Happy Caturday, Journal & Friends!
When we move into our current home 16 months ago, it had been neglected for over a year. The grass was all dead in front and back, and some of the bushes were crispy dry and dead. The ones still alive were a mess, all overgrown and tangled. The house paint had seen happier days. So sad...
The house had been given up on... no water for the trees... earwigs and spiders were the main occupants of the house. It wasn't a bad house, or a bad neighborhood. But the former owners fell on hard times, lost hope and moved out, selling it cheap.
We had all but given up our dream of ever living in our own home. We had been saving up for years, but a circumstance came along, and wiped out our savings. I won't go into all the details, but it is a miracle to us that we now own this home. We worked hard fixing it up, making it handicapped accessible, painting, and even coaxing new life out of "dead" grass and bushes.
But if we had not dared to try, one more time... to risk... to be willing to work hard... then we never would have been in the position to see our "miracle." We took what tiny shred of hope we still had, and reached out. And were blessed way beyond what we could have imagined.
I think our weight loss journey is like that, too.
So many times, I came so close to losing hope... to giving up. But that tiny spark of hope refused to die. I felt like God never gave up on me, so I just couldn't either.
So I took that little bit of hope, and reached out, and started again on this journey. It's not been going lightening fast. In fact, it's been going much slower than I had hoped. But IT IS GOING.
Never, ever give up. If you are struggling, either to get started or to keep going, muster up all the hope you have, and CLAIM it for yourself. No one is going to do it for you. There is a saying: no one else can do your push-ups for you.
CHOOSE to make the effort, daily, consistently.
CHOOSE to face down the feelings and stress that make you want to eat.
CHOOSE to make the right choices even when you aren't feeling it.
Last night, I was out of calories.
Last night I wanted to eat SO BAD.
Last night I was not still hungry... I was frustrated, sad, disappointed.
Last night, I drank tea instead of eating the bacon and cheese I wanted.
Last night, I was NOT feeling it, but stayed the course anyway.
It can be done. Was it easy?? Come close, and let me bite your head off... does that answer your question??
But feelings are not facts. Feelings are temporary. They are the caboose, not the engine. So... on the journey goes.
And maybe tomorrow, I will be... enjoying the journey once again.
From Dr Phil's book: "Be willing to challenge every behavior pattern."
My verse for today: "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
My quote for today: "We need to practice acting in spite of fear, in spite of doubt, in spite of worry, in spite of uncertainty, in spite of inconvenience, in spite of discomfort, and even to practice acting when we're not in the mood to act." --T. Harv Eker
Enjoy the Journey,
Loretta
=^..^=
6 comments:
What a poignant post. I could feel your heart in this--so real.
Just before I checked my blog, I had finished my time reading my Bible and talking to the Lord. It was a good time--quiet and rich.
The Lord reminded me of the hope He had placed in my heart about some things--and the call He had placed on my life. And, some areas that needed to be tended to as far as some contamination of attitude and motivation and self goes.
And then I read your post. What a perfect, perfect continuation of that talk with the Father.
Some tending and cleaning up needs to be done in my own yard and house, too. I've let disappointments and wounds bring brittleness to my own once green shrubs without realizing it. I let dreams get as dry as your front lawn's grass. Dismay led to neglect and allowed damage.
But my meditations this morning and your post remind me that the anchor holds--and He is willing to help with the reclamation process.
Thanks, Loretta.
Deb
Thank you.
Your "Last night..." series, oh how I relate to that! Not every night is like that, but when it's hard like you describe, it feels like a 1% chance of succeeding, and from one minute to the next I don't know for sure if I'll make it! I'm glad you did.
my current weight stall is really irritating me...but on i go.
lol.
good post loretta.
You are right, it's about "enjoying the journey". There will be times when it's tough and we want to give up, but the thing to keep in mind is how much we are learning on the journey. :)
This is my absolute fav post of yours that I have read to date. I needed it this morning too. We had another "episode" with my son yesterday and my stress levels were off the charts...I went to the bookstore for some peace and bought a candy frappe'....while walking through the store, I headed to some positive/motivational reading (the Christian section) and realized that I was drinking something that was killing me, and honestly tasted horrible, so I threw it away. And enjoyed the rest of my visit with the books.....
Beautiful analogy. I am impressed by your fight and winning. Excellent.
Taking off the weight took longer than I liked, too. But, it goes faster than we think. Losing it slower is healthier for you. So don't be discouraged.
Each pound. Each workout. Every wise decision. Is one step closer to where you want to be. That's exciting. It was something I would contemplate when getting frustrated. I got frustrated plenty.
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