Gratitude Changes Everything

"As soon as you start to feel differently about what you already have, you will start to attract more of the good things, more of the things you can be grateful for." Joe Vitale 



This weekend is Valentine's Day, the day of love.  My friend Carol Parks taught me there is all kinds of love in the world.  


So don't just make the day about your sweetheart (although hearts and flowers and candies and jewelry are always lovely!!!) ... but make it about all those whose love and support has made your life better!  Look around and really FEEL gratitude for all the blessings those people have brought into your world!  Then have fun and celebrate life! 


I am grateful to have you all in my virtual universe! Please continue to spread peace and love for Egypt and all sentient beings! Love and Hugs to all!

Drama is Boring!

Brace yourself ... More drama ... it's all blah, blah, blah and totally boring, but some days it gets to me, you know?  And I have to work hard to let it go.

Anyway, I'm trying to take the high road and not let it get to me, but some days it does. Like today. I tried to go swimming and all the lanes were taken.  The fast lane was too fast for me, because apparently the stress of the last month and a half has given me asthma!   So I have trouble breathing and can't find a lane to swim in after a night of emotional eating when I really just needed to get into the water and work it out.

So instead I opted to walk home from the Y ... it's about a mile and it was freezing, but I didn't care.  I needed to clear my head. So here's what I ended up doing.

I came home and drew on my front walk with chalk ... nothing pleases my inner child more than to draw and write messages on my walk.  Today's what from Thoreau, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined!"  Love that ... so I wrote it and drew a milagro just to clear my negative energy.

Then I started thinking about all the positive things in my life.  My friends, my support team - those who I call when I emotionally eat or am thinking about it, particularly Sally and Mindy.

Then my mind wandered to a First Tuesday meeting where I'd gotten the napkin with the Thoreau quote.
I'd gone with Mindy and met Marci Coles, incredible lady!  She'd had Mary Morrissey talk that night!  What a way to start the year!

This lady is amazing ... she says if you don't like the channel you're watching in you life, change it. Simple.

So I did just that today. I put my clothes on and grabbed my doggie and went for a long walk. Oh, but first I enjoyed the fantasy of throwing a candle against the wall. It's something I'd love to work into a screenplay someday.  I mean what's the use of being a retired drama queen if you can find a way to express anger and frustration at a totally shitty situation! So I got that out of my system, then I walked.

I am so happy I did.  The day was gorgeous ... it turned into a mini photo safari!  Here's the shots I got ...  the black crow actually posed for me!  Then got in the tree like, look at me!

Enjoy!

Swimming, Valentines Tea and a Trip to Halloweentown

This weekend was filled with all sorts of fun. First was swimming, which is a relatively new habit. Started in late December with Poppy!  It's changing our bodies!  We swim 5 times a week for an hour at the YMCA!  We love it!  So much fun!

If you remember this time last year, the thought of me going ANYWHERE, in a bathing suit, in public was .... well ... just not ever going to happen!  But then I stayed with the program and released about 70  pounds and counting and now, walking around almost naked is no big deal!  In fact it's kind of fun!

Talk about a total transformation!

This leads me to the second excursion of my weekend. In desperate need of last minute inspiration for Carol Park's Valentines Tea (Carol is my dear best friend who passed away last November, her daughter Amanda bravely went forward and carried on the 28 year old tradition!).  Anyway, driving through Burbank on the way to Michael's ... the craft mecca ... I spotted Halloweentown .... http://www.halloweentownstore.com/  it had Valentines decorations and my intuition said STOP HERE!  So I lived dangerously, made a U-turn in Burbank and did a bee-line for the shop!

Boy was I glad I did.  SO MUCH FUN!!!  I got this great book called French Postcards, An Album of Vintage Erotica.   It's definitely NOT Playboy ... they cards are truly art ... there just happens to be a few bums and boobs sprinkled here and there .... but it's so tasteful and fun! At this point in my life, I'm feeling much freer with my body, so figure why not show it off it you have it.  A woman's body is beautiful ... these women were not even close to perfect by today's plastic standards, but ooooh, la, la!  Such sensuality! Gotta love the French!

Finally the actual tea! It was at this incredible notions store called French General! https://www.frenchgeneral.com/

 I LOVE this place! I can't believe I didn't take pictures of all the jars of stones and glass and buttons and beads and bits and bobs!  All arranged by color!  Kaari and Christine are truly creative Muses!  Love you guys!

I thought I was gonna be sad at this tea, but instead it was a celebration of LOVE!  I did however do some emotional eating, but who can blame me when Sarah Hensley's scones and devon creme and fig and strawberries preserves are calling my name!

This is the beauty of Isagenix ... YOU CAN EAT!  YOU CAN ENJOY FOOD .... then hop right back into the shake, meal, shake rhythm and not gain weight.  There's a gorgeous element of control there!  LOVe it!

Ok, so apparently I've had a lot to say today.

It's the first week of the Chinese New Year - year of the rabbit!  Hope it's productive and happy!

Get the Funk Out!

Hello my friends!  I haven't written in a while because life has been turbulent. Life and death kind of turbulent!  I'll spare you the play by play, but suffice it to say, it could have left me in a GREAT BIG FUNK!  Like many of you, in troubled times my past pattern was to stuff, stuff, stuff my emotions down my throat!

But not this time!  This time I managed to survive, actually I am managing to thrive without completely losing it and gaining weight.  This is not to say I haven't slipped and eaten.  Last night the emotions got the better of me and between Taco Bell and Yum-Yum doughnuts, I just about made myself sick.

This morning I feel gross ... food hangover! But what are you gonna do?  I can't cleanse because that would be too radical ... what I can do is work really hard to do a shake meal shake combo, sans bloody mary's or mimosas!  Yes, I admit these past few months have resembled a stint on Desperate Housewives! LOL  I had to put a stop to that because I found myself turning to my new friend Absolut just a little too often!

Hey, anything to numb the pain, right? But here's what I learned.  Ok, so it's sort of a 'duh' thing, but ... when you drink or eat to solve your problems, it's only temporary. When you 'sober up' they are still there! Geez!  So what to do, what to do?

Stick to your program as best you as you can.  Don't fret if you aren't perfect.  Perfect is boring!

And, I have to credit my friend Poppy with this.  (Thank you and love you Nemo!!) I took up swimming. One of my favorite forms of exercise.  (and yes, losing 65 pounds gave me the courage to walk into a public arena in a bathing suit - that in itself is HUGE!!!)

But swimming has saved my life! In the water I become completely present. All the outside bullshit goes away and it's just me and my body stroking my way through the water.

So here's my advice for today. No matter what program you are working (I swear by Isagenix and become more convinced every day that it's THE answer), make it a lifetime thing.  Not a diet, a program.

And get out and exercise.  Challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone.  Challenge yourself to change your patterns.  My pattern was feel bad, stay home and feel sorry for yourself. New pattern, feel bad, get out and do something.  See a movie, go for a walk, go for a swim ... call a friend.

Reach out! And get the Funk Out! Your life will be much better for it!

Have a fantastic day!!!

No Matter What ...

Just got back from Isagenix Celebration and talk about a WOW! experience.  I came away KNOWING that Isagenix is a company based on integrity and a genuine desire to create health and longevity for it's users!

I think the highlight of the trip (aside from shopping at the Isa-store and getting the cutest kitchen magnets ever - did I mention I'm a dork for swag?) was hearing Les Brown speak!  He reminded me there is greatness in every single one of us!

Each of us has a story to tell. NO MATTER WHAT it is there is some unique purpose (or rather a combination of purposes) that is can only be brought into the world by YOU.

What is your Unique Purpose? Think about your story ... what are the elements that belong only you? Ask yourself why, why do you want to be healthy? And I'm not just talking physically, I'm talking mentally, spiritually and financially too ....  Why do you want to be the best you possible?

For me, it's because there's a drive in me.  I can't NOT DO IT. I know that part of the reason I am on this earth is to inspire folks to change their lives.  To challenge them to do better, to be better, to really grow the whole person.
That said my challenge to all of you out there is this ... you are at a crossroads ...  think of something you have been putting off or avoiding.  You can either keep doing things the way you've been doing them and get the results you've been getting ... OR YOU CAN CHANGE.

For me, the place I need to step up is with the exercise ... while I do exercise ... to say I do it regularly is a stretch. Starting here, starting now, that's changing.


REGULAR EXERCISE is my new mantra.  If I have to get my butt out of bed earlier, I pledge to do so.  You know why?  Because NO MATTER WHAT, I am going to be healthy.  NO MATTER WHAT I am going to be successful. NO MATTER WHAT, I am working to bring my gifts to the world.

This week think about where you are and where you want to be. What is your big dream?  Your secret hope? Your deepest desire?  What are you willing to do to achieve those things?  What are you willing to do NO MATTER WHAT to reach your greatness?   Everything is possible!  It's up to you to make it happen!

Have a fantastic week!

Winner! Winner! Winner!

Well, the Isabody Challenge for 2010 is over and guess what?  I finished in the top 10 out of 4000 entrants!  That's right!  I am so excited by this.  First because it's a huge honor to be included among a group of people who have worked so hard to transform their lives.  And second because, I managed to reach a goal! I released 50 pounds in about six months and have kept it off.

And continue to keep it off!  (as well as continue to change my body)

My life is completely different ... my mind, body and spirit have transformed.

I have struggled with my weight since childhood.  My earliest memory of being 'too fat' was age 5!  This has been a monkey on my back that has followed me throughout my life. Somewhere deep inside myself I held on to the belief that because I was not able to set a goal of loosing weight and stick to it, that setting goals in general was an exercise in futility!

THIS IS THE TRANSFORMATION in me!

Here's the secret I learned, some goals are meant to be achieved, others are not.  Others are meant to be failed at, learned from, re-tooled and retried. And the most important lessons are often learned more from the failures than the successes.

The secret is to keep on going, no matter what. If you want something badly enough, no matter what it is, don't stop, don't give up and don't give in!  Remember this and eventually YOU WILL FIND A WAY TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS!  This is the strategy of a TRUE WINNER!

Don't Take it Personally

"Don't Take Anything Personally.  Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to opinions and actions of others, you won't be victim to needless suffering." Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements

This week try to not take anything personally. Remember that YOUR path to serenity is made of slow, steady steps and that when you work from your heart and remain resolute in your convictions, the Universe will go ahead and make curved roads straight!