choosing to be temperate

on my six mile walk this morning, i was reflecting on the amount of food i ate yesterday (thanksgiving holiday) and how i felt ill from all the food.

to be honest, i don't feel i ate all that much.  but i did get a headache after the big dinner.  i drank lots of water after eating, but still the headache persisted.

my next thought was: i get headaches when i don't eat and when i do eat; so why not simply choose not to eat (so much) and endure the headache anyway; why the need for the double-injury?

i won't die if i eat so little.  i can choose not to eat.  i can choose contentment when presented with food.  simply put, eating won't make me happy.  like charlie brown, lucy and the football - i know i'll be betrayed for eating.

spend time reading a book; walking; playing chess; playing with your children; listening to music.

there is so much to do with time rather than spending it in the kitchen "wallowing in pickles, sweets and sauces."

eating does not make you good.

restraint and moderation are virtues.

thoughts on temperance

Temperance
be discrete
avoid excess
be organized
be modest
be self-discipline

a man who has great self-discipline or restraint isn't someone who feels no inkling of desire but someone who overcomes his cravings, by abstaining from acting upon them.