Three Cups of Tea

Tuesday night's splurge left me with a gross, unhealthy feeling.  Not exactly surprising, since we ate chips and salsa for dinner.  With beer for Austin, cocktails for me.

It tasted great while I was eating it, but it did not accomplish the same full and satisfactory feeling I get after a healthy dinner.  I'd eaten a couple snacks earlier, but I just never achieved the satisfaction of a real meal.

Too much over-indulgence led me to realize that I need to start exercising more self-control.

Yesterday's eats were much healthier.  I started out the day with a piece of toast with jelly and a smoothie with Amazing Meal.

The Pomegranate Mango Infusion was an interesting addition to my smoothie.  It had a "healthy" taste and that made the mildy strange-flavor it worth it.  It was also very filling.

Lunch was a delicious salad with a ton of stuff throw in it: romaine lettuce, spinach, carrots, broccoli, tomato, avacado, artichoke hearts, salmon, and croutons.

For dinner, I made spaghetti.

I used 1 lb of ground turkey, 1/2 chopped onion, 2 tsp garlic, 8 oz mushrooms, 2 sliced zucchini squash, 3 sliced tomatoes, and a can of pasta sauce.  Served with whole wheat spaghetti and parmesan cheese.

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After dinner, I finally got a chance to finish reading Three Cups of Tea.

This book is about an inspirational man, Greg Mortenson, who spends his life building schools in Pakistan.  It is a great story about the challenges he faces.  He has difficulty raising money, he encounters resistance from leaders, and he has to build a bridge to the city before he can start building a school.  It is amazing to read about his sacrifices, being away from his own family for months at a time so that the young girls in Pakistan can have an education.  It is also interesting to read about the impact that 9/11 had on his institute.

I have to admit, this book took me a lot longer to read than most.  It was, of course, non-fiction, but I don't think that's what slowed me down.   There was a lot of foreign vocabulary intermixed in the story, and it lacked momentum, or a true climax. 

I was discussing this book with a friend, and we came to the conclusion that this book could've been written as a magazine article, and the story would have been told just as effectively.

I would definitely still recommend the book, though.  This man deserves to be recognized for his accomplishments.

Who inspires you?

I am always inspired by books and movies.  I am also inspired by my mom!