New Year and New Challenge

So the holidays are over and I can't say that I stayed on plan. I can say that I was at least more mindful even if I let some things slide. I should have stuck to my guns about going to an alternate weekly meeting since our regular meeting fell on the holidays. But the important thing is to keep going. I have been thinking of my first year on WW and what worked and was enjoyable. I have been reminding myself this is about the journey and not the destination. I have a real strong sense to use the "anchoring" technique to stay connected to my goal. So I have decided that the first challenge I am going to work on is basics. The three items that should be easy to do for this week (and this is why it is not just a single item) are: 1) drinking 6 glasses of water a day (48 fl oz) 2) daily multivitamin 3) daily walking - ideally 10K steps but minimum 7K So maybe I should start with where this approach came from. My leader use to give us a 10 week challenge. Every week had a new challenge but you also had to maintain the previous challenge items as well until the end of the 10 weeks. One was also supposed to track everything for the duration of the challenge. I thought this might be a good time to start with a weekly challenge for myself and then go from there. I can't say that I will be perfect but this is my starting point. I normally am very good at the first two items but sometimes I get lazy - especially on the weekend. So I figure these are good building blocks to lay the foundation. The walking should be easy to complete if I stay focused. Taking the long way to or from the bathroom at work and going to the gym to walk each day makes this obtainable. I used to walk around the church near my old home but with the recent air quality here in Salt Lake, the gym makes this more appealing. So here is to stepping up (with enthusiasm) to the challenges of a new year. Happy 2015!

Getting back in the saddle

A couple of weeks ago, my partner and I decided that it was time to get active again with Weight Watchers. After months of paying for WW, we walked back into our Thursday night meeting. This was the first step and I can't say that the last two weeks have not had it's share of challenges. I can say that I am looking at this process and reviewing where I have been and the goal I have to improve my health. This morning I dug in the closet and actually pulled out my old weight trackers. I actually have my cards from the end of May 2006 until the end of May 2008. I knew that my current weight was in the same area as when I first started so many years ago. But it excited me to see that I did make a lot of progress. But instead of getting discouraged by facing these challenges again, I was actually excited to read the entries in my notebook from those days. Once of my first instructors used to start her Saturday morning classes with having us all get up and sing. It would be some twist on a pop song to help us get motivated about our weight loss. In fact the title of my blog came from one of these songs. (I think it was something about "keep me from you" but was changed to goal.) I wish I could find all the songs we sang. I also wish I had a lot more notes in my notebook. But I am happy for this anchor to start my journey a new. I know I am not on this path alone. I am grateful for my partner who is always supportive. I am also glad to have a new instructor that makes going to meetings fun and informative. I hope to share what I learn and relearn as another way to log this journey.

dessert recipe

Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge

POINTS® Value:    2
Servings:  36
Preparation Time:  10 min
Cooking Time:  5 min
Level of Difficulty:  Easy
 
Sure, you can buy a box of store-bought chocolates or you can make your own rich fudge at home without any fancy candy-making equipment.


Ingredients


1 spray(s) cooking spray   
1 2/3 cup(s) sugar   
2/3 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk   
2 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine, or light butter   
12 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)   
14 large marshmallow(s)   

Instructions:
Coat an 8- X 8-inch pan with cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, evaporated milk and margarine (or butter); bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.

Stir in chocolate and marshmallows; remove pan from heat and stir until smooth.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Cut into thirty-six 1 1/3-inch squares and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.
Notes
Store fudge in refrigerator. Or freeze for a firmer consistency.

Foolish to be angry...

I started to type out my thoughts in my blog as it allows me the opportunity to express things I am trying to understand and process. Then I decided that typing in anger would only make me type things I would regret.

There is a Sikh chant to move from pain to peace. I have a version sung by Gurunam Singh that uses a quote where a guru talks about how "it is foolish to be angry." He also supported using this chant to help move beyond anger to again restore peace and one's connection to the Divine. The chant is "Dukh Parhar Sukh Ghar Lai Jaa-i" I have friends who have looked at me sideways when it comes to the chants and kirtan events that I include in my life. Singing spirituals of many religions gives you and understanding of how we are all interconnected and how celebrating the Divine enhances all of our lives.

Living one's life in a open and aware state allows you to learn about yourself. Denial and repression only lead to self-loathing and bigoted and nasty attitudes towards your fellow man. If you can not find the ability to forgive yourself then how can you forgive others.

I know I have a lot more thoughts on this but I am trying to approach the recent events from a place of love and compassion. May we all find the peace we need in our lives.

The Road Ahead

Some days the road looks to be clear and pleasant. There are plenty of way points that will have an oasis and shade. There is agreeable weather to ease the journey.

Then there are other days when the road looks to be a treacherous mountain path. There are narrow points over cascading cliffs. The sky seems bent on unleashing her fury.

Is it really a matter of prospective or could it be that the directions were incorrect? I guess it comes down to a matter of faith that the road will reach the desired destination. May we have the strength to travel the road before us.

Thoughts

I know it has been awhile since I have typed anything. Part of me wants to type all the thoughts in my head. Then there is the part that wants to be a little more conservative.

The power of love is an amazing thing. It is really strange to think that you can close yourself off for so long that you want only to be a hermit and hide from the world. Then the day comes that you realize that you have a lot to give to the world and another person. How do you know when you are not risking it all or if you should just run back to your cave? I definitely do not have the answers to this question. I spent many years being bitter and cynical. I have many friends who would deny this but then they do not know of the ice shelf around my heart.

The day you wake up and find that you can thaw your heart and maybe take a chance again is wonderful. It opens the world to things you had sworn were out of your grasp. It doesn't mean there will not be issues and challenges. It just means that you are willing to take the chance.

The song goes "Someday my prince will come". That doesn't mean that you don't look for love and try to put yourself out there to find the person of your dreams. You can not find them hiding in a cave. Love is something we all need and it does take a number of risks to look for it. May we all find the person who is the right fit - maybe even ergonomically correct for our lives.

Questions that have no answers

Life is a crazy thing at times. How do you walk away from what you know is the right path? When do you know that you are making the right choice for yourself or for others? How do you separate running away from just running?

Life is meant to be shared and to teach you how we are all connected. How can you feel the connection with the Divine if you lock yourself away from the world? Love is the essence of the lessons we are here to learn. Were we not told to "Love our neighbors" and to see the kingdom of God through service? How can you do this locked away in a cloister?

Truly it is better to love and lose compared to never loving. I have been very blessed by the relationships in my life. I have even tried to look beyond the conditions that some I have loved have imposed. I also know the pain that loving someone who doesn't love you completely retards the grown in one's own life.

Through it all you have to keep the dream alive and pray that you will be open for when the opportunity comes along. But how do you release a dream once it takes root?

There is no answer to my rambling thoughts for today. I must trust in the Divine to help me find the answers I need. Life changes all the time and hiding in a cave is not going to help find the answers.

Sometimes a retreating is a move to help gather strength. Maybe it is a time to return to the cave to let a storm pass. But how can I be sure the storm is not giving the heart the nourishment it really needs?