Pearls

Hello folks: This is one of my original posts from my very early blogging days in August. I cringe when I think about reading my old posts (do any other bloggers or writers do that too?). I feel that my writing style has changed, as has my content. However, this post still rang true.

I had been intending to do a little recycling anyway, and right now seemed a perfect time. I have a bunch of half-written posts in the queue, but I need more time to have fun doctoring them up and add photos. So why not revisit an old post?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LIFE IS LIKE A PEARL NECKLACE:

Well, not exactly. But I like to think of our knowledge base as a string of pearls. And I LOVE stumbling upon random "pearls"- little tidbits that really hit home and sink in and create an a-HA moment. I have experienced a few in recent months that I'd like to share with you...

Food Diary Change:
Charlotte wrote a post about her grandmother, who had suffered eating disorders her entire life until she died. Later, Charlotte came across her journals and instead of memories of her life, the journals contained every morsel that went into her grandmother's mouth- every calorie accounted for- until she died. Charlotte was so saddened that there was no mention of the people she loved, her life experiences, and her joys- but rather useless numbers. That day I decided I would stop with the madness that was MY food diary (above in purple is the "old" food diary-I showed it to a dietician and she nearly fell off her chair). I still keep a journal (above in yellow)- but it's more about my day's activities, and summarizing the calories, but not "7 almonds= 60 calories".

Edited to Add 12/16/09: If you want to read about my decision to ditch the food diary, you can do so here. I would be lying if I said that I haven't been struggling to keep a weight with which I am extremely happy. I figure that I have gained about 3-5 pounds since losing the diary. I have also been traveling and celebrating various occasions that has made it a challenge for me. However, for the time being, the emotional strain that it took to keep track of every morsel of food was not worth weight I have gained during the time that I have not been keeping records. I am trying very hard to find a balance where I am able to lose a few pounds without resorting back to counting calories. For me, it really was no way to live. As always, it's an ongoing process. I am just trying to be more "normal".

Tying my shoes:

So random, I know. I think it was Tina who posted about "how to tie your shoes". Fact is, if you tie your laces correctly, they should almost NEVER come undone. And you should not need to double-knot them in order for them to stay put. If your shoelaces often come undone, there is a solution! Another hint that your laces are tied correctly: the bow will sit at a 90 degree angle to your shoe from toe to heel. If it is incorrect, it will flop over at a 45-degree angle and not look "neat". I find it hilarious that for mumble mumble decades, I've been tying my shoes wrong! So now if I fall on my face, I'll just blame it on a crack in the pavement or copious amounts of booze. I've posted a link to an instructional video that I found. Enjoy.

Interpreting "Hunger":

I have read about a zillion books on diet and health. Oh, please don't think that I'm a brainiac or anything! I don't retain all of the information I read, but once in a while something hits home. Just recently I was reading a book that is mostly psychobabble, but one thing the author said that really made sense involved the difference between emotional hunger and real true stomach hunger: to paraphrase...

• Emotional Hunger comes on like Gang-buster and is the type that makes you think that if you don't get something in your gullet asap, you might just start to eat your own arm.

• Real Hunger comes on more slowly, and builds. But (here's the clincher)... real. hunger. can. wait. Genius. And true.
  

Wow. A total eye-opener. I always had it the other way around. I always thought that if I suddenly get hungry, I must be starved and my life would be in danger if I opted to wait to eat for another 5 minutes. Hence my previous affinity for coolers. I've been trying to tune in for the past month and I've been amazed. Try it yourself.

Recognizing the Booze munchies:

Matt of Kath and Matt fame pointed out something interesting not long ago. They had been out to dinner and had some beer and/or wine. They had a lovely, filling meal, then afterward, Kath announced that she that wanted an ice cream. Matt simply put his hand on her shoulder and said something like "No, it's the wine that wants one". So true.

Look at Charlotte [RIP] and Samantha- ogling our wine...such booze-hounds (yuk yuk, gettit?)

And for the record, I have no idea why the font size goes from HUGE to tiny. I keep changing it back to "normal" but I think this post just has a mind of it's own :-) So at this point, any pearls of wisdom regarding Blogger settings/layout/format would be greatly appreciated.

Edited to Add: I have been on blogger for four months now, and I still am dazed and confused. For those who are curious, I DID try Wordpress too, and I am lacking the Wordpress Portion of my cerebrum. Sad but true.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the way, if the lovely Francesca Litz is reading, YOU WON the first HeabVersary giveaway and you'll need to contact Heather with your address. You have until December 21, 2009 to step forward otherwise ANOTHER WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN! And if you witnessed the pain and torture of the winner-choosing process, you'll want to spare the blogosphere any more stupid pet tricks to find a new winner. Trust me, I have lots. And I'll use them if I have to.

Q: Do you have any great pearls of wisdom or a-ha moments to share?

Deb