#Reverb13, Day 10: Inspiration

Throughout the month of December, I’ll be participating in #reverb13: Reverb is a way to reflect on the past year and project into the next year with a prompt a day for 31 days.  December is the perfect time to reflect on 2013 and start to create intentions for 2014.

Day 10: Inspiration
What inspired you this year?  How do you think this will impact the year to come?

I don’t mean to sound conceited or self-important, but I can honestly say that this year I have inspired myself.

For so many years, weight loss was this elusive dream, this faraway goal that was just beyond my grasp. For every positive step forward, I’d do something that would take me 3 steps back.  This cycle went on for years. Yet through all the struggle and frustration I never gave up.  Perseverance was my mantra.

So this year, when everything finally clicked in my head and I stopped allowing myself to make excuses, I started to achieve what had been unattainable for so long.  My actions brought on positive momentum, and I started to motivate myself.  My new body meant that my outside finally started to match my inside. With each success on the scale, I gained strength.  I’ve always been a strong woman who believed in herself, but now I was unstoppable.

I have been inspired by my weight loss, and my greatest hope is that through this blog, through my photo status updates on FB, through my TBT pics on Instagram I will inspire someone else who is feeling as desperate as I have.

My story makes me proud. My journey fills me with joy.

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Pinterest Perspectives: Live a Life

Are you as addicted to Pinterest as I am?! I absolutely love going on there to dream, to be inspired, to learn, and to grow. And, okay, to waste a ton of time. I find so many interesting ideas from Pinterest everyday, and I just wanted to share some of it with you guys on a weekly basis. Hence Pinterest Perspectives.

F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of my all-time favorite authors, and I love being able to introduce his work to new groups of students every single year when we study The Great Gatsby.  The way that he can string words together is nothing short of magical.   This quote comes from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and it really rings true to me tonight.

Of course I can relate the ideas to my weight; up to this point I can’t say that I’m proud of the way that I’ve allowed my weight to creep up and up and up into this unhealthy, morbidly obese place.  But I am proud of the work I’ve been doing, inside and out, to redirect my life.  To walk a different path towards health and fitness.

I’m so glad that I’ve found the strength to start over this summer.

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A Return to Normalcy

Once again, thank you to everyone who  has left such heartfelt comments on this blog.  The love has been overwhelming and has helped me so much.  A few of my friends have mentioned how strong I am or how “healthy” my outlook is.  I suppose that’s true.  To me, I’m just going with what feels right.

To me, it doesn’t do any good to dwell in depression.  Lulu wouldn’t have wanted me to live that way.  She would want me to go on.  To move forward.  To look outside my window right now and see the sun shining and smile.  In fact, later today I’m going to take Minnie (my sister’s dog) on a walk so that we can both get out and breath in the spring air.  And Lulu will be looking down and smiling at us.

And in the spirit of returning to normalcy, I thought I should post my Lean & Green meal plan for the week.  I didn’t write my Scrumptious Sunday post yesterday, but better late than never.

Sunday: Mediterranean Beef Stew
Monday: Lowfat Curry Chicken
Tuesday: Chicken breast grilled with Chakka’s MMM sauce , with spinach
Wednesday: Turkey meatballs with salad
Thursday: grilled salmon with asparagus
Friday: grilled chicken salad

The first couple of days this week, I’m going to have the Lean & Green for dinner, because I do prefer it that way.  But later this week I’m going to have to have the Lean & Green for lunch.  I have a ton of Medifast shakes and drinks left in my cupboard, only enough bars, pretzels, and puffs to last until tomorrow.  And I can’t really bring the shakes/drinks to work with me (you’re not supposed to make them ahead).  So…I’ll be having the drinks and shakes in the evening and the main meal at lunch.  And I’m going to make darn sure that when I order the Medifast for this month, I’m going to add in a few extra bars, just in case.

After a solid week of rain, rain, and more rain, it is so nice to look out and see the beautiful sun outside.  I’m definitely going to make sure I get out and enjoy it a bit today.  It feels great to be getting back to “normal.”

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#Reverb10, Day 4: Wonder

For the month of December, I’ll be participating in Reverb 10. Each day gives a new prompt, which is a chance to reflect on 2010 and manifest what’s next in 2011.

December 4 – Wonder.

How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

As I mentioned in my last Reverb 10 post, my biggest source of wonder and joy this year came from Lulu, but since I wrote about her last time, I’ll choose a few other wonder-full things in 2010.

Moving.  I absolutely hated where I was living for most of 2010, so when I was finally able to move into this amazing place in September, I became wonder-filled with the way it all worked out.  Some things are truly meant to be.  Here’s what happened: I was miserable because my duplex neighbors were violent, loud, inconsiderate – just plain awful.  I felt like I was a prisoner in my own home with no hope of getting out.  When you feel hopeless, sometimes it’s difficult to find a solution.  Then my friend Nicey and I were talking one night; reminiscing about the great duplex that we lived in together.  It’s perfect layout, the amenities, the neighborhood, the landlord – all of it.  And so I decided to email the landlord on a whim, asking him what the status of the occupancy of either duplex was.  At first he said that there wasn’t anything open, but that he would let me know if there was.  And then 3 days later, he contacted me to let me know that the person renting my old duplex had just given notice.  And the rest, as they say, is history!  The part that seems like fate is that for 4 years I had lived at my previous duplex, and Nicey and I had been together many, many times without ever mentioning our old place.  It was perfect timing, and it’s why I will maintain my sense of wonder while living here.

My attitude.  I wrote about this on a comment that I left for The Skinny Doll.  She had mentioned that, “… I am as always ever hopeful .. and haven’t felt this positive about life and my journey for a long time.” And that really struck a chord with me.  I feel exactly the same way.  And I commented that, “I think your real wonder is how wonder-full it is that your attitude remains positive even when the results aren’t what you hoped for.” And I’m exactly the same way.  I’ve been at this so long now, and many people would’ve given up.  But I haven’t.  And say what you will about my choices, willpower, or whatever, I have persevered.  I will never give up, even if my spirit weakens from time to time, my drive to reach my goal weight never will.  And that’s my wonder – that I have unlimited strength in the face of adversity.

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