Day 545 Family and Friends and Keeping It Simple

Day 545

Family and Friends and Keeping It Simple

After hitting the pillow really early last night, I found myself wide awake at 6am---on a Saturday? Oh no---this isn't going to work! But that was it. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I started my Saturday by writing, reading, and cooking breakfast. It was good really. Amber was sleeping soundly by this time. It was just me, my coffee, a good breakfast, and the computer.

Joe at “Dropping The El Bees” www.droppingtheelbees.blogspot.com emailed me recently about a Trolley Run to benefit his daughters pre-school. Joe writes on his blog: This is the largest fundraiser that my daughter’s school, The Children Center for the Visually Impaired, does all year. This is a very important event for the school as it helps support the school and the wonderful services they provide for my daughter and all the children that attend. I’ve shared Bella’s story before, and CCVI has helped her grow tremendously in physical, mental, and emotional capacities. We will never be able to re-pay our debt to this organization so I am asking everyone that reads (all 15 of you) to consider running or jogging or walking alongside of us or donating a small or large amount to a great cause.

Joe, I'm happy to share this here! I can't guarantee I'll be able to make it to Kansas City on April 25th, but I hope it's the biggest turn-out ever! You have such a sweet angel in your daughter. As a father of two daughters, I can clearly recognize your wonderful love and closeness for her.
You can find Bella's donation page here: http://public.eventunited.com/kcsc/sabateseyecentersTrolleyrun2010/TeamFundraising.aspx?tid=4207

After a few hours this morning, I started feeling really tired again—and instead of fighting it, I decided to go back and sleep a little more. Hey, it's Saturday! I'm allowed, right? I did and it was good. Besides I wanted to be well rested for my outing with Amber.

I prepared a wonderful pita pizza lunch for the two of us before we made our way to the movies for Alice In Wonderland. The movie was fabulous! It was a great afternoon and a fabulous evening. I always enjoy spending time with my girls, it's always the best!

I've said it many times, how I'm so happy with Amber and how she's really grabbing control. And I have to say---I hear a new level of commitment in her voice. A new understanding, a new determination. It's wonderful to hear and see.

I found this from Day 180 exactly a year ago today:

It's so very important to keep things simple. So many times we try to make things difficult, we get intimidated, then we fail. If you've gone back and read from the beginning of this blog, you know I'm all about keeping it simple. Simple works. Counting calories, exercising, and mental exercises. That's my three tiered approach that has totally transformed the way I look at food. The most important being the mental exercises. Melissa Walden, fitness and life coach, talked on Tuesday about how you are what you think you are. And it's true. You can also do what you decide you can do. You can't do what you've decided you can't do. If you've decided you can, then strap in and get ready for a life changing journey! I sometimes think, if I would have known getting my head on straight and doing this could be so fulfilling, I would have done it years ago. Why didn't I? I guess I had convinced myself that it would be really tough. I also allowed any and all excuses and daily stress to derail me with the slightest of nudges. One of the biggest challenges I've overcome so far has been dealing with stress without running to food. It was a self-imposed tough love challenge, I'll tell ya. When I'm stressed, I always turned to food to make me feel good. Now I turn to my motivating thoughts. I turn to exercise. I turn my attention to positive things. If I'm feeling exceptionally weak, I just go and read some of the hundreds of comments that have been left on this blog over the course of the last 180 days. I find strength in your support. I find strength in my motivating thoughts. I know that giving in and turning to over-eating during stressful times and situations is not only counter-productive, it's compounding the problem. Two negatives don't make a positive. They just make an even bigger negative. But a negative countered with a positive, reduces the negative. If I'm stressed and I feel a hint of old desires and feelings, I crush them with a flood of motivating thoughts. Stress doesn't have a chance against my motivating thoughts, I guarantee that!

A blogging friend of mine could use some encouragement. She's known as “ChubbyChick” and you can find her blog at www.gottalose200pounds.blogspot.com She's always been a wonderful supporter of mine—and I know she can do this too. If you have the time, stop by and say hi to her.

Thank you for reading. Goodnight and...

Good Choices,
Sean