Dear Blessed Earth family and friends,

Last June, I came home from grocery shopping with a large watermelon. As Matthew carried it from the car up to our apartment, he thought, “This thing feels awfully heavy. I wonder how much it weighs?”

He stepped on the scale, watermelon in arms. Then he put the watermelon on the floor and weighed himself again; the difference was 22 pounds. “Hey,” Matthew thought. “That’s exactly how much weight I need to lose!”

Like many, Matthew had put on some extra pounds during the early months of lockdown. Sitting long, sedentary hours at the computer, Matthew had (successfully!) met his June book deadline, but it came at a cost to his joints and general health.

So the Monday after turning in his manuscript, Matthew began cutting back his food portions by about half. He stopped snacking between meals and began drinking unsweetened tea instead of juice or soda. And he started keeping a pedometer in his pocket to be sure he walked at least 10,000 steps a day.

His weight steadily declined. After a month or so, his joints became noticeably less achy and his breathing less stressed when walking uphill. Anytime Matthew was tempted to cheat or quit, he envisioned carrying that watermelon upstairs and all the stress the extra 22 pounds put on his systems.

By the time we celebrated Matthew’s birthday in early October, he had lost a watermelon and regained his health. When people asked how he did it, we told them it was “The Watermelon Diet,” which sounds a whole lot more exciting than the “Eat Less, Exercise More And No Snacking Diet Plan.”

Matthew’s gradual but impressive results got me thinking about how these basic less/more principles might apply to our present times. The Pandemic is putting stress on our health—physical, mental, and spiritual—individually and collectively. But it is also impacting the way we worship, shop, vote, socialize, celebrate, dress, and communicate.

What would it look like if we applied these Watermelon Diet principles to other areas of our life? What could we be doing less of? What could we be doing more of? And how would these small changes add up to big results over time?

I began asking around. People were more than happy to share their experiences. Below are a few of the less/more ideas that friends have tried and found most helpful:

Scripture before Screens—“Before I turn on any screen in the morning, I spend time with the Boss. God’s Word before the World helps me keep first things first.”

Rainbows of Hope—“I have a friend in her nineties. She lives in a group home with about twenty other ladies, but since March they no longer eat in community, have visitors, or do group activities. I dropped off a package with a prism to keep in her window. She has a special fondness for rainbows and says they remind her of God’s promises.”

Library Evangelism—“I have lots of excellent Christian books that I read once, and then they sit on my shelves. Instead of storing up treasures, I decided to donate a few to each of the many mini book exchanges/lending libraries that people have built around our city. I’m doing the same with my spare Bibles and devotionals, in hopes they will lead someone to a closer relationship with God.”

Prayer Texts—“When I receive a text or email asking for prayer, instead of sending back an emoji or vague promise, I sit down and write out a specific prayer to the person, and then send it off. The more I do this, the easier it gets. I am gratified by how it instantly deepens our relationship.”

Time Outdoors—“I definitely notice that my mood elevates when I spend more time in the God-made world rather than only experiencing the manmade world. Because getting outside is going to be harder once winter hits, I purchased warm hiking boots, so I can continue walking with friends outdoors.”

Snail Mail Letters—“The Pandemic has given me the gift of time to pause and reflect on people who have positively impacted my life. I’ve started sending them letters of encouragement and thanks. Friends have told me that they are keeping the letter in their Bible or bedside drawer, to re-read when they feel discouraged or need a reason to smile.”

Sensory Treats—My adult son lives half a continent away, so I shipped him a favorite apple cake for his birthday. He said it brought a taste and smell from his youth that was more meaningful than any store-bought gift. The aroma of it baking in the oven lifted my spirits as well, reminding me of happier times in the past and times together in our family’s future.”

News Consumption—“Daily headlines are ever changing, but the Good News is eternal. Why spend so much time worrying about things I cannot change when I could use that time to encourage a friend or refill my spiritual well reading something good, and honorable, and true?”

Complaining—“Instead of gossiping or grumbling about something that I’m unhappy about, FIRST I try to think of a silver lining. Usually, by the time I’ve re-calibrated my focus, I’ve forgotten what upset me in the first place.”

Dystopian or Violent Movies—“We have enough REAL turmoil in our lives right now without adding distressing, made-up stuff.”

Distractions—“Satan wants us to stay busy. I am using this Pandemic time to consciously scale back, simplify, and escape the tyranny of the urgent. When I get spam calls, I immediately block the number. When I get marketing emails, I ruthlessly unsubscribe. I’m closing down or taking a Sabbath from much of my social media feeds and putting the phone on silent ring for longer and longer blocks of time.”

Depressing Novels or Music—“What we put into our brains has a huge impact on our moods and outlook. Philippians 4:8 is my guide for what to allow into our home, now more than ever.”

Shopping and Errands—“It’s almost shocking how much of my time I spent running around, accomplishing nothing of significance. It’s so tempting to continue filling the emptiness inside with “getting and spending” online, so for any nonessential purchases, I’ve decided to wait a month before hitting the buy button.  Most of the time, by then I’ve realized that it’s just more stuff I really don’t need.”

Activities—“I feel almost guilty saying this, but the Pandemic has been the sweetest time our family has ever had. We are already praying about how NOT to go back to nonstop activities and our ‘normal’ crazy-busy schedules once the vaccine is readily available and kids are back in school full time.”

Thanks again to those of you who shared these great suggestions. Quite a list, and I hope that at least one has inspired you as much as they have helped me.

If you have other creative less/more ideas to share, please send them to me (nancy@blessedearth.org) and we’ll post some of the best suggestions in our next newsletter!

Stay safe and well, dear friends. YOU are an inspiration to us. We DO NOT have to carry our burdens (or watermelons!) alone. With God’s help we can get through this together.

With love and prayers,

Nancy