What I realized about Joe

Earlier this week I made a decision to step away from the Joe. Okay, so maybe I took like 10 steps away. Everyone that knows me is aware of how I love thee, so needless to say it's been tough. I have always heard that coffee can really dehydrate a persons body, and that for every cup of coffee you should chase it down with two cups of water. A few years ago while under the care of my naturapath doctor, I was advised to leave the coffee alone.

Blah, blah , blah my love and borderline addiction kept me from heeding the counsel. Fast forward to the present day.... I'm looking in on a skin analysis demonstration by my esthetics's educator who very strategically allows my classmates and I to witness a classic case of completely dehydrated skin under the all seeing magnifying lamp. To say the least, I was scared straight !
Oh my goodness, What?!

After taking a closer look at my own skin with an esthetician's eye, I was able to see what I've been doing to my skin which is EXTERNAL. I don't even want to see what could be going on INTERNALLY. Needless to say I been moisturizing like it's going out of style and guzzling water like a fish taken out of it's element!

I am normally a person who tries to stay on the path of wellness, but by my own admittance I need encouragement in certain areas. I must admit nothing encourages a woman better than the threat of losing her external beauty (Vanity , I know).

I always say "TIMING IS EVERYTHING" , this all happens on the skirt tail of the Health and Wellness tweetup I attended two weeks ago.

Changes and growth occur when we are ready to receive them. Balance is key.
I'm motivated yet again.

I wish my jeans could travel, or something like that.

Yeah, something like that...kind of like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Honestly, I never saw the movie or read the books (although I plan too), but the name and the concept speaks for itself and I think its kind of cool.

Unfortunately, my jeans and I do not belong to the Traveling Pants group. The exact reason why I am sad and saying Rest In Peace to them. In case you did not know by now, these are not JUST a pair of jeans. No, these are my FAVORITE pair of jeans. These jeans have seen me through thick and thin, literally. They are the only jeans I could wear through my yo-yo weight and still look good on me. They just adjusted to every curve I gained and each inch I lost. These jeans loved me and were loyal to me no matter what!

Over the years after much washing they began to get those tears and rips. I didn't care, it just made me and my jeans look "cooler", "hip" and "funkier". We had rips in the front and rips in the back and we were okay with it. That is until recently.....I tried them on and came to the conclusion that old faithful has gone as far as she could go. I have pushed her to her limit and it seems that she cannot adjust herself to accept my "newest set of curves." We no longer look cool , hip and funky. We just look like...well, you get the point.

So I have to say goodbye, I wish I could pack her up and send her off to the next woman in some other town, some other country, some other city. I just cannot stand to throw her away. Maybe I could donate her to the goodwill! *side eyes* Then one day I will be walking down the street minding my own business with my NEW JEANS and look over to see Her with someone else. Looking cool, hip and funky. My mind would quickly shift back to all the fun times we had back in 'da day. Remembering how she used to fit me like that too. **sigh** I know, I know, I need to just let go ...

Do you think all good jeans go to HEAVEN?

My lightbulb moment

Had a situation today that really put some "light" on how life works. It was actually kinda funny. One of those things that secretly make you feel like a dummy, looking over your shoulder for the hidden camera because this had to be a joke, right?

Well okay, here is some background info. We bought a new house 6 months ago. Fairly new, barely lived in and empty for over two years. Generally everything is in good condition, but as time went on we noticed there were some minor repairs that needed to be done on some major components of the house. It seemed like one by one, little by little something was breaking down. And let's just be honest here, no matter how minor it is a breakdown of any sort is ALWAYS inconvenient.

Two months ago, the lights in the family room stopped working. "Great! just Great!" We complained. Tried checking the wiring, and even made an appointment for an electrician to come to the house and do some inspecting. He hasn't made it here yet. That's what happens when you ask your homeboy to come out. but ANYWAY... We have just been making do, using whatever other light source we had to see whenever we were in that room. Often using the light from the open door of another room nearby, or the light from the computer screen.

Today however, I was changing the light bulb in my laundry room and I got the bright idea to put a light bulb in the family room too. I honestly didn't think it would do any good, but I figured I should just go ahead and do it now and not wait until later. So that once we got the wiring fixed I would not have to look for a bulb. Low and behold, I twisted the bulb in and then flipped the switch (just because) and there was light! Huh? Was that all that was needed all this time? Wowwwwwww, I had to chuckle at the simplicity of the situation. Talk about turning an anthill into a mountain!

Basically, because of the other issues we were facing with the house we approached the missing light situation with the same expectation. We were beginning to view everything that was going on with the house as a problem and so therefore grudgingly approached the missing light in the family room the same way. We did not look at it for what it simply was, a light bulb that needed to be changed. WE made it complicated, WE made it a serious problem. WE did not handle it as it's own entity, it was lumped all together without distinction. WE just did not consider all the possibilities.

This situation made me reflect on life. How often do we handle issues that pop up this way? Just adding each issue to the next and rolling it all into one? Creating one big problem, approaching them all with the same expectation? Sometimes though when we take on each problem as it's own compartment and deal with it accordingly we will see that it is not always soooo serious. Some issues are heavy and weighty while others are really just simple and require little to no work at all. Often the challenges of our lives are what we make them out to be.

Truly a light bulb moment....

Just what the Doctor ordered

The Doctor gave strict orders as I was discharged from the hospital. No lifting, no pushing or pulling of any objects. Complete bedrest for about 2-3 weeks. How's that been going? Well, here's what I've been dealing with for the past 7 days.

In the a.m. my son brews my coffee just the way I like, while my daughter places frozen waffles in the toaster and cooks my bacon not too crispy. My Hubby comes home from work in the p.m., does the laundry, cleans the kitchen, puts dinner on and brings it to my bedside with a smile and a kiss. "Do you need anything else?" Once I have completed our homeschooling lessons for the day, my only care is: which of my favorite movies do I want to watch? Catching up on t.v. reruns, reading great books & journaling. At the end of the night my sheets get retucked, pillows are fluffed and comforter is smoothed out.
Mmmmmm, Mmmmmm!!
A sistah can get used to this. I wonder if I can get a Doctor's note for an extension on my recovery time? This is like the best staycation I ever had! Too bad I had to lose a body organ to experience it.

Just sayin'