Aspartame is the devil!

Y'all know that the cute artificial sweetner, Equal, is mostly comprised of aspartame, right? I knew about the harm in saccharin. Sweet N Low has never tasted right to me, and I will not use it. If that (or a low budget version) is the only sweetner available, then I won't have coffee or tea that day.

But Equal in the cute blue packet??? I still can't believe it's so bad for you, but I've done my research. Type an Internet search with a phrase like "equal + cancer" or "splenda is bad for you". There's all kind of research out there about Equal; I can't speak on Splenda. I can confirm that I've given up artificial sweeteners. I'd rather take the 15 calories per teaspoon than the harm.

What harm? Well, Equal was proven to give cancer to lab rats. Sprinkle a little Equal on an ant hill, and the ants will be dead. On a personal level, my head is really banging. Badly. I just happened to have some fat free yogurt. The first taste was so off the chain! I really thought I was tasting Wild Berry Crumb Cake. "Could this really be fat free for real?" I thought. "Hot damn!"

So, I had no choice but to read the label and see if this berrylicious creamy wonder with the taste of cake in it was really fat free. Oh, it's fat free alright with aspartame. Granted, aspartame is the last ingredient, and traditionally, the further down the list of ingredients an item, the less of the ingredient you will find in the food. However, I got a bad headache after the first bite. The headache is still lingering 60 minutes later. I had to rinse the rest of it down the drain.

Such drama after a healthy start to my day! Sort of... I woke up at 4:55 AM to hear my dog barking like crazy. This time, she wasn't crazy after all; the sensor light had come on. I used my left hand to open the kitchen door because the biggest butcher knife I could use for self-defense was tightly gripped in my right hand. No one could be seen. So, I locked the house back up and put the knife in place. About 10 minutes later, Sharmay is barking like crazy again, and the sensor light is shining again. I open the door, and Sharmay is still barking like she's cussing somebody out.

Rather than me chase down a possible radio thief (wouldn't be the first time someone tried to break into my car), I opened the gate and let Sharmay run into the front yard to bite a chunk outta somebody. Well, everything was quiet when I got to see the entire front, and my dog was staring at a stray. Just staring like she was saying, "Try me."

But I know my dog has runaway tendancies. I called her name. She crossed the street. I called her again while giving the command, "Backyard!" That set her off barking down the street after this dog that was at least 3 times her little ass size. Haven't seen that bitch since.

After a ride in my car whistling out in the cool 5 AM air, I said, "F*** it," and got dressed out to go for a walk. I hadn't really been working out successfully since we started commuting our new office about 50 - 70 minutes from my residence. I got the MP3 and starting pumping my arms to OutKast while the sun was rising on a new day. I actually had the nerve to insert three one-minute jogs while I walked. That's was a sweaty mess, but I needed the sweat. It felt good to jog for at least one minute while pushing myself. The next thing will be building up to 90 seconds instead of just 60.

So, see how my day started well, and now it's starting to go slightly downhill with this aspartame-induced headache. I won't let it stay downhill because I'm going to the gym for tonight's 8 PM Hip Hop class. I truly hate to miss it these days. There are some dancers in the class, but it's really all in fun and doing what you can to get fit. Period.

PS Marinate on this wonderful forward that my homegirl sent me.


The Wooden Bowl

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table.

But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about father," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor." So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl!

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?"

Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life.."

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt in both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

I've learned that you should pass this on to everyone you care about. I just did.

NOTICE AT THE END, THE DATE THE CANDLE WAS STARTED. IT'S GONNA GIVE YOU GOOSE BUMPS.
I am not going to be the one who lets it die. I found it believable -- angels have walked beside me all my life--and they still do. *********************This is to all of you who mean something to me,I pray for your happiness.
The Candle Of Love, Hope & Friendship

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This candle was lit on the 15th of September, 1998. Someone who loves you has helped keep it alive by sending it to you.

Don't let The Candle of Love, Hope and Friendship die!

Pass it one to all of your friends and everyone you love. May God richly bless you!
Please keep this candle alive

Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.