Like many aging people, my parents got into the habit of eating their evening meal early, real early. It wasn’t uncommon that I would call Mom at 4:30 and find out they were just finishing their meal. By way of explanation, Mom would simply say she started planning the meal and the next thing she knew it was done.
            On the other hand, I have drifted into the habit of eating dinner very late. Quite often I don’t eat before 9:00 p.m. That is partly due to the appointments I have over the dinner hour, which lead into evening meetings or classes. To help sustain myself for that duration, I often eat lunch at about three o’clock. It all seems natural for me these days.
            I am not sure what nutritionists would say is ideal. Much to my surprise, I have found my schedule - one that has only developed in the recent years - to be perfectly fine for me. The one caveat is that my evening meal is not a large meal. I simply don’t want anything heavy at that time of night.
            People get into all kinds of schedules. As someone once said, it’s possible to adjust to almost anything. The time for eating may be a small matter. What I have learned, though, is that we have to take care in what habits of character that we allow ourselves to accept. Both the good habits and the not-so-good can become normal after a while.

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.  And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.”

Colossians 3:12-14