DAY 325 Just My Opinion & Parallel Truths

Hello Journal & Friends,

I am not a "writer".

Never claimed to be. I share from my own perspective... things that are on my mind, things that help ME on this journey. It touches me when something I share actually helps someone else along this journey, which can be a real bear sometimes.

Recently I said I was trying to write more "casual"... to spend less time on the computer, to just spit it out, not spending extra time at it. I'm normally a detail person, so shooting from the hip is not usually comfortable for me. But I was willing to learn.

So I admit it's frustrating to be misunderstood. Or... misinterpreted. Or, horror of horrors, disagreed with. I'm suppose I'm like anyone else... I want to be liked, agreed with... 

In the real world I put on a tough, nobody-bothers-me exterior. But don't let people like that fool you... WE FEEL just like you do... we just don't let you SEE we feel it.

Yeah, I know... it's the height of arrogance to think that you will never be disagreed with... but there it is. I guess it's an insecurity thing, still lurking there under the surface, peeking out.

I know that most people who read this haven't read my archives... the stuff I wrote the first few months. I was laying out "my program". The basics that have helped me. I would take one subject, explore it, turning it this way and that, mulling it over, see how it could apply to my journey. 

And I had the hope that someday it might help someone else.  I'm aware that I'm only halfway in my journey... so don't have the credibility of someone who has reached goal and maintained for a time. This is just stuff that has helped ME along the way.

When exploring one topic, you can't cover around the world and back. You just can't include the whole enchilada!! Imagine how  long THAT post would be!! There is always the "fine print" to any topic. There are always exceptions to the rule... variations... that right combination that finally clicks for us.

That does not invalidate the TRUTH that is the main idea. Truths that are solid and useful for everyone.

And... there are Parallel Truths. Just because one idea is true, doesn't mean the other idea is NOT true, too. There are many facets to this journey... we each must personalize it, find what works for ourself. I understand that just because I don't eat sugar or flour, that doesn't mean it's "the answer" for everyone else. You gotta find your own "fine print".

So, when you read what I've written, consider that this is just MY point of view. It won't be the WHOLE picture... I am not writing the Encyclopedia Britanica. This is just a tiny bite of the enchilada here. 

Also, consider that you are viewing what I write--or anyone else's blog-- through the lens of your OWN experiences... and that might skew it some. 

I never, ever claimed to know it all. I am not an expert. I am still SO learning as I go. And maybe next year I will believe the OPPOSITE of what I believe today! But this is where I'm at for now, warts and all. 

This is just me, my own interpretation, my own insecurities. I'm still learning, tweaking, discovering...

From Dr Phil's book: "Be realistic about what you can control and what you can't."

My verse for today: "He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge."

My quote for today: "You have something to say. Something of your very own. Try to say it. Don't be ashamed of any real thought or feeling you have. Don't undervalue it. Don't let the fear of others prevent you from saying it... You have something to say, something that no one else in the world has said in just your way of saying it." --Hughes Mearns, from "Creative Power", 1958

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 324 Things I Love

Hi Journal & Friends,

Ms PJ Geek  at PJ's and Pounds   

has given me the I Love your Blog Award. ... thank you PJ!!  (and I LOVE colored pencils!)

Here are  "The Rules":

1. Thank the person that gave it to you. 

2. Write 10 things that you love. 

3. Pass this award on to 10 other bloggers. 

So here goes the first part:

I love...

...the tiny scar near the corner of Jim's mouth, that makes him look like he's always on the verge of a grin

...the purring of a kitty

...the uninhibited bellylaugh of an infant

...a clear, dark, quiet night when you can see all the stars as far as   forever

...the feeling you get when God lets you know He's thinking about you

...beautiful music

...color

...possibility thinking

...good chocolate and good coffee

...art; making it, seeing it, sharing it

Now I'll see about passing it on... here I'm breaking the rule...gasp... and picking these three: 

Ruby, at A 252 Pound Journey to Being Free, because she really has a way of writing that touches me deeply. For an amazing sample, click on her link above.

Kelli,   at My Journey To a New Life, because she has made wonderful progress, overcoming obstacles with honesty and determination. She is a Walkin Machine!

Coach Dayne,  at Coach Your Mind, because I continually learn from him; if he can't get you to thinking, then yur braindead!

This was a lovely award... I enjoyed focusing on the things that make me smile.

From Dr Phil's book: "There are no victims, only volunteers. You must embrace the fact that you own your problems and take action to solve them."

My verse for today: "Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord."

My quote for today: There are four things you cannot recover:

                                  The stone after you throw it,

                                  The word after it's said,

                                  The occasion after the loss,

                                  The time after it's gone.

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 323 Breaking Free From the Riptide

Hello Journal & Friends,

Have you ever been caught in a riptide?? That's when a strong undercurrent of water powerfully pulls you OUT to sea, away from the shore.

(this is a pic of an actual riptide, in the 

middle part where the foam whitecaps are missing)

When I was about 11 years old, my sister and brother and I were out swimming together in the ocean, near Santa Monica, California. When we weren't fighting, we were the Three Musketeers. We were all 1 year apart in ages...I was the middle kid.

Well, we got caught in a strong riptide, and ended up WAY out... little dots bobbing up and down in the water. We tried and tried to swim back to shore, but kept going OUT to sea. 

Finally my older brother, Les (he was 12) said to follow him. He started swimming parallel to the shore, and only slightly trying to swim inward. We didn't give up, but chose to keep trying, til we finally broke free.  

We ended up waaayyyy down the beach, I don't remember how many miles, but we finally made it back to shore, exhausted but alive. We never did tell our parents of our little escapade.

Why am I thinking of that?? 

Because when someone is about to drown, that's not the time to lecture them on water safety. 

When they are struggling to keep their head above water, you don't stop to teach them how to swim.

When they are caught in a riptide, you don't lecture them on how to spot a riptide and how to get out of it's grip.

When they are scared and going down for the third time, you don't go into all the fine details of stroke technique.

You give them basics, a way to survive and get going back to safety. Overall, how NOT TO DROWN.

I tend to do that on my blog... I tend to talk about the basics of how to get free from the riptide of being overweight... how to change the direction you are going and swim free from it's powerful pull. How not to be a victim, but take charge of your life and go toward your goals, not be pulled along and drowned in defeat.

I write about that stuff because that is what I, myself, have been learning. It is what has helped ME get free. 

I understand what it's like to feel like you are drowning, that you can't break free from what's pulling you down, that it's hopeless. I understand the frustration of trying and trying and trying, only to fail again and again and again.

So... I share those things that have helped me, hoping it might help someone else.

But, this morning I was thinking... there is a difference between Understanding and Compassion.

I guess I don't major on the Compassion part... I don't communicate that very well. I tend to focus on the practical, how-to parts. And that might sound like I don't have sympathy or concern or care for someone not "there" yet. Someone who hasn't broken free yet from that "riptide". Or that I even feel "superior" to them or think less of them.

Nothing could be further from the truth. 

I WAS them... for too many years. I struggled, and doubted, and hurt and hoped and tried... I STILL struggle at times.

So I tend to share the foundational stuff, the stuff that got me GOING. We all have to fine tune it, to personalize our journey. But there is foundational stuff that is true for all of us. 

We are NOT victims. 

We have the power to choose. 

We CAN change.

It IS possible to do this.

I stopped eating sugar and flour in March of 2009, and my journey to health got easier. It was still a battle, but the physical cravings for that stuff calmed way down. After that, it was mainly the mental battle. I had to change my way of thinking, of coping. I have to face my stuff instead of stuffing my face.

But my point is: even before I stopped the sugar/flour, I had a choice. It was harder, yes, but I still had a choice. I was not a victim. No one was holding a gun to my head and forcing me to eat. I had a choice. 

If we only realized how much power we have... we have been given this wonderful ability to DECIDE that we are going to reach out, to find the answers for ourselves, to not accept "fate", to not give up. 

It is life-changing... and that is why I talk about it. 

My focus is not on how bad things are, but on what I can DO.

My focus is not on being a victim, but having the power to CHOOSE.

My focus is not on having an addiction, but on my ability to DECIDE.

It seems to me that the most compassionate thing I could offer would be not only my sympathy and concern, but what to DO about it... how to get free... to tell someone that they CAN choose, to encourage them to BELIEVE it, and support them in that.

From Dr Phil's book: "You can pull up the stakes, transcend your conditioning, and reprogram yourself for success rather than failure."

My verse for today: "Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle."

My quote for today: "People who make no mistakes lack boldness and the spirit of adventure. They are the brakes on the wheels of progress." --Dale Turner

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 322 Day of Rest & Favorite Photos

Hi Journal & Friends,

Today we have Vevie's Wordless Laundry Day Adventures. :-) Oh, and those are CLEAN clothes that she has decided to grace with her presence! (can click pics to enlarge)

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 321 Summer Smackdown & Freedom Challenge!

Happy Caturday, Journal & Friends,

Well, I already admitted that the last couple of weeks of the Spring Challenge were tough ones for me. But when it was over last Saturday, I got lazy. I didn't do any exercise all weekend. And this week has been on the light side. Yikes, that's gotta change!!

It's now officially Summer. And historically for me, summer has been a time of hiding out from the heat, just trying to stay cool. When you "wear" extra pounds of insulation, that's not easy. 

So I'm upping the ante! I decided to challenge my attitude, kick mediocrity to the curb and go for Excellence. To make an honest, excellent effort this summer, in spite of the heat. To get back with the program.

I am declaring a summer war on fat!! LOL!

It's going to be a SUMMER SMACKDOWN! It's gonna be a long hot summer, and I want this one to be the LAST one that is this hard due to the excess fat hanging around like a fur coat, making me too hot. I want this time next Summer to be different, for REAL. 

So I am deciding to do 2 things. 

First, is Attitude. 

I made myself an Attitude Badge, to remind me of my Summer Smackdown and my war on fat during the summer. I am very visual, and seeing this in my sidebar each day will help me stay focused:

Second, is Action. 

I joined a new challenge. It is being hosted by Deb, at Deb Will Be Free.  It is called the 

Freedom Challenge

It is 4 weeks long, starting July 5th. You choose your own goals; all the details are HERE. 

 My goals for the Freedom Challenge are simple: Consistency. Getting that consistency back in the basics:

1. STUDY. Consistently do my reading each day. I am enjoying an online read-the-Bible-in-one-year program and want to be consistent in that.

2. NUTRITION. I want to be consistent again in not going over my daily calorie budget, even by a little. I got sloppy, and justified a "little here, a little there." No more.

3. SLEEP. Getting to bed on time. Not playing around on the computer, or watching old Star Trek reruns on tv. Go. To. Bed!

4. EXERCISE. Consistently follow my pre-set schedule. I KNOW when I must genuinely make adjustments, or when I am making excuses. No more.

5. WATER. Instead of hit and miss and guessing, I want to consistently drink my minimum 2 quarts per day. I will measure it out in the morning in a jug.

Well, that oughta keep me busy for the hot four weeks of the Freedom Challenge!

From Dr Phil's book: "When you are on the right track, there is an enormous energy that uplifts you."

My verse for today: "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul."

My quote for today: "Have a dream. Once you have a dream, make a plan. Once you have a plan, go for it with determination. With a dream, a plan, and determination, you can accomplish anything. Even the impossible." --Kyra, A Foodie Gets Fit

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=