Flowers: My New Obsession

Don't get me wrong: I love flowers. Back when I worked as a magazine editor, our office was located within walking distance of the flower district. Going out for my walks at lunch time, you would have thought you were somewhere else other than New York, when you passed those florists that would have their gorgeous wares on display right outside of their shops. My walks were often adorned with the most beautiful, most whimsical works of natural art, straight from God's hands.

I love flowers. I just didn't always necessarily love taking care of them. There was always something else to do, and gardening was so time-consuming, besides I didn't have that legendary green thumb, etc. My hubby and I have had an arrangement: He takes care of the outside of the house, and that would include our rosebushes and palm trees (yes, we have palm trees! Two of them! LOL!), and I clean & pretty up the inside of the house.

But then Bill had to have surgery last week. That left me with the task of babysitting the flowers, some of which I've bought but he usually tends to. Since I took off a couple days from work to take care of Bill during his recovery, I had time just to water the flowers and the rest of the garden at my leisure.

And that was the beginning of my brand-new obsession. Over the weekend I added MORE flowers, which I potted myself. You can see them above, where they're beautifying our deck! There's something peaceful and centering about caring for a garden, even one like ours which is spread out, some of it in the backyard, some of it in the front (here's a shot of our front yard, with the azaleas that greet you when you first arrive at our home). Then there are the pretty annuals in hanging planters lined along our porch.

So when I'm not writing, I can spend time with my cheerful dahlias and those sassy gerbera daisies that just fascinate me! Suddenly now I'm on a search for flowers that show off, that catch your eye, that make a little corner of our deck remind me of those folks in the City who would take a tiny patch of yard and totally transform it with the colors and fragrance of wonderful, wonderful flowers.

I like to think of home now as our OWN flower district!

Celebrating 6 Months of Intuitive Eating

Yep, SIX months! I said I'd revisit the subject in a few months, so here I am.

It started even earlier, but this book really put it in perspective for me. Since then I've read other books, including the wonderful HEALTH AT EVERY SIZE by Linda Bacon, PhD. But it was INTUITIVE EATING by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, two nutrionists, who started me on the path of making peace with my weight. I could hug those ladies!!!

But I don't want to give the impression that this been easy, either. There've been times when I thought, "Maybe I shouldn't trust myself to eat right and exercise without dieting." And of course, "I'll probably gain all this weight unless I diet stringently, blah blah blah." And let's not forget the old, "Wasn't I a lot happier when I weighed 117 - 120???"

Okay, now, here are only some of the changes that eating intuitively--that is, when you're hungry, stopping when you're full, honoring your health and your hunger, and making room for those "play foods" (i.e. chips and my beloved M&Ms!)--have wrought:

1. I rarely weigh myself now, but the times that I have I notice my weight has stabilized around 133 - 136 pounds. That's what I weigh now NATURALLY, without starving myself or overeating. And I'm just as happy as when I weighed 117 - 120 because over these months I've come to realize that happiness (and the even more valuable "joy") come from sources other than a machine called a "scale".

2. It has been months--scratch that, let's just say I can't remember the last time I binged. There are days when I eat more than others, days when I eat less. Now that I gave myself permission to eat potato chips, I'm satisfied with a portion of chips rather than half the bag.

3. I have attended parties and get-togethers, plus a church dinner, all places where there was food, and each time I stopped when I was full. If I did have more than that, I didn't waste time beating myself up over it. I can trust myself around food and food is not an "enemy". Both are VERY empowering revelations!

4. I've learned that I have a terrific, supportive family doctor who agrees that it's not about diets, it's about moderation.

5. Though I don't go to the gym excessively anymore, I still go...when I'm not walking out in the sunshine or at my belly dance class. I am now moving from the beginners' class to the advanced class! AND I'm learning the choreography for my first belly dancing performance. This isn't exercise; this is TRUE LOVE. :D

6. Dieting and beating yourself up for not being 10 pounds (or more) thinner takes up a LOT of time and energy. That's time and energy that is better spent paying attention to your spiritual needs, and just enjoying those you love, and throwing your whole heart into your creativity.

7. Finally, intuitive eating has allowed me to be gentler to myself.

So for me, thank you, Evelyn Tribole, Elyse Resch and Linda Bacon. It's been an inspiring, eye-opening and wonderful 6 months. Here's to never dieting again!