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Introduction Text Saturday, 18July2009 - Due to having different circumstances (particularly with my health), I have followed the advice of my doctors and other wise people and conserved my energy for things offline for over a year. I kept hoping that I would be able to return to regular participation here at SparkPeople, but I have still not reached that point. I am thankful that I have reached the point that I could come here to post this note to let you know I am still alive and kicking and have maintained my weight loss. I don't know when I will be able to be back to participate. Because I have hope, I am leaving my page up rather than closing my account. I have felt and do feel the connection with SparkGuy and with my former teams and with my friends and acquaintances here. Your energy and spirit continue to support me in a meaningful way even though I haven't been online to read anything here. Sparkle, my Bichon Frise, continues to be healthy in body, mind, and spirit as she grows from being a puppy into an adult. She's just past a year and a half now, so she's mature physically but still developing mentally and in her personality. I'm privileged to observe her own individual life's journey, and I learn so much from her. Even on my worst days, she makes me laugh! Sometimes "less" really is "more." I have been here less and have been able to do "less" in most areas of my life over the past year. Yet I have had so much "fullness of joy" in the past year and am finally on the right medicine for a misdiagnosed illness, so in some ways, the past 13 or so months have been one of the best times of my life. Stay as sweet as you are, dear Sparkers; stay as supportive as you are - I feel the strength of your life-energy and am lifted up .... and encouraged to find ways to deal with my frustration and impatience that I cannot be online till whenever I can be online. (sigh) I miss you. I think about you often. Love from Sunny and the SparklePup! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Wednesday, 28May2008--NOTE TO MYSELF What I am convinced of to my own satisfaction: 1. I can trust my gut instinct. (Never mind about anyone else - my gut tells me what is good, better, or best for me; all I have to do is to listen and obey.) 2. My gut instinct tells me that I'm already building on my success since 1May2007 by "doing nothing" (about *trying* to lose more weight). I like the wisdom of doing rather than *trying* to do; for me, doing nothing IS indeed doing. I choose to do rather than to try to do. 3. I've always been thankful that my parents did not let me skip a grade when some teachers wanted me to. I don't intend to skip a grade now by pushing for weight loss beyond the 50 pounds before I've had a chance to complete my current lessons. ++++++++++++++++++++ IMPORTANT - REEEEALLY IMPORTANT DISCOVERY ..... if you love computer games, go to www.hungrygirl.com and play the free game there: Whack-A-Snack ... in my zeal for punching out the evil snacks, I zapped a carrot by mistake! EEEK! It looked like a small fry to me! LOL ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 21April2008-- I am humbled and amazed: I have lost (and kept off) 50 pounds in 50.5 weeks. As I've noted elsewhere on this page, my metabolism in my 60's is better than it was in my 40's. One of the things I take from my experiences in losing weight throughout my adult life: Sometimes it's easier to do than other times. Therefore, if you are finding it a struggle to lose or to maintain your loss, I do understand; I have walked in those shoes most of my adult life. Do what you can when you can; ask for help; be willing to add one small victory at a time, such as loving yourself in this moment just as you are and doing a happy dance around your office or home to celebrate *YOU*! Keep taking babysteps - that's what I'm doing still. LAUGH, SING, AND DANCE YOUR WAY THROUGH LIFE! "Lighten up while you still can." ------FROM "Take It Easy," by The Eagles --"Lighten up!" ... continuing my work to become more LIGHThearted --"Lighten up!" ... being sure to get enough LIGHT daily from the sun or from my LIGHTbox --"Lighten up!" ... benefit from the LIGHT unto my path --"Lighten up!" ... LIGHTEN the load; stress prevention and stress management --"Lighten up!" ... LIGHTEN the lbs. = weigh less (lose AND maintain) ........."while you still can" = you always can start or start over at a later time, but there will never be a better time to lighten up than now, just as there will never be a better time to save than now. Each moment is "as good as it gets" so don't wait for the next moment to start; do it now (with a plan). Each moment, every day offers us the opportunity to begin anew. THROUGHOUT 2008: Focus on maximizing my joy and delight. The times when I can't be with the situations/people I'd love, may I have the creativity to love the ones I'm with, even if it's my pain ... just to sit with it, without wishing the time away. That has already been my practice for years; this year, I want to kick my joy and delight up a notch .... 'cause more and more, I have to admit to myself, "Life for me ain't been no easy stair." -- Langston Hughes Either I kick my joy and delight up a notch whenever I possibly can, or I may come up short later on. "I will study and prepare myself, and someday my chance will come." -- US President Abraham Lincoln I say, "My day to use my preparation is at hand; I'd BETTER be studying and preparing! LOL" No night so long that it does not end in dawn. "It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness." ----Motto of The Christophers I must add: In times of grief, in times of desperation, in times of despair, in times of outrage, in times of disgust .... I may both curse the darkness AND light a candle. What can I say? Sometimes it helps to get the strong feelings out rather than to have them overwhelm me. Works for me; your mileage may vary. At the bottom of THIS PAGE "See All Favorites" link and go to "HAD IT ALL; LOST IT ALL; REBUILDING OVER 10 YEARS" SP start date: December 2007--already a few years under my belt of saving 12% of my *gross* income. For 2008, my goal is to up the ante: SAVE 15% OF MY GROSS INCOME; TRACK MY GOAL AT THE END OF EACH MONTH.. "Never fear; Crusader Rabbit is here!" ("Crusader Rabbit" was a cartoon show on TV in the 1950's) Comforting to me to think of Crusader Rabbit at times. Rather than suffering the consequences, I can choose to enjoy the consequences. Worthwhile IMX [In My Experience]: http://FLYlady.net +++++ www.DaveRamsey.com

Learning to live life is a lifelong process. We don't have to rush or compare ouselves to others. Two of my strengths: WILLINGNESS and BABYSTEPS. I'm 5'3" May 2007--272 lbs. August.......255 December...234 21April2008..222 lbs.

Overview of what I am doing to reach my goals in all areas of my life: --I am willing. --I work my recovery programs daily. "Powerless" does not mean "helpless." --I practice asking for help. --I take babysteps. Pennies turn to dollars; one step after another can get me moving on down the road. --I practice over and over learning to live as I want to live --I practice compassion for all beings, beginning with compassion for myself. --The most freeing thought for me: I am okay just as I am.

East coast, United States of America born in 1945 . . . See the Pepsi-Cola bottlecap from 1945 in my Gallery of pics

Amazing but true: my metabolism in my 60's is better than it was in my 40's!

Add a Link Each moment, every day, offers us the opportunity to begin anew.
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