For the beauty of the Earth

I've been feeling a little down, what with the cold, fog, clouds and SMOG; so I went out with my camera yesterday and rediscovered the beauty of the earth. In case you were wondering, that isn't snow on all the branches, it's frost, and the white sky also isn't snow, it's fog. I guess beauty really IS in the eye of the beholder! Enjoy!

The Gift

I had an epiphany while watching The Biggest Loser the other day. (Great show, by the way) Bob (a trainer) was talking to Michael (the 500 pound contestant). Bob told Michael that he had been given a gift; the opportunity to come on the show and change his life around. "Wow!" I thought, as I jogged on my mini trampoline, "What a lucky duck! I wish I had been given that gift!" Bob then proceeded to tell Michael that he needed to embrace this gift and not waste it.

That was when it hit me: I have, in fact, been given that same gift! Well, I'm not going to be on The Biggest Loser, but I have the time, the means, the support and the knowledge necessary to change my life around! Most important of all, I have a fresh start every day! I arrived where I am in life as a direct result of the choices (good and bad) that I have made......but when I get up each morning, there is nothing forcing me to make those same choices! How have I missed this before?

Don't get me wrong, I didn't choose to end up 150 pounds overweight, but I DID choose to not exercise very regularly and overeat for the past 12 years. But I don't have to do that anymore!


When I tell people that I'm exercising and watching what I eat and that I've lost 40 pounds, their response is always the same: "I should do that" and my response is also always the same: "Yes, you should!" I love this picture of Kai sitting on the bouncy ball. He's looking ahead, not focusing on past hurts and disappointments. I think for a long time I was trapped by my mistakes, I thought I couldn't change, it was too hard.

Well, now I know better! I've been given this priceless gift of a fresh start every day. But guess what? So have you! No matter what the choices are that are weighing you down, decide right now to make new ones! Take that first step toward happiness and stop giving up on yourself every day! Honestly, the first step is the easiest. Do you want to know what my first step was? It was deciding to change. All the other steps are much harder, but you can't take all the other steps without taking the first step and you don't have to take all the other steps all at once, you just have to take them!

I apologize for being so long-winded, but I have a vested interest in the six of you who read my blog. You're my family! So I say this to you: If you haven't taken that first step, take it now! Embrace your gift! I have!

Off cruise control, back on the wagon

So last spring I hit rock bottom in the old self-esteem arena. After getting up and dusting myself off, I jumped on the first weight loss bandwagon I could find and headed up. I did really well until about Oct. when my self-esteem had recovered somewhat and I started to become distracted by silly things like Holidays (imagine that word all deep and echo-y and the capital "h" will make more sense).

The good news is: I didn't put all the weight I'd lost back on, (I'm still down 40 lbs) but I did slip into cruise control and stopped losing. It turns out that losing weight is scary. I'm changing and I think the Holidays (again with the deep and echo-y) gave me a convenient excuse to take a little break and come to terms with the idea of change. Anyway, while it's discouraging to go three months without dropping an ounce, I'm feeling pretty encouraged that I managed to go that long without gaining any either. Maybe this means that when I finally reach my goal I'll be able to maintain it for the rest of my long, healthy life. Hmmm.....

My point is that I'm back to business, back on the wagon, and completely out of cruise control. Watch for monthly updates and please keep reminding me that I've only got until Oct. to drop the rest of the weight (all 110 lbs of it). I'm not going to call it a New Year's resolution, but this is a new year and I am resolved. Hey, if the shoe fits.