sugar, or the lack thereof

I have had it!  I am tired of being a slave to sugar.  It grabs me like a stranger in a dark alley, and makes me do terrible things!

I am working on mindful eating, and it takes a lot of energy.  I am realizing how I often I eat food without thinking about it.  If it is there, I eat it.  I am trying to embrace the feelings of feeling hungry, and eating because my body needs nutrition, rather than eating simply because I like to, or because it tastes good. 

So, here's to mindfulness, in eating and all things.  Mindful of the moment, appreciating who I am, where I am, and what I am doing.  Here's to casting off the sugar albatross around my neck, and feeling more free to be my authentic self. 

the walking drudge

I read Judy's blog about walking to work, and I so relate to feeling out of shape.

I know walking is good for body and soul.  It is achievable any time of day and it costs nothing but time, and a good pair of shoes.  So why do I avoid it so?  I like walking for about the first five minutes, and then I start thinking about all the other things I would rather be doing.

I have told myself that if I only walked three times a week, that is 300% more than I was walking before.  Who can argue with a 300% improvement!!  So I am giving it a good shot. 

I suppose walking to the Dairy Queen doesn't count.....

thanks and credit

I have been meaning to say thank you to whoever took the photo I am using on my profile.  I have no idea who took it, and I use it without permission, but I love it so.  I hope the photographer will grant me a pass on using the photo, which totally pleases me every time I see it.

a stranger in a strange land

I don't recall the source of the language in the title of my blog today.  But the words fit the experience I had today.

I took a walk to enjoy the glorious day, and to get some exercise, which isn't a big whoop, except to me, on my quest to lose a little weight and lower my blood pressure. 

I ventured out in the late afternoon, encountering snow, ice, puddles and mud.  The air was juicy with smells, which told little secrets about the people living in the houses as I walked by.  Someone was drying clothes, and the odor of dryer sheets was amazingly strong.  It hit me like invisible cloud of chemicals, and I cringed at the thought of breathing in someone's laundry.  The odors of french fries cooking in the local cafe, and the exhaust from an old beater of a car mingled together in my nose.  Someone was grilling burgers, and it smelled suddenly like summer!  The melting snow piles exposed the earth and the smell of mud was prevalent and pleasing.

The sounds of dogs barking, and neighbors calling out to each other startled me, as the noise came suddenly and out of now where.  The street lights started popping on, buzzing more loudly than I remember from last year.  I heard kids at the skate park, whooping and laughing.  Melted snow was running into the street drains and sounded like someone left the faucet on at the sink. 

This sensory adventure happens to me every year.  I avoid the cold of winter, so I spend my time indoors.  And I live alone, so I am surrounded my quiet in my home.  This explosion of human activity seems new and foreign to me in the springtime when it hits my ears and nose, so unexpectedly.  It seems that the world, and I, are waking up together and crawling out of our dens.  Of course, it is only me that is new to this strange new world.  The world has been awake all along. 

the beauty of sleep

I prefer to stay up late, and get up late.  I have early-bird friends, and I always wonder how they do it!  I always have to drag myself out of bed, and force myself to resist the urges to hit snooze - well, OK, just one more time!

The past two nights I went to bed about two hours earlier than normal.  Oh, the beauty of sleep.  Although I still did not want to get up right away, it felt good to feel more rested than I usually do. 

I would live a happier life if I could get up when I naturally woke up instead of using an alarm.  Add a few more 3-day weekends into the mix, and I could claim a blissful existence.   Until then, I guess I will have to snuggle in earlier...

women are getting it

It is gratifying to see that women are fighting back against the ridiculous idea of restricting women's health care.  Congratulations to the silent, and not so silent protesters in Virginia, who are making a huge impact on the legislative process there.

I totally support the right for the "faithful" to avoid using birth control, if that is important to them.  But their beliefs should not overrule the beliefs of others who don't share the same dogma.  Thankfully, we do not live in a theocracy.  Although it appears that Rick Santorum, and those of his ilk, would try hard to make it so. 

I was raised in an evangelical church.  We were taught to spread the "Good Word" to others.  However, I never was trained to believe that Christianity should trump the beliefs of all others.  (Don't get me started on how my grandmother viewed the Catholics, however.)   It seems that, of late, many Fundamental Christians are less and less tolerant of any other viewpoint than their own.  It seems that religion has gone to their heads!  The Jesus that I learned about as a child, would likely disapprove. 

I no longer participate in any organized religion.   But it doesn't stop me from trying to live by the Golden Rule, which is really just advice about putting yourself in other people's shoes, and walking a mile in them.  I also subscribe to the basics of being honest, and treating my parents respectfully. 

It would seem obvious that any religious tenet, taken to the extreme, becomes less like religion and more like a mechanism of power and control.  Many examples of this exist throughout time.  Today, when we think of ourselves as "evolved" and "sophisticated," how is it that we are still arguing about birth control, and the ability of women to control their own bodies?