Love Is All We Need

Happy Valentine's Day!
Today is the day we have designated to celebrate Love! Typically a romantic love for those significant others in our lives that fill a special place in hearts for a season or a lifetime.
Now...I am a single girl...but am still quite a big fan of love despite the absence of Cupid's touch!
I have found that love...in all of its many forms truly is the tie that binds and certainly is essential to my daily life.
Love is a feeling that can create an actual physical reaction...a warmth...a fullness of heart that can calm, inspire and encourage in the simplest of forms.

Love presents itself in many ways in my life...a simple thoughtful act, a look, in words, music, nature or in a complex, mind blowing moment when there is not a single shred of doubt that the most powerful love is that which we are given by God...For me...all those presentations are in fact, gifts and reminders of God's love for me and for those around me.

Love is key to my Journey...feeling it...expressing it....accepting it and believing it with every step I take and in every way it presents itself as I travel! Unconditionally.

I am blessed to have those people in my life who genuinely, without judgement, without limitations, love me for who I am...even when I don't...even when I can't. A rare gift.

So as I sit and ponder Valentine's Day from my single girl world...here is my observation. Love is universal. Love is God's greatest gift to us and Love Is All We Need!

2016...Time To Rise Up

So...it is 2016. A new year. Filled with a million moments yet to be experienced and full of promise. Thank God.

The last 6+ months of 2015 proved to be challenging for me and in an effort to maintain my commitment to honesty in documenting my Journey to de-fluff...well...let's just say that I hobbled through those months often using my favorite food crutches!!
So...with that said...like what happens in most long journeys...I got a little lost...detoured to see a few sights...and did a little wandering.
It happens.
I learned some valuable lessons...laughed, cried and at times, ate my way through! No sugar coating...which sucks...because I love anything with sugar coatings!
But the journey does in fact, continue. And gratefully, I feel excited, ready and willing to step into 2016 with an adjusted attitude, rededicated to my health,  open to all of the blessings that are yet to come and re-energized and embraced by a fortified support system!
God continues to bless my Journey...walking me through some big life changes and blessing me with some pretty amazing fellow travelers.
I am not entering this next leg of my travels under the misconception that there will be no challenges...no hurdles...or tempting food crutch moments. But I, for the 1st time in a pretty long while feel confident...hopeful...powered by love and covered in God's impenetrable Grace!

2016...Time To Rise Up and Rise Up a Thousand Times Again! 

Trimming the Fat

It has been a while.  Life continues to clip along and I continue to fight the demons of being a single, fluffy girl trying to improve, grow and embrace this life I am living.

I felt compelled to write last night...as I walked into the YMCA for what feels like the 10,000th time in the last 3 years.  I'd like to think that was in fact, the 10,000th time.  I would like to think that I have made the decision to walk into a gym, with pep in my step and motivation to move mountains 10,000 times over in the past 3 years.  I would like to imagine that as I stepped through those gym doors...to the less than pleasant scent of other people's sweat and good intentions that mine was the prevailing scent...just by sheer volume alone and that upon entering...it would be visibly apparent that I had indeed, walked through those doors 10,000 times and have the body to prove it. 

But as I sit here and write...the reality is that I, regardless of how many times I have walked through the doors of that YMCA...the only thing I have probably done 10,000 times...is wonder if I will ever reach my goals AND insanely hum the Village People Anthem...Y-M-C-A...as I entered the building. And the body...well...it speaks for itself.

Fighting this fight is not living up to my expectations or my doubts.  It is however, seemingly, trimming the fat off all of the self-imposed defeatist ideas that I seem to have collected over the years.  That does not show up on any scale I have found and it is only visible to those who take the time to look and truly see the changes.  It is profoundly uncomfortable and a total pain in the ass AND seems to be absolutely necessary for this fluffy girl.  That has been uncomfortably apparent from the very beginning. 

My proclivity for over-analyzing and for wearing self doubt like a badge of honor, leads me to think that I must continue to do so...trim the fat...both internally and of course, the goal...externally as well. It is a necessary evil in my personal journey.

My last post in July was a statement of my battle with that inner fat and the need to just stop processing it in such a public fashion.  It quite frankly was getting old...and not helpful.  I know that I need and will continue to need, to work through all of the things that hold me back...whether I choose to do that with just a few poor souls...or with a wider audience.  Accountability still is a HUGE piece of this puzzle for me.  Being honest, owning the steps of my journey and accepting that there is no turning back are part of the process...even if participating in that stirs every shameful feeling I have ever had..."The only way out is In" (Junot Diaz).

I can say this...with complete conviction.  Trimming the internal fat is gross, ugly, revealing, embarrassing and might drive some away...but conversely, it is freeing, revitalizing, fortifying, rejuvenating and leads us down paths to those who can and are willing to embrace us...fat and all.

Lastly, I speak of faith often...how it is a must and how I can really suck at having it.  But over the past 7 months, I have connected more with the reality that God moves in my life in ways that cannot be fully comprehended until I am on the other side of them.  My struggle is to trust my experience and not launch into full scale doubt and panic when, in the process of trimming the fat, I feel like I am drowning in it.
I am aware that God has placed people in my life who have the uncanny ability to embrace faith with an optimism and a joy that I just can't do today.  As I stumble into the 1st quarter of year 4 of this journey...I can readily admit that I, in the recent past, view these strong, spiritual optimists as a reminder of all that I am not!  But I have gotten it all wrong...these people are not in my life as a reminder of my shortcomings...but instead, as a mirror to the possibilities...the promise of God's grace and an opportunity to grow.

It has been brought to my attention...many times...by some of the grounded spiritual bad asses in my life...that there is no time limit to trim the fat. It is not a year long, 4 year long or finite journey...but instead it is a lifetime of infinite possibilities.  For now, I will defer to the bad asses! For me..it is going to be about willingness...to be patient, to trust, to believe in myself and to keep trimming the fat...until I don't need to anymore. Be Brave and Forge On!

When Only God Knows It

In the past several months....I have been uncomfortably seated on my most feared ride in life's amusement park...The roller coaster.  I have discussed that roller coaster many times here...in many different ways and in the past 3 years have not learned to fully embrace it.

I have tried...to love the uncertainty of it...the thrill of it...to embrace the unknown...but generally lately am just nauseated by it.

In the past months, my life has been one constant roller coaster filled with big changes, big growth, and a few serious butt buster moments that leave me distrusting of the process.

I, in the past 3 years, have let me myself be "seen" in a pretty public way...and have allowed myself to trust my story with others on a very personal level as well.  Some pretty amazing things have happened because of it...and some pretty painful things have happened because of it.  That's life...It happens...Thank God.
 Life has seasons...and I have recently come to realize that it may be time to turn inward...be a little more introspective, be a little more selective with my trust, limit my exclamations and dissertations, reduce my expectations of others and increase my self-reliance.  

This is no perfect journey...and I, could not be farther from being the perfect journey taker..but I am worth the continued effort...even on those days when only God knows it!

As I continue to intentionally navigate through this life journey...I am sure that there will be many seasons...many joys...many blessings...disappointments...renewed hope, lost faith, and faith found again.  I have learned so far...that you never know where the next right step will lead and that the picture I have in my head....may not be the picture God has painted in His.

So...as this Journey continues...I may find myself here writing...from time to time...for a bit of an outlet...and that dose of accountability...but after today, this blog will be here only for those that know where to look...no more posting on social media, emailing, texting...for a while.

Comfort in Words

As I progress along on this Journey...there are some days that seem longer than others...some goals that seem harder to reach and some challenges that seem too difficult to overcome.  On those days, I try to find some comfort from something other than food...or margaritas.

Today, I am finding some comfort in words...which I find soothing...but difficult to swallow if eaten (just a note from my experience).  Hopefully, I want have to eat any of these words since they belong to other people!

Below are  few favorite thoughts that I like to ponder on these long, more challenging days.

Every day I learn something on my way to the next.  Every day I am given the opportunity to overcome those mindsets, experiences and fears that hold me back...and every day I am aware that even when I feel a bit wayward...there is a guiding force that never gives up on me...and never gives in to me.  This Journey continues...even when it feels like I am standing still!

Forging ON! 

An Intentional Reminder

So in my last post I created a list of action steps to "practice" as I move forward...as I again try to boost my momentum on this Journey. In an effort to stay on track...I am reposting...for accountabilty and for reinforcement...for a written reminder that this Journey is intentional...it is important...it is an absolute necessity!

As I re-read the below...some of the action steps feel a little lofty...a little out of reach...but I am hopeful...I am determined...and I am fighting the insecurity and fear. I will keep my eye on the prize...even when I don't see it clearly.

Here is what I know...Grace continues to meet me where I am!

Living intentionally

Praying daily that I am walking in God's will and not in nasty insecurity and fear

Taking risks that might feel scary and exposing but that in the end, lead to courage

Taking time each day to step out of my "self" and be available to others

Daily practicing trust...that I have all I need...the faith I need...the support I need... to take daily steps in the right direction.

Staying true to the course even on those days when I am feeling defeated, optional, destructible, invisible or just plain ole pitiful!

Believing EVERY day that I am  courageous, deserving, faithful, worthy and fearless enough to walk-the-walk and talk-the-talk!

Lastly, BE IN ACTION.... LIVE as a priority

An Inside Job

Hello to all...I came across this quote a few days ago...even posted it on Facebook...but decided that I had a few things to say about it.

For anyone that knows me well...or for those of you that are kind enough to take time to read this blog...you know that I have experienced some significant changes over the past 3 years and that those changes have not always been so easy for me to "get". 

I won't lie...there have been many times over that past 3 years that "running away" from some of the more unexpected changes has seemed like a really viable option. 

I use the word "overwhelmed" often...to describe what for me feels like a deluge of feelings...none of which I can succinctly describe individually...so "overwhelm" becomes the catch-all word.

As I have shared...over the past several months I have experienced some significant change...on almost every front of my life....some harder to manage than others and ALL have felt overwhelming.

As I face the challenging emotional growth from some of these changes, I am continually reminded that though my own very personal, but somewhat public, weight loss journey started as a journey to "repair" my outsides...my physical appearance, it more importantly became (pretty damn quickly) about repairing my insides. It became apparent very early on that this Journey was going to be an Inside Job!

Given that every one's experience is different, I am sure one could read/watch any number of posts/articles/videos, etc about tackling weight loss and quickly determine that each person experiences this kind of change differently...that each person takes on the challenge with their own unique perspective and collection of life's experiences that see them through.

Mine has clearly been about working from the inside...out...despite my protestations!!!

No matter how hard I may try...I can't run from that!  No matter how uncomfortable, embarrassing, time-consuming and ultimately, revealing that truth may be...It is my way...my Divine path...without always feeling so divine!

My only way out of this challenge is through it...no matter how messy it may seem or is or will be...Straight through the muck..."The ONLY way OUT is IN".

Today...I find myself fighting this reality a bit.  This requires that all too difficult thing called vulnerability.  I don't like it...but can acknowledge that there are moments when I know that my willingness to be vulnerable has brought me to a new level of courage. But for me...the hallway between that door from vulnerability to the door that leads to courage can feel dark, scary as hell and quite lonely.  It has and will again, leave me dependent on the faith of others and on my own experiential blind faith.  That faith that I know exists because of the blessings I have experienced when I did not believe that Blessing would come!

So...I keep moving through it....hoping that I don't look as clumsy on the outside as I feel on the inside!  Hoping that by acting as if I am courageous, I will become courageous! 

I think the keys to my success lie in the following...

• Living intentionally
• Praying daily that I am walking in God's will and not in nasty insecurity and fear
• Taking risks that might feel scary and exposing but that in the end, lead to courage
• Taking time each day to step out of my "self" and be available to others
• Daily practicing trust...that I have all I need...the faith I need...the support I need... to take daily steps in the right direction.
• Staying true to the course even on those days when I am feeling defeated, optional, destructible, invisible or just plain ole pitiful!
• Believing EVERY day that I am  courageous, deserving, faithful, worthy and fearless enough to walk-the-walk and talk-the-talk!
• Lastly, BE IN ACTION.... LIVE as a priority.

Here's what I know...Change is in fact, necessary, and some might even offer up good.  I am a reluctant "changer" but can now, after so much change, acknowledge the "good"...even the better.  I still though, have changes to experience...and being the flawed human I am...have my reservations!

I am refocused on losing weight...have lost 12lbs in the last few weeks thank to the Standard Process 21 day detox and my body continues to heal after some of the 2014/2015 physical challenges.

I am aware that I am missing having a "mini-goal" to train for...so....I am considering setting a physical goal for myself for the Fall of 2015...And am open to suggestions!!!  Something that physically pushes me, gives me something to reach for and preferably does not kill me!