I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. What a year it's been. So much to be thankful for, so many to be thankful for. It's been a world wind month, tons of artwork created, lots of cooking and sharing of bread with family and loved ones, a couple of art show features, my magazine article, and another submitted. And of course my lil men in my life....
I'm thinking everything looks better in black and white, including my fat face. yuck. Anywhoo--after the holidays we'll deal with that. I've tried to be good but you know how that goes. Everything is just soooo tempting.
One of my stress factors this last week was trying to figure out how to turn my art table into a table where we could eat at...well I pulled it off at the 11th hour. Don't even ask where I put everything. A girl has to have a few secrets.
Pre Thanksgiving dinner--a few munchies put out.
After everyone left, I pulled off the fabric I placed on the and underneath was my freezer paper base for the table and out came the out work. It didn't take long for me to get back into the swing of things. Well, that's a lie...it wasn't right after, they left--it was more like the next day. Thanksgiving Evening I had all I could do to stay awake. My belly was so full and my eyes were drooping like no tomorrow. Things finally caught up with me by 7 or 8 and I gave into my nice comfy bed.
Friday though...after work I did a little shopping (brave souls that ventured out in the early morning hours....I don't do that anymore after spending years in retail..uhhhh nooo...thank you)! I waited until the evening where I still got a few good deals. Like many, we are cutting back this year. After so many years of excess, we are just doing a basic Christmas and thank our blessings that we still have jobs, still have family and for the most part we still are healthy.
The thought though, isn't far that there are some in the family that are not exactly in perfect health and we can only pray that they will be around for many years to come, but one never knows. In fact, one never knows how quickly things can change in a heart beat. A friend of mine had what we think is a mini stroke on Saturday. In front of her teenage son. Scary. Just doing a normal everyday thing, folding laundry, and then her arms went numb, speech and motor skills went limp in a heart beat things changed for her. After hours in the emergency room and a stay in the hospital-they still aren't quite sure whats wrong.
I started to think about myself and how I probably need to start taking my blood pressure medicine more regularly (I'm not one that does well taking medication on a regular schedule), perhaps watch my weight....Lord knows that the last two years, I've used food as a security blanket and it's showing in my hips and face something fierce, I need to exercise more...ahem...just exercise because using the word more means that I do something at all...but I don't...I may want to get on a better sleep schedule because with what I try to pull off on a daily basis, sleep is usually last on my list of priorities.
Anyway, I'm rambling on--my point is, while there is so much to be thankful for, I want to continue to be around to be thankful. I want those around me to be around to enjoy our kids and our kid's kids---and it takes paying attention to the signs...to do better with our diet, to be kinder to ourselves and mental health. Worrying and stress contribute to so many physical ailments, it's important to find ways to ease the fears that abound and be at peace with where we are and what we can control.
2009--needs to be a year of change, regrouping, healing, as much as it needs to be a year for my creative side to really formulate a plan to come to a full time fruition.
A lot to think about as I move into the new season.
***
What is that you are thankful for, and what is it that you need to change about yourself to enjoy all that is around you for years to come?
12 comments :
I hear you Jodi. I too have decided starting now I need to take better care of myself. We as women tend to want to take care of everyone else around us and then neglect ourselves.
By the way I think your face is beautiful.
Sage advice....well said! And a lovely bunch of photos :) Thanks for sharing...and I'm with Kim....you look great!
You are so right, i just kept reading and thinking yep, and read so more, yep, she's right!
I'm thankful for the simple things in life that make it a true joy, sitting by ones i love, laughing, walking on my own two feet..things like that.
i can change all that you listed above. Except it's my belly that is expanding along with my face!
thanks for sharing.
Sounds like you had a good Thanksgiving! It seems so often the "caretakers" of the family are the last to take care of ourselves.... remember to take some QUIET time for yourself in the middle of all this wonderful chaos ;D A key ingredient to good health...
love the table transformation! so sorry to hear about your friend - the same thing happened to my cousin and we're way too young for all this! stress less and yes, exercise is good (I'm supposed to be walking 30 minutes a day - I did march in a parade Saturday night, though, then spent 2 days in bed:). I'm thankful for the health I do have and I need to stop complaining about trivial, unimportant matters and rediscover the simple joys. wow, how hallmark - yuck. anyway, that's the bottom line!
You know what I have found that helps? I start on December 1 (instead of New Years)trying to do a little better with not overeating, making time for a little exercise. It really helps to start the year off with not a lot of extra pounds accumulated over the holidays. Did you know that not getting enough sleep could be causing more weight gain? Seriously, there are studies that show that eating the same amount of food, same exercise, people gain more when not getting enough rest. Your body is trying to tell you something and it makes up for it by putting on pounds. And it works the same way if you don't eat enough. Your body can try to conserve fat and pounds thinking it won't get enough to eat. So here's to more sleep!
Jodi, love the table saga!
I am in the same situation, and had to stash all my art stuff away for the Thanksgiving dinner party. At least everything got organized a little bit by putting it all away, lol!
Now, to start with the table kaos again!
blessings,
starrydeborah
PS. love the black and white photo of you two! soooo sweeet :)
Just dropping through to see if you survived Thanksgiving :)
I am thankful for so much that I'm not sure I could just answer that w/o writing a book! And again, I have so much to change about myself, that would be another book, hah.
But yes, you should get more sleep, little missy!
I love the photo of you and your youngest. I'm also working on the taking care of oneself but it's a hard habit to be back into after putting every one else first for so many years. I feel selfish sometimes and have yet to get a balance between the two.
Sounds like you had a lovely Thanksgiving. Luckily we feasted at a relative’s house, so I didn’t have to even try to clean of my table…lol.
I’m thankful for my family most of all. If I had to pick one thing to change, I would change my urge to go go go and learn to SLOW DOWN. Sometimes I wonder what I’m missing (and worse, sometimes hubby tells me what I’m missing) by always having to be busy doing something. I would love to learn to just slow down and enjoy the little things in life.
GREAT post ....
loved the thanksgiving table coming together ... the simpler christmas and the counting blessings .....
...and at the moment, here, changing nothing .... just rolling along happily .... counting blessings frequently ....
I love that photo of you and your little man. A keeper definitely. Is it on the wall yet? Should be. ( I can hear it now, "Aww mom don't put that up there!".)
Yes, I too need to watch what I eat more and take better care of myself. I am doing better with getting enough rest and figuring out what dosage works best to keep my legs moving (degenerative joint disease). Getting some more weith of will help that too.
This is a thankful time of season, and not just because of thanksgiving either. It's a reflective time I think, the end of another year.
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