185.2 Writing Again!

I've been off track with the blog and with my own writing for a long time now. What I've noticed is if I get off track with one thing, things seem to cascade into chaos on all fronts. I lose focus on eating, exercise, organization in my office, writing for fun - it all goes away. So I'm trying to get it all back. My office is in much better shape out of necessity as we get ready for Christmas and the arrival of all of our children and grandchildren. My food choices and amounts seem to be taking care of themselves. This morning I made only a 1/4 cup of oatmeal instead of the 1/2 cup that is considered a serving on the box, and ended up not finishing that. I was full, I felt full which is still a big deal for me because I'm not always aware of how I feel. Exercise is still not really on track since I've been in trouble with my right hip and assorted other aches and pains, but nothing too serious. Tomorrow I'll make an appointment to see my physical therapist and get that problem solved. So, I wonder if my chaos issues are pretty common, that cascading chaos is what happens to most of us when one thing gets out of control?

We had a great time in Hawaii, by the way. I was able to go snorkeling twice when the water was fairly calm. I hadn't been snorkeling since all of my back issues befell me starting in 2003, so that was a big deal to be able to do that. The Big Island was full of hidden treasures ~ beaches, restaurants, vistas, lectures, etc. We visited the Place Botanical Garden which is owned and operated by my nephew's wife's father and it was amazingly beautiful and her father's dream come true.

I admit that this is really an odd time for me to make a commitment to start writing more regularly but I do want to reconnect with this part of me and with you.

180.6 Beginning To Move Away From Chaos

I'm trying to put more discipline in my life and so not writing a post isn't an option anymore. My sister Priscilla called this morning to encourage me. She suggested that every night I make a list of things to do the following day. I like this suggestion. It will give form to my day and will help with the chaos of not knowing how to spend my time. We also talked about the importance of getting out of the house everyday, something I have tended not to do, especially this summer. So I made a list for today and will write another tonight for tomorrow.

One of the things I put on my list for today is "create". That word wrote itself and so I"ll pay particular attention to it. I'm not sure what today will bring in terms of creativity, but I'm excited to find out. Life is too good to waste staring at a computer without purpose which I had to admit to Prill that I have found myself doing. So now I can cross off write blog post from my list and can move on. This feels good!

Prill and me... a long time ago!

180.2 Ripples of Change

I've been thinking about this "weight loss journey or adventure" as I have referred to this experience of losing all of the weight. As you read, getting to the point of achieving success was indeed quite a journey, but once finding myself there as been very challenging. I'm thinking about all sorts of scenarios that might be similar to where I find myself now. For example, working extremely hard to get a promotion and then finding the work very different from what was imagined. Or moving to that dream house and then being faced with all the challenges of making it into a real home including finding a comfort zone with new neighbors, helping children to settle into new schools, etc. Change begets change begets change. I did go to church today so maybe that's why I'm thinking in terms of begets :). Is that what "nothing's over til it's over" is all about?

I've really appreciated the encouragement to keep writing this blog. It was definitely part of the disciplined life I was living as I was in the process of losing the weight. Not writing it has added to the maintenance chaos I've experienced and so I'll work to make it a part of every day once again.