TELL IT LIKE IT IS

Well, how has the world been treating you. I really can't complain. But I am having one heck of a time trying to loose this spare tire I have been carrying around for umpteen years. It is really kinda funny. I have been overweight for most of my adult life, and I have all of these little games I play trying to make lite of the situation. But for some reason a few weeks ago my attitude changed and I decided I was tired of looking in the mirror and seeing a person who was really a person and a half.

I always thought that some day, when the time was right,  I would take off the extra weight, and when I decided to do so it wouldn't take very long. Well, let me tell you I was wrong. It is going to take awhile. And while I am doing it I have a lot of thinking to do about why I let this happen in the first place and why I have been so reluctant to admit that there was much too much of me.

Food has always been plentiful for me. The first four years of my life my parents and  I lived in my grandmother's boarding house. Granny served three meals a day seven days a week and packed two dozen dinner buckets six days a week. I was tiny and someone was always trying to feed me something.

When I was four,my little sister was born and we moved from the boarding house to a house right next door. Shortly thereafter, my dad built a restaurant half a block away on main street and granny quit keeping boarders. I do not remember ever being hungry. Mashed potatoes and gravy and a hamburger patty was my basic meal plan with a choice of peas, corn or green beans and salad or cottage cheese on the side

I weighed 113 pounds when I got married and 126 when I became pregneant with my first child. My weight went up and down for awhile, but after my fourth child was born I weighed 128. Then I started gaining untill my all time high was 202. I finally settled in somewhere around 180.A time or two I have gotten down to 169-173. So, what made me decide that at age 71 I wanted to be a size 8?  I really can't say for sure, but part of the reason is that I really do not like the way I look either in or out of my clothes. And part of the reason is that I miss dressing up and wearing high heels. And part of the reason is because I look around me and see all of these overweight people and none of them look healthy or happy and I do not want to be like that, but I am. I want to live until I die. I do not want to spend the majority of my time thinking about what my life once was. I want to be out and about helping to make my part of the planet better. In order to do that I have to be physically and mentally fit, and it is up to me to see that I am.

So, no more excuses. Time to tell it like it is and take responsibility for what goes in my mouth and on my hips.  I'll keep you posted and when I hit 160 I will let you know. In the mean time, what ever challenge you might be facing, may you not be afraid to tell it like it is and then deal with it.

Until next time,
I bid you peace

The Way Life Is

Hey, how are you? I am so glad you stopped by. I have traveled a few miles since we visited last week. I drove over to Morris  on Saturday and then number II daughter and her hubby and I drove to Norman and back on Sunday  for a wedding shower for my youngest granddaughter and her soon-to-be husband. 

I got back home late Monday afternoon a day earlier than expected and weary from driving in the rain for two hours between here and Morris, but in good spirits. As soon as I pulled into my garage and saw the pieces of trim stacked in my garage, I started laughing. Daughter number I and her hubby were going to surprise me with a redecorated utility room for Mother's Day and I had spoiled the surprise by coming home early.

For a split second I thought about checking into a motel for the night before they knew I had come home, but this old body just doesn't have the response time it once did. I'll post a picture when the room is finished. 

So what are your plans for Mother's Day? Most of us will take some time for reflection, don't you think?  I was 17 when my first child was born. He was a sweet little boy and he is a nice man.  All of my children are nice people, and considering they had a child for a mother, the phrase, "Thank God," is quite accurate when attributing credit for their good qualities.  

I read somewhere that the lady responsible for Mother's day was not really happy about the way her idea evolved into a commercial entity. That happens sometimes. What we intended and the end result are often quite different. Sometimes that is a good thing. Sometimes it isn't. That's just the way life is. 

Well, I think I will take a walk around the neighborhood and see who all has their tomato plants set. Roses are starting to bloom too. Cool as its been,they should really be pretty. 
Until next time,
I bid you peace