WHEN I CHANGED

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When I changed, the whole world changed with me. Or so it seems. Now, what the heck do I do? I have to sit and look at the landscape before and in me. What is it I see within and without? How do I feel? What do I want? And how to get? I am not in a hurry. I do not have to figure it all out today.

I would love to use the 4 laws of how to create good habits from James Clear’s Atomic Habits for solving everything. I like #3. Make it easy. It makes me want to start right away.

  • The 1st law (Cue): Make it obvious.
  • The 2nd law (Craving): Make it attractive.
  • The 3rd law (Response): Make it easy.
  • The 4th law (Reward): Make it satisfying.

Then there’s Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements. The agreements are the ways I want to live.

  1. Be Impeccable With Your Word.
  2. Don’t Take Anything Personally.
  3. Don’t Make Assumptions.
  4. Always Do Your Best.

Now it’s become more obvious some of my wants and desires and the way forward. It will be worthwhile to take my time, ponder and tap out my paths. I have 26 days left in this Ultimate Blog Challenge. 26 exciting days to explore possibilities. I love that word, don’t you? It holds promises.

MAKE IT OBVIOUS

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I’m using the first law outlined in James Clear’s Atomic Habits to help me lose 10 pounds. And that is make it obvious. These pictures are not pretty but it is obvious I could afford to lose a few pounds. Seeing them motivates me into action.

I had said that I was not willing to give up the evaporated milk and honey in my tea and coffee. And I really love my muffin with cheese. That was before I stepped on the scale and really looked at myself in the mirror. Now that I have, I’m changing my tune.

It’s hard to feel good about myself seeing my big belly, double chins and chubby cheeks. It was easy letting myself go to pots. 10 pounds may not seem alot but on a short person like me, it is almost a ton. Truthfully I can spare 20. I want to make it easy and not hard for myself. I’m aiming for 5 pounds by the end of this Ultimate Blog Challenge.

It’s obvious the first things to do is cut out the evaporated milk. I went back to the 2% milk. It was fine before but now not very delicious. I will try 2% evaporated milk next. I want to make it satisfying. I’m good with less honey. No more muffins for awhile. I’ve stopped baking them. Will try non sweet snacks like crackers and cheese. It is a start in the right direction.

MAKE IT EASY

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I’ve been reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. It’s a very good read. I’m finding it very helpful in my mission of writing a post/day for the Ultimate Blog Challenge. If you don’t want to read the whole book, here’s a quick summary.

How to create a good habit:

  • The 1st law (Cue): Make it obvious.
  • The 2nd law (Craving): Make it attractive.
  • The 3rd law (Response): Make it easy.
  • The 4th law (Reward): Make it satisfying.

The 3rd law works for me. In the past, I haven’t always chose the easy route for anything. I always have to make everything complicated and hard. I’m exhausted by all that. It wasn’t very satisfying at all. Now I’m willing to try easy. Easy is attractive. In order to write a post, any post, I have to sit in front of my keyboard. That is quite obvious. It works! I sit and I tap. The letters, words and sentences come of their own accord. So far there’s no hard struggle. I should not talk too soon. I might jinx myself.

Making it easy works for other goals as well. I’ve tried it out. When I know what the goal is, I map out the simplest steps to do it. Then I follow through. It feels so easy and rewarding. Now that I’ve finished this post, I am making myself a cuppa.

AWESTRUCK

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Day 2 of January and the Ultimate Blog Challenge is a cloudy one. There is no sun to spark me but I am remembering the sun of yesterday. I walked into the living room to find it lit in gold. I snapped a couple of pictures for I knew it would be gone in minutes. It’s hard to describe and photographs do not do it justice. But I was awestruck. There’s something magical about the winter sun on the wooden floor in late afternoon. I never get tired of seeing it. The magic never wanes.

I store these awestruck moments to sustain me and keep me on track. I find washing dishes magical, too, not in an awe striking way. Rather the magic is flowing, being carried away on a cloud. It’s a delightful physical sensation. I suppose you’re thinking I’m a bit nutty. I am. It is a wonderful feeling.

NEW BEGINNINGS

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Happy New Year. It’s January 1, 2024. It’s the first day of the year. It’s the first day of the rest of my life. It’s also the first day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. So many firsts. So many new beginnings, opportunities and adventures. These are the things I will be writing about this month. Why am I doing the challenge?

I love the physical act of writing. I love tapping on the keyboard and see the letters march across the screen. It soothes and smooths me. Writing is how I restore the order in my brain. Otherwise it’s a frigging mess of mumble jumble. It helps me find my way out of a wet paper bag. So now you know. I write for my mental health.

There are rules in this challenge. I have to write a post a day. Then if I want to be in the daily thread/queue, I have to read the 2 posts above mine and make comments on each. I like rules. They make for good discipline. Being in a challenge makes it accountable. There are perks also. It gives me community. I meet and get to know other bloggers. I learn from their knowledge.

I like to succeed in showing up each day in January. I’m making attainable goals. It helps that I have chosen words for the new year. 1. Be brilliant. 2. Resilience. It’s a brilliant way of starting a new year and challenge. They give me something to strive for.

MY WORD(S)

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Happy New Year’s Eve. It’s another beautiful sunny afternoon – not at all our typical December 31. It looks like October or early November. Still no snow. I think there are no more typical anything or back to the normal. We have to embrace change and learn to speak and do different. We have to stop clinging to the past and old cliches. We have to be brilliant so we can be resilient.

You know it. Those are my words for the new coming year. Resilience was my first choice. But when I saw the be brilliant sign, it grabbed me, too. I like to shine once in awhile. I don’t like being dark and gloomy all the time. What better time to shine than at the brink of the new year? I have to put up signs to remind me to glow instead of glower which is my nature. I have my work cut up for me living my words.

Do you have a word and if you do, what is it?

FOCUS – ATOMIC HABITS

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The sun has finally risen, lighting up my world. I’m happy to see it. I’m feeling my moody blues coming on. I’m treading carefully, not making any quick decisions or moves. I was thinking of thinning more out of my closets and drawers. I nixed the idea and to wait for a better time. Not having anything of urgency on my to do list today, I feel it’s ok to just wallow in whatever it is here for me now. I can just relax into my mood.

It is the perfect morning to have another cup of tea and finish watching an episode of Lewis on Prime Video. It did help to ease my moody mind. I’m ok with feeling what I am feeling. I’m focused enough now to sit here and tap out a few words and thoughts. I’m wearing a jacket I was gathering for the goodwill bin. I tried it on, discovered it still fits and match what I am wearing. Looks pretty good, doesn’t it? It is keeper. I will throw out something else in its stead.

I am not so full of vim and vinegar today. I am relying on good habits to help me along. It’s a good thing I’m reading Atomic Habits at the moment. It contains many good ideas and motivates me in moments like today. It’s like that light in the tunnel that keeps beckoning me forward.

The plantar fasciitis in my left foot is better today. I dare not feel too gleeful. I am tempted to head out for a walk around the block. The sun beckons.

SMALL SUCCESSES

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My foot is feeling a little better. I’m planning my movements before I move. Before I get out of bed in the morning I do some ankle circles, point and flex my toes. They get a workout before they hit the floor. I take care not to stand too long and not make long treks through the mall. I’m driving around the outside of the mall to access the stores. I’m exercising my brain instead of my feet.

It’s a bit of a shame because the weather is sunny and warm. It’s good weather for walking – for healthy feet. Last year this time we were cross country skiing almost every day at the Wildwood Golf Course. It looks like there won’t be any skiing any time soon. We’ve been hitting the gym these mornings. It’s good to have alternatives.

The weight scale is dipping a wee bit for me. Dieting hasn’t worked for me yet, so I am not. Cutting back makes me want more and think about food all the time. Instead, I try to eat wisely and healthy so that I don’t have sugar lows and cravings. Time will tell if it works. Meanwhile washing dishes still gives me pleasure and a sense of order. I’m getting pretty efficient at it, too. It feels good to be good at something and have even a small measure of success. It keeps me going.

DISAPPOINTMENTS

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I am disappointed that I’ve stumbled and did not show yesterday. I left coming to the keyboard late. I did some shopping for my parents in the afternoon. It required some walking. My plantar fasciitis flared. It was slow and painful making my way through the mall. I came home tired and hungry. You know what happens then.

I had to make myself a cuppa, put my feel up and had a snack. My energy and willpower flagged. I lost myself in watching Lewis on Prime Video. British crime shows are great stress relaxers for me. They do eat up a lot of time being 90 minutes long. It was supper time when the show was over. But it was so worth it. I needed that! I felt rested.

We went out for supper. I had been looking so forward to having fish and chips at Pink Cadillac. Having had it, I am disappointed. It wasn’t that bad. It was big enough, unlike the skimpy thin ones I had at Red Lobster a few weeks ago. But it was a bit over fried. It seems like they were better in my memory and in the past. Disappointment aside, it dampened my desire for eating up for awhile and for fish and chips. There seemed to be not just a few weighty customers. The only slim jims were the waiters.

Did I tell you that I plan to lose 10 pounds and keep it off? I guess I should cross out fish and chips on my list. Mmm. Now in my head I’m seeing that banana split floating by to the next table.

BOXING DAY 2023

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It’s a beautiful sunny Boxing Day afternoon. All is calm. All is bright. It’s 5℃ out and 6.2℃ in the greenhouse. I’ve seeded a small tray of lettuce greens in anticipation of our present weather trend of warm temperatures and no snow.

I’m deeply immersed in reading A Thousand Acres. Did you know it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1992? It was hard to tear myself away to write this post. I’m on a streak of showing up now every day for a week. I don’t want to break the cycle and end up in a slump before January. I’m practicing discipline and succeeding.

I’m not doing as well rehabbing the fasciitis in my foot. It is a very slow process. It is very discouraging since I am faithfully doing the exercises every day. I’m learning patience and forbearance. I have to remember that Rome was not built in a day. And I have been careless and abusive with my feet since summer. So now I have to put in the time to heal it. I have numerous resources on treatment besides YouTube. One thing for sure is there are no quick fixes.

There are no quick solutions to lose some of the holiday fat either. It’s another slow and discouraging process. It keeps coming back again and again like a bad penny. But that’s something we can talk about tomorrow. I have to get back to my book. It’s calling me and I have to get up and move.