I've come to realize over the years that my body is my body and I'm glad I've got it. I'm healthy, compact, close to the sidewalk, and everythings works pretty good. I'm almost proud of my pretty good hair, great eyebrows, excellent cheekbone structure, and everything south of there is what it is.
Now taking care of my great eyebrows has become a "thing" since I started wearing glasses 6 years ago. I can't see my eyebrows to groom them - I have to ask a member of the sighted population to take care of them.
But a couple of days ago, the light was good so I thought I would check for strays by looking through my glasses as if they were magnifiers and to my shock and horror discovered MY EYBROWS ARE GROWING SIDEWAYS DOWN MY FACE!!! This is not good! If you only have 3 things you think are good about your body and one goes sideways on you (literally) it makes for a very short list........
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
To a Happy and Happier Anniversary
Saturday was our 39th anniversary. Dave and I had a delightful ceremony in a Craftsman mansion at UBC on January 15, 1972. We were a new generation with new ideas: we had matching wedding rings instead of an engagement ring, we wrote our own vows and we stayed in Vancouver instead of escaping on a honeymoon. We were the real deal.
We were so happy to be together. We moved into our apartment with nothing but a trunk of clothes and our wedding gifts. Dave got a job from my dad and a delivery truck from my brother. I walked into my tiny kitchen, put my avocado appliances away and taught myself to cook by reading the two recipe books I received as gifts. The second week I was married we had our first dinner guests. I made a complete Chinese meal and we ate on a tablecloth spread on the carpet because we had no table or chairs.
We have pastored a log cabin church by the ocean, rushed sick babies to the hospital in the middle of the night, prayed with the wealthy and poor, dined with the prime minister of Israel, had money arrive by supernatural means right when we needed it, renovated numerous houses on a shoestring, and loved each other through it all - some days more than others!
Now we live together in an English cottage, work together in an amazing school and serve together in the best church we know. That's a lot of togetherness. It's pretty good, but I think this year I'd like to do a little better. I don't want to take for granted one of the best people I've ever met, but I also need to make sure I have enough down time to unwind. I know I have more to give when I've had time to reset my mind and emotions. (And exercise - another topic for another day)
So this is part of The 60 project: to make sure I preserve my days off for unwinding, keeping my mind off work, doing what needs to be done combined with taking care of myself. Last Thursday I went shopping with my daughter - all day (I know!), and today I read a book, answered my email, got a pedicure and a haircut and visited with a friend. Occasionally I feel guilty, like I should be changing the world or laying down my life for somebody, but I just smack myself upside the head and that pretty much takes care of it. Try it!
We were so happy to be together. We moved into our apartment with nothing but a trunk of clothes and our wedding gifts. Dave got a job from my dad and a delivery truck from my brother. I walked into my tiny kitchen, put my avocado appliances away and taught myself to cook by reading the two recipe books I received as gifts. The second week I was married we had our first dinner guests. I made a complete Chinese meal and we ate on a tablecloth spread on the carpet because we had no table or chairs.
We have pastored a log cabin church by the ocean, rushed sick babies to the hospital in the middle of the night, prayed with the wealthy and poor, dined with the prime minister of Israel, had money arrive by supernatural means right when we needed it, renovated numerous houses on a shoestring, and loved each other through it all - some days more than others!
Now we live together in an English cottage, work together in an amazing school and serve together in the best church we know. That's a lot of togetherness. It's pretty good, but I think this year I'd like to do a little better. I don't want to take for granted one of the best people I've ever met, but I also need to make sure I have enough down time to unwind. I know I have more to give when I've had time to reset my mind and emotions. (And exercise - another topic for another day)
So this is part of The 60 project: to make sure I preserve my days off for unwinding, keeping my mind off work, doing what needs to be done combined with taking care of myself. Last Thursday I went shopping with my daughter - all day (I know!), and today I read a book, answered my email, got a pedicure and a haircut and visited with a friend. Occasionally I feel guilty, like I should be changing the world or laying down my life for somebody, but I just smack myself upside the head and that pretty much takes care of it. Try it!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Do what I love?
Stuck at home watching an old Meg Ryan movie. Her character has hit bottom, and Bette Midler asks her "what do you love? Do it just for yourself!"
What answers pop into your mind? I drew a blank. I love everything I do. It's the amounts of it I have to do that gets me in trouble.
I have a new adventure ahead of me - I'll be rolling it out this week. How do I keep it from getting so big that it rolls over me like a tractor, squeezing out the fun? I have a mental picture of me opening this brand new window, and blizzard I didn't see coming blows in and flattens me against the far wall!
Do I do it just for me? I think I'm doing my work to serve others. I know others benefit, but I must be doing it for myself somehow. Hmmm....
When planning the 60 Project, I'd better take this into consideration.
What answers pop into your mind? I drew a blank. I love everything I do. It's the amounts of it I have to do that gets me in trouble.
I have a new adventure ahead of me - I'll be rolling it out this week. How do I keep it from getting so big that it rolls over me like a tractor, squeezing out the fun? I have a mental picture of me opening this brand new window, and blizzard I didn't see coming blows in and flattens me against the far wall!
Do I do it just for me? I think I'm doing my work to serve others. I know others benefit, but I must be doing it for myself somehow. Hmmm....
When planning the 60 Project, I'd better take this into consideration.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Things that keep me awake at night
Jet lag. An afternoon nap. Caffeine. Thinking about my kids/husband/life. Imagining that One More Thing.
I think turning 60 next year is making me aware that I have just enough time in my working life for One More Thing. Something bigger than me, that has a big learning curve, that will tend to consume me if I let it (another problem for another page) that will create something that was not there when I started.
I have some clues, but that's all so far. Stay tuned. Do you have any guesses? suggestions?
I think turning 60 next year is making me aware that I have just enough time in my working life for One More Thing. Something bigger than me, that has a big learning curve, that will tend to consume me if I let it (another problem for another page) that will create something that was not there when I started.
I have some clues, but that's all so far. Stay tuned. Do you have any guesses? suggestions?
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
About the weight thing....
Let's just get the weight thing out of the way. August 2009 David and I changed our eating, and I lost 47 lbs. over 7 months. I started exercising around December, and got a personal trainer in March. Then in April we spent 2 weeks in Phoenix with most of our family and put on a little. Then the summer came and we did a big backyard project, not cooking proper meals and put on a little. Then Dave went to Africa for 3 weeks and I enjoyed myself gastronomically while he was gone, and did NOT put on a little......until he came back. We hit the ground running for the school year which turned out to be much more work for me than I had anticipated, and I put on a lot! Now I'm up 22 lbs from March, but still 25 lbs. less than July 2009.
So now the obvious question is: should weight loss be a part of The 60 Project? Here's the deal:
Case A: I'm built the same as my mother and grandmothers - sturdy and close to the sidewalk. I'm in excellent health, take no regular medications (except for Prilosec for acid reflux - I promised to be transparent), no heart, cancer, diabetes etc. issues. I love food. Real food, with butter and pecans and gorgonzola and fresh vegies and meat, Jamie Oliver food - you get the idea.
Case B: I liked weighing less. I could move easier, clothes fit better, I felt younger, my body looked better - especially my ankles - and I was more willing to exercise. However, I think I looked older in my face, the bags under my eyes got worse, and I now have a neck like a turkey.
Dr. Oz says a good goal is to lose 1 pound a month. Is that even measurable for me? My weight jumps up like it is on a mission from God to restore me to my former glory. Do I look at this like a hobby? If I would choose a hobby, it would be getting out into the garden everyday (which, in spite of what the magazines say, is NOT an exercise program), not measuring food and measuring me. Do I do the Oprah - go up, go down, go up, get a rack of custom made clothes, Restylane and the best lighting in the world? (sing along: If I had a million dollars.....)
I'm leaning towards putting a 'sensible eating and walking a lot' plan into action for the next couple of weeks to un-Christmas my body and mind, then Sure Slimming our breakfasts and lunches and most dinners, and see where that gets me. Any other suggestions? Truthfully, don't you like to see it when your friends slim down a little?
So now the obvious question is: should weight loss be a part of The 60 Project? Here's the deal:
Case A: I'm built the same as my mother and grandmothers - sturdy and close to the sidewalk. I'm in excellent health, take no regular medications (except for Prilosec for acid reflux - I promised to be transparent), no heart, cancer, diabetes etc. issues. I love food. Real food, with butter and pecans and gorgonzola and fresh vegies and meat, Jamie Oliver food - you get the idea.
Case B: I liked weighing less. I could move easier, clothes fit better, I felt younger, my body looked better - especially my ankles - and I was more willing to exercise. However, I think I looked older in my face, the bags under my eyes got worse, and I now have a neck like a turkey.
Dr. Oz says a good goal is to lose 1 pound a month. Is that even measurable for me? My weight jumps up like it is on a mission from God to restore me to my former glory. Do I look at this like a hobby? If I would choose a hobby, it would be getting out into the garden everyday (which, in spite of what the magazines say, is NOT an exercise program), not measuring food and measuring me. Do I do the Oprah - go up, go down, go up, get a rack of custom made clothes, Restylane and the best lighting in the world? (sing along: If I had a million dollars.....)
I'm leaning towards putting a 'sensible eating and walking a lot' plan into action for the next couple of weeks to un-Christmas my body and mind, then Sure Slimming our breakfasts and lunches and most dinners, and see where that gets me. Any other suggestions? Truthfully, don't you like to see it when your friends slim down a little?
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Happy Birthday to Me
I'm in Japan celebrating my 59th birthday on December 27, 2010 when it hits me that I better get ready to become 60.
My husband David turned 60 a few months earlier, and it shocked me. How could he be 60 already? I started measuring everything back from him becoming 65, as in "OMG, he should be retiring in 4 years and 10 months and then he's stuck with me all day every day" or "if I don't get to Europe finally in the next 4 summers, I'll never have another chance!". Like that.
This also happened to me when my mother died 2 years ago. Being in the geriatric wards and nursing homes those last months made me feel like everyone in the world was dying, me included. Which is true, actually - we're just not all dying this week. We're taking turns, just like we learned in kindergarten. Except I didn't go to kindergarten, because there was no kindergarten when I was a child. That's just another example of how old I am, and how it must be my turn soon to, well, you know.
I do, however, have one year to prepare my state of mind and whatever else needs preparing to become 60. I don't even know the questions to ask, which is rare for me, so I thought I'd try blogging. I vow to avoid saying the obvious, such as "I feel 37!" or "what's the matter with kids these days?". (I actually know the answer to that last one.) I vow to be as transparent as I can be about what I am seeing, hearing, feeling and sensing. I wonder if I'll get all serious about losing weight or filing my will, or if I'll keeping veering off the road with comments like: gee, look at all the pretty flowers!
My husband David turned 60 a few months earlier, and it shocked me. How could he be 60 already? I started measuring everything back from him becoming 65, as in "OMG, he should be retiring in 4 years and 10 months and then he's stuck with me all day every day" or "if I don't get to Europe finally in the next 4 summers, I'll never have another chance!". Like that.
This also happened to me when my mother died 2 years ago. Being in the geriatric wards and nursing homes those last months made me feel like everyone in the world was dying, me included. Which is true, actually - we're just not all dying this week. We're taking turns, just like we learned in kindergarten. Except I didn't go to kindergarten, because there was no kindergarten when I was a child. That's just another example of how old I am, and how it must be my turn soon to, well, you know.
I do, however, have one year to prepare my state of mind and whatever else needs preparing to become 60. I don't even know the questions to ask, which is rare for me, so I thought I'd try blogging. I vow to avoid saying the obvious, such as "I feel 37!" or "what's the matter with kids these days?". (I actually know the answer to that last one.) I vow to be as transparent as I can be about what I am seeing, hearing, feeling and sensing. I wonder if I'll get all serious about losing weight or filing my will, or if I'll keeping veering off the road with comments like: gee, look at all the pretty flowers!
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