A Shift In Attitude

A couple of Saturdays ago, I had an early morning meeting with some ladies from church.

Note the 'early morning'.

Some showed up in sweat pants or workout clothes.  Some wearing little or no makeup.  One wore a ball cap with her hair in a ponytail.  A couple were even wearing 'clothes from yesterday'.  (I was included in one or more of these categories {grin})

Each has something in common.

Beauty.

But why don't we believe it?  A common response to the compliments flying around the room was to discredit them.  Why do we (women) do that to ourselves?  Why is it so difficult to accept that we ARE beautiful, no matter what?

I struggle, almost daily, with believing that I am beautiful.  When I see a photograph of myself, I cringe.  Ack!

Too bad I (we) base worth on physical appearance.

I started this Bible study 2 weeks ago, and I intend on working to believe that I AM a beautiful offering.  Even if I wear workout pants, no makeup and a ball cap.

Shalom.

On Living Healthy. And Keeping My Sanity.

It's age, I guess.  Maturity.

The older (more mature) I get, the more focused I have become on living healthier.  There are an infinite number of ways I can improve the way I treat my body...the foods I eat, the environment I expose it to, the exercise I get, etc.

And by infinite I mean an OVERWHELMING number of ways I should be living healthier.

Big.  Fat.  Sigh.

The list of things to not do or eat is long.  And the more research I do, the longer the list gets.   And it makes my brain hurt.  It is my responsibility to take care of my body the best I can.  But where do I draw the line on obsessive behavior regarding being healthy?

That sort of sounds absurd.  Like, "Can a person be too concerned about health?"

I believe the answer is yes. 


Back in October I attended the True Woman Conference.  One of the speakers was Bob Lepine.  His subject was 'Food, Beauty and Control' and I learned so many things from his wisdom.  Here's one thing I took away:

• Wise, healthy eating and living is good stewardship.  But there can come a point when the obsession with health can become 'unhealthy'.  An idol even.

Yikes!  I had never really considered that.  But looking back on some of my obsessive behaviors (about health), I can totally see it.  When I get focused on a certain subject, I spend lots of time researching (too much sometimes).  I get overwhelmed with the informatation overload and my PP (procrastination/perfectionism) brain shuts down.
The feeling that if I'm going to do it, I must do it completely and perfectly takes over.  And the misconception that if I don't, I'm a failure.

It is not possible to do everything the healthy way.  There are too many variables.  Too many conflicting opinions about what is healthy and what isn't.  If we look hard enough, we can find discouraging information about every 'healthy' subject out there.  Too much of this, too little of that and we're screwed basically.  I appreciate the information available, but it can be too much of a good thing.

Here's my point:
I will continue to aim for healthier living, because it IS my responsibility to take care of my body.  And I will strive to not become obsessive about health. 

Because the fact of the matter is this...
God is always in control.  Even if I screw everything up, he can turn it all around.  (This is NOT a free pass to behave irresponsibly!)

Groundhog Week

Thursday before last, Jake woke up for school with a fever.  Yikes!  Despite our best efforts to stay away from the flu, it made it's way to Jake.  There were 5 days of fever/no fever.  Fever/no fever.  Shivers.  Headaches.  And some sniffles.

Luckily there was no stomach yuckiness with this flu.

So he was out of school Thursday, Friday (student holiday) and the following Monday.  Each day was the same...Pushing the fluids, eating oranges, upping the vitamin D, using thieves blend of essential oil on his chest and feet, tea tree oil in the diffusers, sitting outside in the sunshine.  He was a trooper, doing everything I asked of him to beat that darn flu.  And we did it.

Just in time for the Ice Age to hit.

School was out from Tuesday to Friday due to ice and snow.  It was awesome!  Because Texans are totally NOT prepared for such weather, the state basically shuts down.  People panic like it's the end of the world...rushing to clear the stores' shelves of milk and bread.   We rebelled against 'the sky is falling' thinking and enjoyed our time at home watching tv, playing video games and playing in the snow.  Thank goodness for electric blankets!

We did venture out a few times (for my own sanity) to Target (twice) and to eat a couple of times.  The roads were sort of slick so it made it an adventure!

By the time Jake went back to school today, he'd been out 11 days.  Nice little mini vacation...Well, except for the flu.

Loving The Forgotten

My heart is heavy.



Today, my daughter and I visited her great-grandmother in a rehab/nursing center.  Granny Nell fell and broke her hip which required surgery.  Between surgery and her going back home is some rehabilitation.

Oh my goodness...these places break my heart.  Full of people who  feel discarded and forgotten.  While I enjoyed my visit with Granny, my heart ached for those who looked so lost and lonely. 

A smile or a wave.  A gentle pat on the arm.  A friendly "Hello".  These are very simple acts of compassion that I can do to possibly brighten someone's day.

Are we willing to let "That's too difficult for me.  It's too sad." (our selfishness) continue to isolate these gentle spirits?  Because when we do that, we are saying to them, "You are old.  You do not matter."   And that is not how these sweet souls should live...thinking they do not matter.

They need to be loved on.  Spoken to sweetly.  And treated as valuable.

I do not have all the answers.  There is no way I can help everybody, and I know that.  It is overwhelming for me to think of all the needs and have no way to supply them.

But I can do SOMETHING. 

Anything.


And so can you.

Do SOMETHING.


"And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' Matthew 25:40"

Changing Lanes

If there are two lanes travelling in each direction, I tend to drive in the right (outside) lane if the opposing directions are not separated by a turn lane or a median.  I have this fear that some vehicle traveling in the opposite direction will veer into my lane and crash into me.  It's not a completely unfounded fear, ya' know.  (Working at the police department made me afraid aware of much more than I ever was before.)

A road I travel regularly is in really poor condition with potholes and uneven surfaces and I complain about it (to myself or my passengers) frequently.  It beats the heck out of my truck and cannot be good for the tires.  Cha ching!

Today, I decided to live in the 'danger zone' (insert Kenny Loggins tune here).  While travelling on this road, I changed lanes.  Into the left (inside) lane.  And there was no separation between me and the opposing direction.  It was unnerving.  And uncomfortable.  AND I LIVED TO TELL ABOUT IT!

But you know what else?  The left lane was much smoother than the right lane.  There were fewer potholes and my truck...ahhh, my truck breathed a sigh of relief. 

So here's what I learned today:  Even though I was afraid to travel in the unfamiliar and sometimes scary lane, I did it successfully and my journey was so much smoother.

Hmmm...I wonder where else I can 'change lanes' in my life.

Customer Service: Zap!

So today I went for my second (of six) treatment of laser hair removal under my arms.  I don't have an excessive amount of underarm hair (for all you funny people out there).  Six treatments is standard.

And just for the record, the reason I'm doing this has less to do with vanity and more to do with laziness.  (Did I really just admit to that?)

Moving on...

My appointment was at 11:00 this morning.  I arrived on time.  Shortly after I arrived, another lady showed up.  I'll call her LadyWhoseTimeIsMoreImportantThanEverybodyElse's.  Or Blondie, for short.  At 11:20 Blondie asked what time my appointment was and then let out one of those looong, heavy, passive-aggressive sighs.  Then she went to the counter and asked, "Are they running behind?" (see, there is such thing as a stupid question) "This lady's appointment is at 11 (points to me) and mine is at 11:15.  I can't be sitting here all day.  I have kids to pick up." 
After she sat back down, on my way to the restroom I passed the counter and whispered, "Just so you know, I didn't complain."  Because I didn't want the nice people behind the counter thinking I was upset.  I don't need other people speaking for me.

While in the restroom, (3 minutes, tops) guess what?  BLONDIE WAS TAKEN BACK FOR HER APPOINTMENT.

Seriously.

I kid you not.

OK, then I got upset.  I told the sweet girl behind the counter, in a calm and respectful way, that I didn't think that was right.  I found out the tech made the decision because I was in the restroom and because Blondie had kids to pick up from school.  Then I found out the name of the person in charge of the office.

When Blondie finished her appointment, she thanked me for her getting to before me.  To which I replied, "Nobody asked me." 

"I don't like it when other people think their time is more important than everybody else's."

I said that.  Out Loud.

Yikes!

The tech called me back and I proceeded to tell her, calmly and respectfully, that I did not appreciate what she had done and I didn't think it was fair.  She apologized, but not sincerely.  I mean...what else was she going to do at that point?  And what else was I going to do at that point?  This lady was about to shoot me with a laser...I had to be careful.

On the way out the door, I saw a lady in the parking lot headed into the spa.  She looked important and 'in charge'.  I confirmed that she was the office manager and proceeded to tell her my story.  I also commended the staff and told her that I believe the tech did a good job.  She was VERY apologetic and agreed that the tech should not have done that.  She was thankful for the input, as she is trying to make that business a good one.  Then she offered me a free facial.

I wasn't looking for some kind of freebie.  I felt it was necessary to let her know what happened so she could try and make sure it didn't happen again.  I want to be able to tell my curious friends about what a great experience this has been.

Well, except that it feels like my armpits are being popped with rubber bands during the treatment.  Yowza!

There's right way and a wrong way to handle these kinds of situations.  I covered both on this one.

And The Winner Is...

(If you're here for a giveaway, you'll be sadly disappointed.  Unless you consider my rambling a gift.)

I have been searching for a New Year's theme.  I don't do resolutions.  Well, I'm good for about a week, then I'm done.  "I'm done with that" is a phrase I use often.  Too often.

I considered many words; themes for 2011.

Simplicity.

Health.

Peace.

And while all of these are great themes, and I pondered them each carefully, I have chosen "Follow Through" as my theme for 2011.

(gripping, huh?)

See, I have a problem following through.  As I sit in my unfinished 'office/craft room' I am surrounded with projects that are only partly finished.  Books that are almost read.  Lists that have things not crossed off.

I have lots of ideas.  Some of them are stupid and I should just not even bother.  They end up being clutter, for my mind.

But some of them are actually good.  And I should follow through.  But why don't I?  Fear.  Lack of confidence.  Wrong motivation (which is perfectly legitimate reason to not follow through).

So all of this brings me to my theme of FOLLOWING THROUGH.  Which means I am going to think about my ideas, decide which ones are actually doable, be honest about which ones I will really do (and are worth my time), consider my motivation and then (dot, dot, dot) do them. 

I believe 'Follow Through' will actually bring me the other things I considered:
Simplicity ~ I have many great ideas about organizing and making my life easier.  When I follow through on those, things will be much simpler.
Health ~ I have decided that taking care of my body is VERY important.  When I follow through on the things I know I should do, I will be healthier.
Peace ~ Sweet peace.  We all yearn for it, but do things daily that contradict it.  When I follow through with ideas for physical projects, mental and emotional nurturing, and spiritual growth, I will be more peaceful.

Blogging more is on my list of 'good ideas that fear took over'.  So...lucky you.  You'll get to read more from me. 

My sweet friend Ronne shared this blog on Facebook today.  It was exactly what I needed to make a decision for my theme.

"A ship in harbor is safe - but that is not what ships are built for." ~ John A. Shedd