January 21,2011
Dear Suzy,
hey lovely lady, i think it is quite wonderful how our blog posts to each other often line up so nicely with something one of us may have been thinking about. for example, two nights ago i pulled out my walking video to do and while i was walking away i thought...this would be so great for suzy to do as well! it's fast, it works, she's such a funny walking lady, it's positive! i should tell her about it. and then, your letter to me tells me that you are going to walk every day. So, it is freezing and snowy where you live and i can't imaging how anyone would want to go outside if they didn't have to...anyhow here is a link to her...you can get the discs at costco and chapters for sure. she also has a book that includes a food journal and stuff. i heart her.
i must say thought, that she looks pretty scary in the photo on her webpage!
another thought...it's about tight pants.
wearing a great pair of pants that fit reminds me of accountability.
if i spend my days in comfy sweats and hooodies(which i usually do) i am less aware of what my body is telling me about my consumption and exercise. yoga pants are so easy to wear, and i can sit any which way and feel comfy. i also tend to not brush my hair or anything else much about my appearace on comfy pants day. this can be a problem after a while. however,
having lost a fair amount of weight over these past few months, and now having put back on some pounds, which i needed to do, i would say that i am just right. my bmi is healthy (it wasn't before) and i feel okay with how i look. i have some jeans that fit quite nicely and when i put them on, i notice that something shifts inside of me. i notice how i feel. i pay attention to what i am putting into my mouth. (one of the side effects of my new medication is increased appetite...they were not lying) i stand straighter, care that my hair is doing crazy things...and i carry myself with a confidence that i normally don't have.
all this from a pair of tight pants!
so i think that like a great pair of pants, accountability is a productive, inspiring, positive undertaking. you and i are making great strides this year dear girl! it doesn't always feel like it, and there are moments i worry about what is going to happen when i crash...and then i remember that it is all okay. progress, big or small, seemingly significant or mundane is Progress.
so, this weekend i am wearing the tight pants. i am walking everyday, like you. i am continuing to do the hard work of sorting out my unbalanced life. i am finding peace in my situation, whatever it may be at the moment. i am fighting against the crazy side effects of these little white pills. i am asking for help, being vulnerable with my family. making art. reading scripture. spending time in nature.
let me know if you decided to do the walking videos. we could do them together...yet apart!
From my devotion today...
ReplyDeleteThoughts for Today:
Peter was chosen by Jesus to lead -- so he led ("In those days, Peter stood up among the believers."). Pay attention to how Peter led: He went back to meeting together; back to prayer; back to Scripture; back to a focus on Jesus; and back to reflecting the pattern and example of Jesus. Quality leadership always starts with a return to basics (core values), before innovation and creativity can be applied effectively (even before problems get addressed or plans are made). Why? Because the "next step" becomes apparent when the focus is on the Lord and not the situation. Notice I didn't say solution. Peter didn't have all the problems worked out -- they must have been overwhelming. Most people look to leaders to fix all the problems. For example, what was Peter going to do about the persecution by the Jews? Form a militia? Peter didn't address that or any of a few hundred other issues. Instead he focused on fellowship and worship; pray! ing together; studying Scripture to gain insight into current events (that's what we're doing right now); and looking at the pattern and example of Jesus. The net result was a clear "next step" -- and that was to fill the empty 12th apostle spot -- simple and effective leadership.
You might say, what what about all the other issues that needed to be addressed? All that other stuff didn't seem to matter much, because this decision was the only one that got recorded for us to look at two thousand years later. I would say Peter listened to the Lord, prioritized, and dealt with the right issue at the right time. The same is true for us in our own lives. Things are coming at us fast and hard -- pressing us for decisions. What do we do?