Tired of Being Fat

I take a lot of supplements and several prescription meds. I've decided if I'm really trying to be healthy it makes no sense not to lose weight. Last year I lost 48 pounds and I'd like to lose at least enough to make it a cool one hundred. I hate going to meetings but like the Weight Watchers plan. You are assigned a given number of points you can eat every day, based on your height and weight. When you've eaten that many points you're done for the day. So I joined WW online. I have a daily point total of 25. A Dairy Queen cheeseburger is eight points and a McDonald's ice cream cone is 2 points. A banana is also 2 points. Anyway it seems sensible to me. So now you know my secret: I'm walking and eating sensibly. I want to be here to go to my granddaughters' college graduation.

"Going For a Walk" vs "Exercise"

Why does walking down the road alone seem like exercise but pushing a wheelchair feels like merely taking a pleasant stroll? Thursday I took Maggie, my little patient, for a walk around the block in her wheelchair. The sun was shining warmly above us and a breeze was blowing. We just kept walking; we walked around that silly block three times! We watched a squirrel scampering in a pile of limbs and sticks left from the ice storm, admired a little boy's new bike and shiny helmet and enjoyed a patch of daffodils. We walked as long as I do when I do it for exercise but I didn't want to go in I was having such a nice time! Maggie doesn't talk but I'm sure she was loving it, too.

Why, I wonder, don't I enjoy my "exercise walks" this much? Maybe I need to get a wheelchair to push. Or a cute little dog to walk.

A New Habit

One of the mental illnesses I deal with is anxiety. According to all the sources I read as well as my therapist harping on it, exercise is one of the best ways to cope with it. Monday I had a particularly difficult day and in desperation decided to give it a try. You have to know that to me exercise has equaled punishment. I am a slug and am the first to admit it. But like I said, I was desperate. So I went for a walk. It's a mile from our house to the lake so I trudged along til I got to Lake Road then turned around and trudged back. Well, it made me feel so much better I did it again yesterday. I keep thinking about the endorphins and the increase in neurotransmitters in my brain and the studies that say regular exercise helps stave off dementia. Plus, after it's over I just feel better. Hopefully, I've started a healthy new habit.

They Come From A Pink Chicken

Tommy and I were standing in line at the deli counter the other day when he spied a dish of pickled eggs. "Pink eggs!" he exclaimed. "Where did they get pink eggs?" I explained they were pickled but I'm not sure he believed me--they sure didn't look green like pickles. So I bought one for him. He ate the whole thing and professed to like it. I guess it's true we learn something new every day.

An Unexpected Visitor

Just as I was getting ready to go to Judi's to work this afternoon I glanced outside and there on the deck was a big fat squirrel. We had put a bin of old birdseed out there and he was chowing down on it. I grabbed the camera and took a couple of pictures of him. I hope he eats the whole bin!

A Prayer

I've been reading from The Divine Hours, Prayers for Springtime, which has a liturgical bent. The prayers often say what I want to say but much more eloquently. Here's one I read today.

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of my faith, that I may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

And this verse: You strengthen me more and more; you enfold and comfort me. Ps 71:21

She's A Bad Influence...

What a beautiful spring day this has been!! My thermometer says 75 and I believe it. I have 3 or 4 daffodils about to burst open. My late mother-in-law used to tell me it had to snow 3 times on the daffodils before spring had really arrived. I hope that's not the case this year.

I spent the afternoon shopping with Julia Gurnee at the Millcreek Mall. It had been along time since I shopped with anyone but Tom, but it was fun to poke around the stores with another woman. After lunch at Cracker Barrel we hit AC Moore for candles-what a bargain-then went to Christopher and Banks. Afterward we stopped at CJ Banks (the Christopher and Banks for those of us whose size begins with X), where I bought a summer sweater for myself. Then it was on to The Children's Place. I found some adorable dresses and T-shirts for my granddaughters. If I'd been independently wealthy those girls would have had a whole new wardrobe! I think Julia was a bad influence on me; I rarely buy anything from a store that doesn't have "mart" in its title.

I learned something, too, on our outing: it is possible to go to Erie without stopping at Barnes and Noble! Go figure.

Another Good Book

Sometimes writing this blog drives me crazy! I just finished a post about Christ the Lord, Road to Cana. I had proofread and tweaked and fussed til I had it just the way I wanted it. Then I clicked on the wrong thing and it all disappeared. Aarrrghhhh. Oh, well. Suffice it to say that this book was a great sequel to Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt. It tells the story of Jesus' continuing discovery of his life's work and his place in God's redeeming plan for mankind. Though not gospel, it is a fascinating read, one I would recommend to anyone wanting to know more about Jesus.

Now if I can click on the right thing I will publish this post before it, too, disappears.