THE COUCH

THE COUCH

On the way to the gym, I take a short cut through a neighborhood. Approximately six months ago, a tannish brown cloth sofa appeared in the grass on the right side of one of the driveways. “Um, the local garbage company doesn’t collect furniture,” I thought. I watched the couch as spring became summer and summer became fall. Eventually a moving box appeared on the couch. Not from a place of judging but with curiosity, I begin to wonder about the type of person who would plant a couch in front of their house. If an opportunity had presented itself to talk to occupant of the house, I would have asked one question: given the amount of time the couch has been sitting on the street in rain, wind, sun and heat which city service do you think will collect it? If the couch wasn’t junk before it was deposited on the street, it certainly became that.

As September rolled to October, the coach/owner of my gym announced a fitness challenge for the last quarter of year, affectionately call the feeding frenzy quarter - Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Many of us had participated in a summer challenge that ended in August. I am supposing that Coach V observed the return of “not so good” practices among us. The progress of the summer was stalled or dismantled. The “not so good” practices had been set on the sideline like the couch on the street for the challenge. Her goal for us is to make a sustainable permanent lifestyle change. If an established detrimental practice is on the premise, it is possible and highly probable that it will be practiced again. I know that to be true.

I drink plenty of water or so I thought. I consume a balanced diet or so I thought. The summer fitness challenge revealed the fallacy of my thinking, especially my diet. For my age and activity level, I consume too few calories and grams of protein daily. My body responded by conserving what it was given and thus lack of weight loss. Three weeks or so after taking corrective action, the scale started moving in the desired direction. When the challenge ended and followed immediately by vacation, my old habits returned, and progress stalled.

Coach V choose not to judge instead she questioned me to understand – what had I stopped or started back doing that was impeding progress? I answered and she listened. She developed my plan of action, but I am the executor of the plan. Should I choose not to do the work, six months- six years from now my current practices will still be impeding my progress -occupying space in my life like the couch occupies the side of the road and becoming just as much of an eyesore (that is being judgmental). Sorry!

What’s your couch? What junk can’t you let go?

Philippians 4:13

PONDER THIS THOUGHT---If it doesn’t work get rid of it!

JUNK