Friday December 21, 2018

Weight 124.2, calories 1700 or so. The Christmas party at our friends home was fun and we were out until 10 - a record these days! No more parties until Monday so I need to take control over my eating. Which reminds me that I have cookies and a pie to make on Monday.

Four days to Christmas! I can't believe it is that close. Yesterday I did get the big tree and small tabletop tree up as well as the wreaths. Hopefully DH can put the ornaments on today as I have appointments. The first is to get my teeth cleaned, then this afternoon my plastic surgeon is going to fix the scars behind my ears from my facelift surgery two years ago. They are ropy and obvious so I have to keep my hair longer at the bottom than I like to pu**** over them. He is going to do it with local anesthesia. Hopefully it will work - the incisions around my ears in the front healed with no scarring at all - it would be nice if they were as smooth in the back of my ears as well.

We are expecting a lot of wind and rain here today, but there was a tornado in our park in Florida yesterday which brought down several live oaks and a lot of branches! Our park is very pretty and shady because of the oak trees which have Spanish moss draped all over them, but they are a little scary when they blow around. We have two next to our unit which are huge and could do a lot of damage if they fell the wrong direction.

Have a finale Friday!

Here is Lavender's new favorite spot:

All of the images of climbing out of holes triggered a recollection of a powerful group therapy session almost a decade ago. The impetus for our session was a bare bones ?autobiography?. This piece was something we anchored to and revisited for the life of that group. I pulled out a dog eared folder and low and behold, look what I found. I have no idea who Portia Nelson is, but here is her story.

Autobiography In Five Short Chapters , by Portia Nelson

I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost?I am helpless. It takes forever to find a way out.

I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don?t see it. I fall in again. I can?t believe I?m in the same place. It still takes a long time to get out.

I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it there. I still fall in. My eyes are open. I know where I am. I get out immediately.

I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.

I choose to walk down another street.

Back then, we didn?t use GPS, Google Maps, Waze or hear that little voice saying ?recalculating? . It took me a long time to be willing to choose a different street. It is even harder to recognize a hole when we come upon them. Even without Shel?s picks, crampons, and extending ladders, we can ALL climb out !

Edited to add: I HAD to research Portia Nelson... she's an accomplished self-discovery author !!

https://www.amazon.com/Theres-Hole-My-Sidewalk-Self-Discover y-ebook/dp/B007EDOSD6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545396952&sr=8 -1&keywords=portia+nelson

Very powerful!

I am familiar with the analogy, but was unaware of its' origin - Thanks--Powerful and ever true. There are certain mental pictures and life lessons that never become cliché --this is one of them.

Weight: 134.8
Macros: Cals - 1,158, Carbs - 100, Fats - 28, Protein - 114, Fiber - 19
Sleep hours: 8
Vegetable/Fruit Servings: 2
Water glasses: 3.5
Exercise: 6,900 steps, 20" easy yoga
Meditation: Yes

Yesterday was a better day. Today will be better, too.

I continue to feel so fortunate for access to each of you. This group's members are astonishingly mindful, perceptive and kind.

In reading yesterday's posts, it was again abundantly clear that this group's members are world-class caregivers - to family members, neighbors, clients, students, coworkers and others. And since balance matters in all things, it's a challenge to understand how to balance giving with receiving.

And DianeO, thank you for your thoughts about the holes we fall into.

Today's theme: I am worth saving. I will save myself.

I think, sometimes of the people (and I have been in that dry place--put myself there) for whom there seems to be no outlet or opportunity for the love and caring and energy found inside to give. Truly a lonely and sad place to be. I am so grateful for this group.

133.4

Liz, we saw some of those beautiful trees uprooted on tv--so tragic and sad to see. It is amazing to me just how shallow a tree's root system really is.

The kiddo is home!!!!! Let the already wonderful season magnify itself. What else is there to say?

Enjoy the day- work, play, and be happy. It's all good.

Yeah! I'm glad your kiddo is home!

Greetings Hole Avoiders

153 today. DH brought home part of a chicken pot pie from a restaurant. Very good, small portion, just the right comfort food on a cold rainy night. Gallery duty yesterday and it poured rain and was windy. Driving home after dark was awful- getting so I can't see well at night (me needs to do what Ann is doing). I know I was old lady driving as others were following me closely but I just won't drive faster than comfortable. Plus the roads had loads of water. The electric car is heavier than others but not immune from hydroplaning. A friend wrecked his car a few weeks ago hydroplaning but he is fine.

Holes and more holes. So love that analogy and am going to hold on to it. My own hole seems to be a sort of sedentary procrastination where details get in the way of the big picture and I end up doing nothing. Recognizing the "hole" is a big first step. My theme will be "hole no mo". One hole I am in is Christmas denial. I will make a shopping list today and get after it. Part of it is done already. I will go to non mall stores like the nursery that has a darn good gift section and Starbucks for cards and coffee. Also must begin the hunt for chicken livers which are sometimes hard to find. Pate required.

Ok who gives gifts to their pets and pets of others? I must get gifts for friends pets - the pets who have everything.

Well we went to see the surgeon for DH. yes he must have a second one and the sooner the better. He thinks the other one failed because the mesh attachers used in laparoscopic surgery are not that long and don't always stick as well if there is a lot of fatty tissue which DH has. He also acknowledged that perhaps he didn't use as big a piece of mesh as was needed. So this will be an open surgery where stitching is used rather than the attachers. We saw the scan which shows the bowel sticking through and yeah its pretty big. No date yet but I need to get organized as DH will be very needy for awhile. Hate that he has to go through this again but there it is.

Liz sorry trees got uprooted in your park. I saw it on the news too. Glad you got home safe. I like seeing Lavender in her new favorite spot.

Bonnie150 glad your son is home. I am imagining a white Christmas for all of you in the midwest but a gentle pretty one and not a raging one. Ditto OceanDiane

Also gallery banking today. Cash accumulates quickly during holidays which means frequent deposits.

So I'm making my list and checking it twice. But first, more coffee which definitely improves my visual acuity for spotting holes. Diane S

I went to Petsmart and bought stuffed toys and meatball treats for Fergus and my dad's dog, Barkley who will be here Christmas day!