What is it you want?

It's a cold, but sunny Thursday morning here in PA. I have been fighting a nasty cold. I rarely get sick. It was inevitable with all the stress that has been going on around here lately. Everyone around me is sick or has been sick, or will be sick. We're tired, worn out, and weary from the last few weeks. The stress is manifesting itself through our bodies and has made us sick. Sleep helps, chicken soup helps, but not much else helps. We are still sad and in shock. We are carrying on each day, but it feels like we are just going through the motions. Because we are.

I am trying to catch up on all the wonderful blogs and posts that I am behind on. I  noticed that so many of you are talking about your anniversaries on the Belly Fat Cure. It made me think of when I really started. I'm not sure, but it has been a long time since I discovered the book and started this lifestyle well over a year ago. I'm down 10 pounds, and although that's an accomplishment, it pales in comparision to some of you big losers.  It took me a long, long time to get those 10 pounds off. Too long.Unlike many of you, the commitment really wasn't there when I started. I thought it was, but looking back, I can see what I did wrong. I stuck to the principles when it was convenient, cheated when I wanted, wrote down sometimes,  then forgot to do that for weeks, ate too many carbs, drank too much wine, dabbled once in awhile in a few bites of the sweet stuff. Have I wasted my time? Yes, I wasted time in reaching my goal. I'm still so far away. But also, no, I did not waste my time, because I gained knowledge, made blogger buddies, started a blog and I still have my goals in site. I gained these things. But like that one commercial about quitting smoking says...maybe all those other starts and failures were just practice for the real thing. Or something like that. All of our practices are just that, practice for the real thing. The gist of it is, no matter how many of you have started and stopped, succeeded and then failed, gave up and came back to the plan....it really doesn't matter. All that matters is what you do from here on in, from this day forward. I have the tools I need, and lots of practice to succeed. We all do. No matter what we are trying to accomplish and no matter what plan we are using to meet our goals....whatever those goals are, we can start again any minute we want too. It can take 5 months, or 5 years. It doesn't matter. Set your own pace, renew your commitments and carry on.

I follow this blog called Finding Your Soul, by David Anderson. He is the husband of the cookbook author and chef Pam Anderson. If you remember, back in July, I won a contest at the home of the Pioneer Woman and Pam was the featured chef. Yesterday in David's blog he talked about the following parable I copied below. It's true, we get back what we put out.

A man and his son were walking in the forest. Suddenly the boy trips and, feeling a sharp pain he screams, “Ahhhh!” Surprised, he hears a voice coming from the mountain, “Ahhhh!”
Filled with curiosity, he screams, “Who are you?” But the only answer he receives is “Who are you?” This makes him angry so he screams, “You are a coward!”, and the voice answers, “You are a coward!”
He looks at his father, asking, “Dad, what is going on?”
“Son,” the man replies, “pay attention.” Then he yells, “I admire you!” The voice answers, “I admire you.” The father shouts, “You are wonderful!” and the voice answers, “You are wonderful!”
Then the father explains, “People call this ECHO but truly this is LIFE. Life always gives you back what you give out. It is a mirror of your actions. If you want more love, give more love. If you want more understanding, give understanding. If you want people to be patient and respectful to you, give patience and respect. The rule of nature applies to every aspect of our lives.”

Thought for the day: When you know better, you do better - Maya Angelou