#christian nutrition

[electriceyespots]

the way society thinks about weight is so fucked. the fundamental assumption of so much of the societal body image, ie that losing weight is both desirable and achievable (with just a little more work a little more guilt a little less food), is so incorrect that it feels like a sick joke. we structured our beauty standards, our food, and even our goddamn medical system around something that's not actually possible for almost anyone and then made everyone feel like it was personally their fault

[garthnadermemestash]

biden going to take food stamps away from millions of people just to appease the wealthy "christians" who think poor people should starve

[nonagalleryart]

Whoa, hey!

Obviously when everyone else is thinking how cool Falin is as a monster, Senshi is thinking of what a nutritional meal full of protein she’d make.

I love drawing in this style, it always makes me want to paint. I would love to do massive oil paintings that look biblical, but instead of depicting Christianity it’s just different anime. People would be all is that Jesus, and I’d be all no it’s Goku from Dragon Ballz.

[joinmeintheweeds]

can't relate to the "I wasn't taught that in school" vs "yes we were you didn't pay attention" American education discourse cause I was stuck in a christian school learning young earth creationism and mark of the beast conspiracy timelines in bible class

[melvingaines]

The Christian Diet - Video Message - August 25, 2024

Worship Service Message for Akron Alliance Fellowship Church, Akron OH. The Christian Diet is a healthy diet that consists of the believer taking in healthy portions of God’s Word on a daily basis as reliance on the Holy Spirit provides wisdom and understanding. These are the “nutrients” necessary for growth and maturity in Jesus Christ. #Christian #diet #nutrition #bread #life #water #living

[psalmonesermons]

Give us this day our daily bread Part 3

How can we maximise our nutrition from the bible?

In Part 2 we considered what Jesus meant when he said, ‘I am the bread of life’ and saw that we absorbed from Jesus the bread of life, his life, his character, his example, his teaching i.e. food for our souls. We need to feed on God’s word (bible) every day of our lives because it contains the nourishment we need for our souls.

Today in Part 3 we consider how can we maximise the benefit from what we can take from our daily bread?

We now consider the practice of Christian meditation on the word of God (bible).

Does anyone have a favourite scripture or keynote verse?

Psalm 1 is the keynote scripture for my life.

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,

2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.

3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.

When Psalm 1 was written the law was most of the bible that existed at that time.

We can extrapolate it today to include all the bible (word of God).

The Hebrew word for meditate means ‘moving the lips’ or ‘mutter’.

In a sense we talk to our ourselves about the verse.

Another analogy is that we should be like a cow chewing the cud i.e. we chew the food and swallow then let it come back up so we can chew it again and again.

In practice this means that we should choose a verse or portion of scripture and keep chewing on it until its meaning becomes clear to us.

I did this with the verse ‘I am the bread of life’ that Jesus spoke in John 6.

What does bread do, what does life mean and so on?

Ask yourself about the meaning of the passage of scripture you are reading.

Here are some other scriptures that show believers taking God’s word into themselves.

Jeremiah 15:16 When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.

Ezekiel 2:8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll,

Rev 10:9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’”

Joshua 1:8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

So, the idea of eating or taking God’s word into yourself is thoroughly biblical.

Let's do it!

Amen

Personal Prayer

[ourlittledinosaur]

These Hobbies Can Help Your Kids Put Down Those Screens

Do your kids spend their weekends staring at screens? Here are some hobbies guaranteed to get them away from those screens and having actual fun instead.

New Post has been published on http://ourlittledinosaur.com/these-hobbies-can-help-your-kids-put-down-those-screens/

These Hobbies Can Help Your Kids Put Down Those Screens

Here’s another great article from our guest poster Maria Cannon. To read more from Maria, go check out her website here. It’s “Your Place for Hobbies”!

Do your kids spend their weekends staring at screens?

Well, you may be surprised to know that too much screen time can actually be bad for their health. That’s one of the reasons it is so important for children to spend time discovering new hobbies. More than just a way to burn time, hobbies can provide stress relief, help little minds develop and even be beneficial for their health. Need some ideas to get your kids started? Here are some hobbies guaranteed to get them away from those screens and having actual fun instead.

Make New Friends With Play and Sports

If your children are glued to the couch too much, it could have a major impact on their overall health. Studies show that teenagers these days tend to be less active than seniors, and that means more instances of obesity and related health issues. Keeping your children active, whether it’s by encouraging them to play or try a new sport, can help prevent some of those problems from becoming major issues. Play is also a great way for your kids to connect with other children their age, so try to schedule some play dates with friends or other families that you know. You can also encourage your child to get involved with organized sports. Basketball is a great sport for kids to try and keeps them moving the entire game. Before your kid hits the court, look online for the best basketball shoes that offer comfort while staying affordable.

 Connect with Nature and the Outdoors

Want to improve your child’s self-esteem and help them relieve stress? Get them to take their hobbies outside. Spending time outdoors can help children in several key ways. Kids who spend more time outside tend to have improved vision quality, better social skills, and more focus than those who do not. Exposure to sunlight can also increase vitamin D production, as well as decrease stress and feelings of depression. Wondering what hobbies you can do outside with your children? The possibilities are endless. You can start simple by planning some backyard bird watching, or you can teach them how to garden. If you are feeling adventurous, you could even take your family for some hikes or other excursions into nature. There are also scouting groups that can help your children develop a love of nature, as well as other essential life skills.

Unleash Their Creativity on Arts and Crafts

Did you know that the arts can aid development in your children? By practicing arts and crafts as a hobby, your kids are enhancing their fine motor skills, learning to make decisions and developing visual-spatial skills. The arts are also a fun and creative way for kids to explore other cultures. So encourage your children to put down their tablets and pick up a paintbrush or some clay instead. Visit a local arts and crafts store to pick up some basic art supplies, or look online for budget-friendly starter kits that have all budding Bob Rosses’ need. Children benefit the most from art when they have the space to create freely, so let them have fun and keep the experience positive from start to finish for everyone.

Boost Self-Esteem by Baking for Others

When you think of hobbies your kids might enjoy, you may not consider cooking and baking. Studies show, however, that baking for others can have some very positive impacts on self-esteem and mental health. Putting together a meal or baking a cake can help your children practice creative expression, an important element in nurturing positive mental health. You can get your children started by planning a family baking session. Select a kid-friendly recipe and try to keep things simple at first. Depending on your children’s ages and abilities, you may even want to pick up some kitchen equipment that can make the experience safer for little hands.

Kids need hobbies to keep them healthy. So, give your kids a break from those screens and encourage them to explore a new passion. Their bodies, minds, and health will thank you!

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Like this post? Help us and others by Sharing!

Share List

SGMB_URL = "/wp-content/plugins/social-media-pro/"; jQuery(".dropdownWrapper").hide(); SGMB_GOOGLE_ACOUNT = "UA-88059982-5"; jQuery(document).ready(function($)var widget = new SGMBWidget();widget.show("id":"1","title":"Share All","options":"currentUrl":"1","url":"","shareText":"I really enjoyed this, I think you will too!","fontSize":"20","betweenButtons":"1px","theme":"classic","sgmbButtonsPosition":"bottomCenter","socialTheme":"classic","icon":"default","buttonsPanelEffect":"No Effect","buttonsEffect":"tada","iconsEffect":"No Effect","buttons":"\"mewe\":\"label\":\"Share\",\"icon\":\"default-mewe\",\"stumbleupon\":\"label\":\"Share\",\"icon\":\"default-stumbleupon\",\"email\":\"label\":\"E-mail\",\"icon\":\"default-email\",\"linkedin\":\"label\":\"Share\",\"icon\":\"default-linkedin\",\"pinterest\":\"label\":\"Pin this\",\"icon\":\"default-pinterest\",\"tumblr\":\"label\":\"Post\",\"icon\":\"default-tumblr\",\"twitter\":\"label\":\"Tweet\",\"icon\":\"default-twitter\",\"via\":\"\",\"hashtags\":\"#parenthood\",\"twitterFollow\":\"twitterFollowShowCounts\":\"\",\"setLargeSizeForTwitterFollow\":\"on\",\"followUserName\":\"OurLilDinosaur\",\"facebook\":\"label\":\"Share\",\"icon\":\"default-facebook\"","roundButton":"","showLabels":"","showCounts":"on","showCenter":"on","showButtonsAsList":"","sgmbDropdownColor":"","sgmbDropdownLabelFontSize":"14","sgmbDropdownLabelColor":"","showButtonsOnEveryPost":"on","selectedOrExcluded":"","showButtonsOnEveryPage":"","textOnEveryPost":"Like this post? Help us and others by Sharing!","showButtonsOnCustomPost":"","textOnCustomPost":"","showButtonsOnMobileDirect":"on","showButtonsOnDesktopDirect":"on","sgmbSelectedPages":[""],"sgmbExcludedPosts":[""],"sgmbSelectedCustomPosts":[],"showButtonsInPopup":"","titleOfPopup":"Please share it!","descriptionOfPopup":"Go ahead and share our site if you liked it!","showPopupOnLoad":"","showPopupOnScroll":"","showPopupOnExit":"","openSecondsOfPopup":"","googleAnaliticsAccount":"UA-88059982-5","buttonOptions":"mewe":"label":"Share","icon":"default-mewe","stumbleupon":"label":"Share","icon":"default-stumbleupon","email":"label":"E-mail","icon":"default-email","linkedin":"label":"Share","icon":"default-linkedin","pinterest":"label":"Pin this","icon":"default-pinterest","tumblr":"label":"Post","icon":"default-tumblr","twitter":"label":"Tweet","icon":"default-twitter","via":"","hashtags":"#parenthood","twitterFollow":"twitterFollowShowCounts":"","setLargeSizeForTwitterFollow":"on","followUserName":"OurLilDinosaur","facebook":"label":"Share","icon":"default-facebook","button":["mewe","stumbleupon","email","linkedin","pinterest","tumblr","twitter","twitterFollow","facebook"], 4, '', '/wp-content/plugins/social-media-pro//img/no-image.png', '', ''); );

jQuery(".socialMediaOnEveryPost").addClass("sgmb-center")

[sirfrogsworth]

If you believe in God and live in a Western Christian nation, he will reward you with "very few" starving babies.

How exceptional!

Like, on the spectrum of starving babies to full-bellied babies, starving is *mostly* off the table.

God can't guarantee a 100% no-starving rate at this time. That would require miracle-level intervention and He really prefers to reserve that kind of action for imprinting images of his mother on food.

For a limited time only, if you elevate your belief tier to Unconditional Faith™ then God will upgrade your babies to the slightly hungry program.

They won't die or anything, but the lack of nutrition could cause some developmental issues. But don't you worry, God used divine inspiration to help a tech bro invent GoFundMe. So you should be covered.

Now, the Full Belly Babies tier does exist, but it requires entering a secret society of assholes and I'm afraid the barriers for entry are a little... chaotic. No one really understands how you access this program, and from the outside, it seems pretty random.

I mean, it's definitely not dependent on merit or intelligence or ethical behavior!

Yeah, thumbs up!

But I can assure you all of the millionaires and billionaires were not just some fluke of capitalism. God chose them because reasons and that's all you need to know.

Questioning God is how you get starving babies.

Whoops, I don't think I was supposed to reveal that.

No matter. I'm sure I'll be fine. He hasn't smote anyone in like 2000 years. This is the friendly New Testament Era God. All of his cruelty manifests through inaction rather than temper tantrums.

Fuck, I wasn't supposed to mention that either.

If my house floods or I develop leprosy, rest assured that is just a coincidence.

[liberalsarecool]

Sabotaging the health, nutrition, education, and child care of children is the political objective of conservative Christians.

Conservative Christians hear about school lunch debt, increased suffering, dropping test scores, and overall existential hardships for children and think of new ways to stick it to kids.

#MedicareForAll

[comicaurora]

Why do vampires even need to drink blood? Is it the nutritional value or is it some kind of magic life force? If someone had orange juice running through their veins instead would it work the same?

despite the christianity ingrained in the modern western vampire narrative there is no vampire canon

[kirame90]

Well, the story continues. Kinda?

As the first animatic was describing CP!Spy and CB!Spy's relationships with CB!Sniper, this one is mostly about his motives and background. Just to clear it up a bit, I am NOT following the original story of Christian Brutal Sniper :P

Aaaaaand as usual, the finished versions of episodes 1 & 2 are on my charity Patreon

The charity of October 2024 is CARE International

Working in 109 countries CARE International is dedicating their efforts to providing swift crisis response to people in need, gender equality, climate justice, health care, right to food, water and nutrition, advocacy and campaigns and women's economic justice.

You can find their impact areas here

[natsuki-bakery]

⁎˚ ఎ CG! Diego Brando ໒ ˚⁎

hi! i thiiink (?!) reqs are open, please ignore this if they aren't >< but i was wondering if i could request dio or diego cg hcs? there ain't nothing of them, thank you if you do this o^^o

•Diego is incredibly protective, always keeping a close eye on you to ensure you're safe. His instincts from racing and survival kick in, making him vigilant

•He offers a lot of comfort and reassurance during difficult times, helping you navigate your feelings and emotions

•"I’m here for you, sweetie, always. No matter what happens, you can count on me"

•Structured Routine : Meals, bedtime, and activities are well-planned, and he ensures that his little one follows this routine !

•Dada Dio ensures that you eat healthy and balanced meals. He might even involve you in preparing simple, nutritious snacks, teaching you the importance of good nutrition

•Given his athletic background, Diego encourages you to be active. Whether it's a gentle game of tag, a walk in the park, or practicing simple physical exercises, he emphasizes the importance of staying fit

•Despite his tough exterior, Brando has a soft spot for his sweetheart. He shows his affection through small gestures like ruffling your hair, giving warm hugs, and reading bedtime stories with great enthusiasm

•He values intelligence and often engages in educational activities with you. This includes reading books together, solving puzzles, or exploring nature to learn about different plants and animals

•Adventure: Occasionally, he indulges in little adventures, like exploring new places or going on nature walks

• "Let's go for a walk, sunshine and see what we can discover. Nature always has something exciting to show us !"

•Papa Brando would uses his Stand to teach you about dinosaurs and prehistoric life. This unique approach makes learning fun and engaging, sparking curiosity and interest in natural history

•Diego uses his Stand’s ability to transform into a dinosaur to entertain his little one. He’ll morph into a friendly, harmless dinosaur to make playtime more exciting and fun

•"Look, love ! I’m a friendly dinosaur! Let’s see what adventures we can have today !!"

•Scary Monsters allows Diego to create adventurous scenarios during playtime. You might pretend to be exploring a jungle or going on a dinosaur hunt, making your imaginative games more fun !

•Bedtime Stories: Brando uses his Stand to bring bedtime stories to life. By creating shadow puppet-like dinosaurs on the walls

•Protective Instincts : When in dinosaur form, Dada becomes extremely protective. He can use his heightened senses and strength to ensure you're always safe from harm, providing an extra layer of security

•"Remember, no matter what happens, I’ll always protect you, just like a strong dinosaur would !"

DNI: basic criteria, DSMP, vivziepop/h4zbin h0tel/h3lluva b0ss fans, Owl h0use fans, St4r butterfly fans, Ghibli fans, ddlg/abdl, nsfw/k!nk, anti-agere, anti Christians blogs

[haggishlyhagging]

Demographers tell us that there has always been a group in each population, estimated as reaching as high as one-third of all women, who were single, that is, not-yet-married, never-married or widowed. Yet, until the 19th century the choice of remaining single was only a choice of one kind of dependency over another. Single women might choose celibacy and the religious life, in which case they depended on their superiors and the male clergy; they might choose celibacy and dependency on male members of their family of origin; they might barely make a living as servant or governess in the household of strangers, in which case their dependency was thorough and humiliating. A single woman might choose the life of prostitution, in which case she could hardly be considered independent, since her very existence depended on the "protection" and sanction of various authorities. A small percentage of all women led economically self-dependent lives on the margins of society (in the Middle Ages literally on the outskirts of towns) as peddlers, vagrants, beggars, thieves. Additionally, there were throughout the period under consideration always a small percentage of single women working as spinsters, brewers, innkeepers and farm workers. There also were propertied widows who could live independent lives, but their properties originated in a prior dependency on a man. For the vast majority of women, marriage and motherhood were their lot and their main means of securing access to resources and economic protection. This was the reason women could not readily concep-tualize bonds of sisterhood or develop a consciousness of common interest through their status as wives.

But motherhood was different, both as an actuality and as a unifying concept. Women shared the life experience of motherhood—frequent pregnancies, miscarriages, births, deaths of children and birth-induced disabilities. Even those who could not conceive did not escape that cycle of female tribulations, since they too were subject to menses, attempted pregnancies, and the ever-present threat of rape. For peasant women who were serfs or domestic servants in the manors of their lords, sexual attack by their masters was a constant and unavoidable threat.

The meaning of motherhood differed for women by class. Until the middle of the 18th century in Europe and the United States, 90 percent of women lived in the countryside, so we should consider peasant women first. The lives of peasant women followed remarkably constant patterns throughout the Christian era despite the vast political and technological changes occurring in the states and nations in which they lived. Peasant women, generation after generation, accepted the double burden of work and reproduction, taking responsibility for the survival of their families and doing whatever work it was necessary to do. Demographers estimate that women's life expectancy was less than that of men in the early Middle Ages, but that it changed dramatically in the 11th century owing to changes in agriculture that brought better nutrition. Still a survey made in the commune of Florence in 1427 shows the average age for men to be 28 years and the average age for women 28.51.

Demographers generally hold that women might have five to seven successful pregnancies during twenty years of their childbearing age; given the life expectancies just cited, four to six successful pregnancies would seem more likely. With the high rate of miscarriages and stillbirths before the 20th century, this meant that a woman would be pregnant or nursing a child for most of her adult lifespan, while working without letup in home and field. Infant mortality rates were high; peasant women could expect half of their children to die before age twenty. Twenty-five percent of children born in England up until the 18th century died in their first year.

Had the average peasant couple produced three adult children out of an average six births, the peasant population of Europe should have grown, but in fact it did not. Only in the aftermath of mass disasters, such as the bubonic plague of the 14th century and the Thirty Years War of the 17th century, did peasant populations increase. This indicates that peasants, living under conditions of bare survival, controlled their birthrates. They did so by delaying the age of marriage, practicing various forms of birth control and, when times were bad, resorting to infanticide, usually the killing of female children. Even though it is impossible to know whether these demographic decisions were made by women or by men and women jointly, one can interpret the overall patterns to mean that motherhood for peasant women was part of their fate—not to become a mother was considered a failure-but also that they exerted some measure of control over the frequency of their pregnancies.

-Gerda Lerner, The Creation of Feminist Consciousness

[caelstyx]

Urgent Call: Help Tareq & Dana to Evacuate Gaza

Please consider donating to their gofundme.

Here is there story:

Please read the following statement from my cousin in Gaza sheltering in the church. I pray you can help some of my family members living in Gaza. -Luna Saba Tarazi

Urgent call: Help Tareq and Dana Saba to evacuate Gaza & start over

Introducing us:

‏My name is Tareq Saba, I am 30 years old, a Christian Palestinian. I have lived all my life in Gaza and I have been working as a project coordinator in the humanitarian health field at Caritas Jerusalem in Gaza for the past 5 years.

‏A life that we have dedicated all of our efforts to build despite the difficulties and obstacles in Gaza has suddenly changed overnight. After October 2023, everything has changed, and a lot has been lost. It seems that a life within these walls is now impossible.

‏In the following lines you will learn of our story which after you read, we humbly hope you will lend us your helping hand to start anew.

‏In a warm day on May 2022, Dana and I got married surrounded by our family and friends. We built and designed our house with love and attention to detail. We had a peaceful life and a wonderful home. We had many dreams for our future together, and we dreamed of having a child to fill our lives with joy.

‏Our story and the impact of the war on our family:

‏Nothing remained the same after October the 7th. We learnt the meaning of loss as we lost everything we hold into. We lost our house, our jobs, our “normal” lives, and our dreams and aspirations.

‏One day we received instructions to evacuate our house. We evacuated with only a small bag containing our important papers, some clothes, and a small amount of money. Soon after it got heavily bombed and turned to rubbles of memories. We didn't know that we would never return to the place that held our dearest memories. So yes, we lost everything from the largest details to the smallest ones. And we went through terrible situations that I never thought I would ever experience.

‏It has been over 150 days since we sought refuge at the Church of St. Porphyrius in Gaza, which was not spared from shelling. We survived death several times!

‏Every day is harder than the one before. We fear for our lives due to the lack of basic necessities such as water, food, electricity, medicine, and more. Even the water is contaminated, and diseases and epidemics have spread everywhere.

‏My wife, Dana, was pregnant when the place where my family and I were staying in was targeted by a missile. We remained under the rubbles until we were miraculously rescued. All members of my family, my parents and close relatives, were injured and were transported to the hospital despite the difficulty of access during the shelling, but nothing beats the heartbreak I felt when my wife was injured and we lost our unborn baby.

‏Many of our relatives and friends were killed in this inhumane and unjustified shelling. Only a few of our belongings, lost under the rubble, were recovered. Now even our only “safe” refuge was targeted, and we have no other shelter!

‏I always imagine my baby as a boy while Dana insists they will be a girl but it doesn’t matter, I only prayed they will turn out healthy and safe, but yet again even these prayers were brutally snatched from our hands in front of our eyes and we couldn’t do anything, that’s how helpless I felt when we lost our unborn baby. It is said that the stress, fear, lack of nutrition, contaminated water, and phosphorus caused the miscarriage.

‏We had suffered a miscarriage before, but the pain doesn’t cascade by time, for months we lived through depression. The night we spent under rubbles was a miraculous night, it was impossible to survive under the unforgiving pressure of ruins and then reach the hospital under the heavy bombing but we did and Dana went through a surgery and received treatment.

‏Our house was targeted and destroyed by more than one missile, making it unfit for habitation. It was the dream house that we worked hard to own and design as we dreamed. It became ruins! These are some pictures of the house.

‏It takes one to see death eye to eye to realise the beauty of life. We felt at any moment that we would die, intensifying the reality that our children deserve to live in a place where they don’t wake up everyday to the fear of death and all their demands are met.

‏Dana and I are now back to square one. We lost all the savings of a lifetime and everything we owned in this war. I spent over $80,000 to build and design the house. Currently, the dream house is destroyed, our belongings, clothes, even our memories and beautiful moments were stolen from us. Gaza itself has changed forever, we lost streets, houses, shops, universities, hospitals, and our workplaces.

‏We have almost lost hope, but I believe that we should not despair. With your help, we can succeed. We can stay alive and provide a decent life for my family in a better place. Honestly, this is a real struggle that no one should have to go through.

‏How your fund will help us start anew:

‏Your donations will give our family the motivation to work hard for a fresh start. We have managed to obtain a temporary visa to Australia, and we pray that, with your generosity and assistance, we can raise the necessary funds to leave Gaza.

‏$10,000-12,000 for coordinating the exit through the Rafah border crossing in Egypt.

‏$5,000 for accommodation expenses in Egypt until departure to Australia.

‏$6,000 for plane tickets to leave Egypt.

‏The remaining amount will be used once we arrive in Australia to cover basic expenses such as housing, furniture, food, clothing, and other necessities until I can secure a job in Australia.

‏We know that no one can predict the situation in Gaza. If we cannot travel, whether due to lack of funds, travel risk, or change in accessibility, then we will use the funds collected to meet our needs and rebuild our lives here.

‏Dear friends, we only share our true personal story, and we hope and believe in your support. Every donation, no matter how small, can make a profound difference for us. Our only request remains peace, security, and safety, without fear, doubt, or disappointment, and that tranquility fills our hearts and we have a better future.

‏Whether you donated or not, it is a blessing to know someone out there cares enough to know your story, so Thank you for your time. Keep us in your prayers.

[numinousmysteries]

A Solitary Sno Ball

@today-in-fic [on Ao3]

Mulder wasn’t in the habit of profiling everyone he came across, but when Scully first walked into his office, his VCS days weren’t so far behind him that he couldn’t help subconsciously sketching an outline of her psyche. Spending hours together on their first few cases made it easy to flesh out the profile.

Full of youthful arrogance, he was sure he had her down pat. An overachiever who had been praised for her obedience her whole life, she approached her academic and professional career with a checklist mentality, imagining that success and fulfillment were guaranteed as long as she followed the rules and did as told. She was probably a middle child from a military family, very likely had daddy issues, practiced some form of Christianity (he’d put his money on Catholicism), and, he assumed, had a proclivity for older men in positions of authority.

(In many regards, he was right, although after years of working together he realized nothing about Scully’s essence fit a profile. She was truly one in five billion.)

The only thing he couldn’t figure out was her guilty pleasure. He knew she had to have one. Her type-A personality and anal retentive nature all but guaranteed it. It would be a self-destructive habit that went against everything she knew was good for her as a doctor

His first guess was cigarettes. Boggs let on that she’d stolen from her mother’s pack as a teenage act of rebellion. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched, then, for her to sneak a smoke in a stressful moment.

He could imagine the relief she’d feel. She’d make a ritual out of it. After a long day in the morgue or arguing with her jerk of a partner she’d get home, kick off her shoes, and reach for the pack in her bedside drawer. She’d have a lighter in there, too. She’d keep matches for lighting candles elsewhere. This cheap plastic lighter was just for her little dalliance. Maybe she’d push open her bedroom window to keep the smell out. If it were freezing cold outside, even better, the biting chill would be another element of self-punishment. She’d recite statistics on lung and mouth cancer to herself, summon up the mental images of blackened lungs she’d held in her own hands during autopsies, and then bring the cigarette to her mouth. She would light it then close her eyes, pulling the nicotine, tobacco, and tar deep into her lungs, relishing the burn. Reciting the cancer-causing chemicals infiltrating her cells would only intensify the pleasure.

Her rare, solitary cigarette and the ritual around it would bring a pleasure nearly sexual in nature. The release would flood from her throat, down her shoulders, into her belly, and then finally reach her liquid hot center, leaving her levitating with pleasure and guilt. She was a Catholic after all.

But Mulder was wrong. Her guilty pleasure wasn’t cigarettes or any of the other vices he’d dreamed up for her—unprotected sex with strangers, a late night binge and purge, or even a snorted line of amphetamines, perhaps a habit picked up in her high-pressure med school days.

No, it was something more perverse than even he could have imagined: saccharine sweet, artificially colored, pastel pink Hostess Sno Balls. They were calorie bombs with no redeeming nutritional value that stayed suspiciously shelf stable longer than anything found in nature. Dana Scully should not eat Hostess Sno Balls so, obviously, she craved them.

This was a woman who ate her eggs without yolks, her salads without dressing, and her popcorn without butter. She drank her coffee with a thimble of skim milk and believed a handful of raw, unsalted almonds was a fulfilling snack. So when he caught her trying to shove a package of Sno Balls into her purse on the way out of a gas station early in their partnership, he was endlessly amused.

“I didn’t get my copy of the New England Journal of Medicine this month,” he said, grinning as he topped off the gas tank. “Was there a groundbreaking report on the cardiovascular benefits of high fructose corn syrup and red 40 dye?”

“The journal is weekly,” she said, opening up the passenger side door without making eye contact. “And no, Mulder. It’s just been a shitty week and I want a fucking Sno Ball.”

He couldn’t argue with her there. They’d been stuck on a stakeout that ended up being a massive waste of time. The case was in a small town whose only lodging was a rundown motor inn with pathetic water pressure, sheets even he deemed too filthy to sleep under, and neither air conditioner nor cable TV. If anyone deserved a Sno Ball, it was his partner.

On the drive back to DC he teased out the details. She told him how the mass produced snack served as a reliable comfort during her nomadic childhood as a navy brat. She never knew what her new school would be like, if the kids would be nice, or if the teacher would be strict, but she always knew she’d find those friendly pink confections in the local supermarket. And they came two to a pack, so they were perfect for sharing with her sister.

“In fact, I’m going to give her one of these,” she said.

“You’re seeing your sister when we get back?”

“No,” she said. “Melissa is currently on a joy ride up and down the West Coast with her boyfriend so I probably won’t see her for weeks, but these things never go bad.”

“I’d say it’s good to hear there will be something for the cockroaches to eat after we humans manage to destroy all other forms of life on this planet, but somehow I doubt even the roaches will want anything to do with that.”

“I guess my cabinet is safe from roaches then.”

Once he found out about the Sno Balls, it became a ritual. After an especially grueling case he’d pick up a bag of sunflower seeds and a package of Sno Balls from the gas station on their way out of town.

The first time he bought them after Melissa died, he didn’t have the heart to give her a package of two, so he tore open the plastic and tossed one Sno Bal in the garbage before bringing it to her, a single Sno Ball in a ripped-open wrapper.

First, she cried. Next, she thanked him. And, finally, she told him it was a waste to throw out a perfectly good Sno Ball and that he should just eat it himself.

Of course, he couldn’t. Even a man who lived off cheap coffee, sunflower seeds, and processed deli meat sandwiches on Wonder Bread had his limits. So he kept the half-full packages in one of his kitchen cabinets. Once she discovered them, she started sneaking one whenever she was over late at night reviewing a case file. She was right that they never went bad. And he was right that, even unsealed, they never attracted roaches.

***

The perky blonde waitress at the Headless Woman Pub was skeptical when he showed up with a single, unwrapped Sno Ball and requested it be presented with a candle at the end of the meal for his dinner companion who had yet to arrive. She pointed out that serving outside food was against the health code. He never told Scully he had to flash his badge and play the terminal cancer card to get the waitress to agree to serve up a solitary pink Sno Ball of unknown origin. But seeing her face light up when it arrived at the table and watching the reflection of the sparklers dancing in her eyes made it all worth it.

[melvingaines]

The Christian Diet - Video Message - August 25, 2024

Asst. Pastor Melvin Gaines The Christian Diet is a healthy diet that consists of the believer taking in healthy portions of God’s Word on a daily basis as reliance on the Holy Spirit provides wisdom and understanding. These are the “nutrients” necessary for growth and maturity in Jesus Christ. #Christian #diet #nutrition #bread #life #water #living