Resolutions


Resolutions

Everybody talks about making New Year’s Resolutions.  We all want to lose 10 pounds, or try to correct some personality trait we are struggling with, or we want to let go of some issue that is draped around our neck like an albatross.

Sometimes we actually KEEP a resolution for more than a week or so. 
And some folks resolve to NOT MAKE any resolutions!!

Last year, for Christmas my husband gave me a copy of Rosie Molinary’s book “Beautiful You – A Daily Guide to Radical Self-Acceptance.” (Check it out at http://rosiemolinary.com/beautiful-you/)   I’ve long wrestled with issues of self-esteem and self-worth; this little book has the reader focus more on self-awareness and creativity to help shore up self-confidence.  I followed it diligently for about two months.  Then life stepped in; our lives took a shift as we took on a care-giving role for David’s mom.  In the rush and re-structuring of our routines, my resolve crumbled and the book gathered dust for the rest of the year. 

However, I never put it back on the shelf.  I kept it out in plain sight, as a reminder that someone thought I was beautiful enough to suggest I work through the activities to boost my confidence. 

By summer’s end, David’s mom was better and we were back to a calmer lifestyle.  I began to re-assess myself and decided I needed to put a bit of focus on my own health.

At the beginning of September, I began walking every day.  At first, I’d walk around the cove and back – not quite one mile.  As my breathing improved, I started walking a bit farther each week.  Now, I am walking a bit over three miles each morning.  A friend here let me know she was starting a Zumba class and suggested I give it a try.  I was reluctant but went to a class and discovered it was fun and I could actually DO it!  So I’ve continued going twice a week.  As a result of the increased exercise, I am feeling better about myself, my breathing has improved even more, and I’ve lost some weight (always a good thing!).

January 1 is right around the corner.  Rosie’s book is still on my desk, and I am excited about re-starting the journey through “Beautiful You.” The creative artist within me has been dormant for a while – it’s time to give her a nudge or two.  That is my main resolution for 2013.  Some of that creativity should show up here on my blog. 

That’s another good thing – I’ve gotten emails from a few folks who let me know they’d missed my posts.  To those folks, I thank you for your encouragement and patience – and please know I love you.  J  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Day Time Stopped

Image
February 17, 2020 was the Day Time Stopped. I've struggled for words ever since.  The morning was foggy.   So foggy I couldn't see across the cove. So foggy that Facebook friends were commenting that it was the thickest fog they'd ever seen. Instead of "walking on little cat feet," this fog landed like thick concrete. The phone rang. My sister said there had been a car accident. Our parents were injured. We raced to the hospital in Charlotte. Our daddy died that evening. Our mama died two days later, on the 19th. Time Stopped. Nothing will ever be the same again. ***** The first time we walked back into their house, everything was waiting. The chicken waited to welcome them back home. Daddy's lift chair waited for him to come sit back down. Mama's books and crossword puzzles waited for her to pick them back up. Breakfast dishes waited to be washed. Mama's earrings and "Charlie" perfume waited to be worn. Daddy's Tyson cap waited to be put
Read more

Love Ya Legacy

I didn’t know Kelly very well. But she made a significant impression on me the first time we ever met. I was visiting at David’s church, for the first time. I knew NOBODY, other than David, and felt more than a little bit self-conscious since I was the “stranger in their midst.” But after the service was over, there stood Kelly. She had reddish hair, and glasses, and a huge smile on her face. “Hey there, my name’s Kelly, and we’re SO glad you are here today!” Then, with a big hug, she added, “Love ya!” And then she bounced down the sidewalk, in search of her husband Kirk. As David and I continued to see each other, I’d attend services at the Winnsboro Church of the Nazarene about every other Sunday. And every Sunday, without fail, Kelly would speak to me, hug me, and before we parted she’d say, “Love ya!” She truly made me feel good. I began to look for her smiling face at church on Sunday mornings. Aside from small chit-chats at church, I only got to really talk with Kelly
Read more

FREE THE TATAS, SAVE THE TURTLES!

Image
There are few things in life that I detest more than a bra.   Yes, I said it, and I know this makes my mother cringe.   (Sorry, Mom!) As a pre-teen, when one girl in the class came to school sporting a training bra,  we ALL decided we should have one.  What no one tells you is that a training bra does not train the boobs, it trains the GIRL to wear a bra. I think that was the LAST time I ever truly WANTED a bra. I determined that a bra was developed as a torture device to keep women "tied to their place."  At times I'd just as soon have a strand of barbed wire wrapped around my rib cage. I grew up in the late 60's and early 70's, when "bra-burning" was a sign of feminism, a sign of protest against establishment.  I didn't actually DO it --- but now, the idea is really kind of intriguing! I will admit bras DO have some usefulness.  They make our clothes fit better.  They "lift and separate" (to borrow a phrase from a
Read more