich, cole slaw, and vegetable sticks (carrots and celery).  The reason I share this is not for  the details, but because I was able to mindfully stay true to my intention for the day.  To change habits, one must expend some mental energy to remain aware of the high-risk situations that could sabotage the positive change.

The ride today was about changes as well. The southern part of Missouri was full of rock out-croppings, as in the Ozark mountains of Arkansas, but without the mountains and roads full of turnbacks.  Until I reachedSt. Louis, the weather was hot and muggy, temperatures in the low to mid-nineties with stifling humidity.  As I moved west of St. Louis, I ran into about an hour of bumper-to-bumper traffic, moving only about 25-30 miles during that time.  As soon as the traffic opened up, the weather changed, first sprinklings of rain, then progressing to downpours which didn't clear out until I got to Columbia, MO.  

Unlike Dorothy, after these storms I didn't end up in Oz, but in Kansas.  Tonight's stop is in Overland Park, Kansas just southwest of Kansas City, MO.

Travel Log- September 5, 2014

Departed Cape Girardeau, MO at 12:40 PM

Arrived in Overland Park, KS at 9:00 PM, after traffic and storm delays

375 miles (approx.)

Only one additional state today, Kansas