Resting

This week is a rest week for me.  I need balance.  I need to recharge and settle into the new things I have going on in life.  I know myself well enough to know that when I feel this way, it's time to just relax and put my needs first.

I love that I have gotten to a place in life where this feels very natural and normal.  Self care as a priority feels normal? Revolutionary!  Why was I not taught this at a young age? I think about how much happier I  would all be if I had taken care of my needs and didn't push myself to exhaustion so much growing up and in my 20s. It's hard to explain this to some people because they don't yet understand how good it feels to take care of yourself in this way.

Last night I did some creative projects after a very successful first day on the job.  I slept really well and woke up happy.  I am working hard to trust myself and the Universe and it feels like it is paying off.  Big time!
I also feel so blessed with the women that are coming into my life and providing me with the community and support I always needed and wanted.  I have some of the best girlfriends right now and I could not be preparing to take this large journey without them.  I need a support team of ladies to help me realize this vision on mine and the Universe is bringing me the right people at the right time.

Making Space and Standing Up For Myself

I have been changing a lot lately.  

It’s exhausting.  Change is hard.  Changing your career dreams is terrifying especially when you don’t have a very supportive manager.   I went from one wolf to another.  Same wolf- different clothing.  It’s frustrating but I know it’s not me. That’s the positive side to all of this.   I am showing up and doing the best I can.   It’s true when they say that  only 10% of managers are qualified to manage.  I look forward to the day when I am out of the corporate world and working for myself and building my empire.   

I have so much empathy for teenagers and college age kids suddenly.  All the growth I have gone through in the last couple of years has been painful and hard.  I had dinner with a dear friend from college on Wednesday that spends most of the year on the road touring with famous bands.  We were talking about the last 7 years of my life and he reminded me that I have been through some very dark moments and yet, I survived.   We laughed about the time he came to visit when I had just found out about my spine disease and I did not know if I would ever be able to walk again.   I had taken a massive amount of pain meds just to see him and ended up getting really sick at dinner.  Yet here I am 7 years later, still walking.   Sometimes it’s good to have an old friend remind you of how far you have come.

Monday I start a new job!  I was able to transfer to a position that is much closer to where my skill set is and at a higher wage.  I am so grateful to have such a strong and supportive network of former coworkers turned friends turned protective champions.   They all saw my struggles and banded together to get me into something better.  I am staying at my favorite company, just returning to a better division.  I am so excited!

My heart is so full of love and gratitude today. 

It’s going to be a stretch for me as I will need to learn new skills but ultimately it will open so many  more doors for me.  And its allowing me to get my company started just that much sooner. 

This has been a whirlwind of life lessons that I still need to process before I write about them but I will say they all center around power, confidence, strength, purpose and communication.   And now I need a power nap!

Update On The Everyday Stuff

I realized this morning that I have not updated lately on my everyday life.  So today is dedicated to the normal, the everyday things that make life what it is.

My job is good.  It's exactly what I wanted.  I have a flexible schedule.  I have a better manager and I am back at a company I love.   I come into the office most days but no one is watching me and the clock.   I deliver my work on time and I am given the freedom I need to be the best employee I can be.  Pure Bliss!
And I get to work from home whenever I want.  This is so important to me and my health!

I am slightly overbooked right now in life.   I need to clear my social calendar out a bit because I am feeling the frazzled side come out.   I haven't been able to just relax and read a book lately.  I haven't been writing as much as I need.   But I am doing so much good work right now that I am not worried. And I am connecting with friends so I am not ready to give up the frazzle just yet.

One big decision I made this week is I have decided that I am going to invest in some meal prep services for during the week.  I am so busy that making dinner at night is stressing me out.  I can afford to have meals delivered and if it means that I get to spend more time relaxing and taking care of other things during the week than I am going to invest in that right now.   It feels so good to make this decision.

So next week marks my first week!  I can't wait!
One of the many perks of working in the tech field. 

Needing To Hear Something, Even If It Is Not What I Want To Hear

This weekend was magical in every way possible.   I was feeling very neutral about Valentine’s day which is the best place for me to be about this holiday.  I have never been with someone that has wanted to celebrate this holiday.  I am not huge into the holiday but as I get older I have come to realize that it’s not even about this holiday.  It’s about being with someone that wants to celebrate our relationship.  I have never been with a partner that has been thoughtful enough to realize how special our relationship is/was until it’s too late.   So Valentine’s day always has been a bit of a double edge sword for me.  

This year I decided to give myself the weekend I deserve.   I was going to be my own valentine!  

It started on Friday when I decided to work from home and relax.  I lit my candles and got cozy in my home.   Then in the afternoon I took myself to the spa for some much needed attention.  I got all the beauty treatments I have been delaying as I changed jobs.   It felt so good!   I then went to my special doc and found out that I have lost even more weight.  I now weight the lowest I have weighed since I was in my early 20s.   I am still in shock that one simple medical condition could have caused years of pain and suffering.   As long as I am losing I will stay on my treatment and just see what happens.  I feel great and I am so happy to be returning into my body that feels like a true reflection of who I am!

Then Saturday morning I went to my hair stylists and changed up my look.   I have returned to being a brunette.  I love it!  Being blonde was fun but brown is what feels right.   I ran errands and took myself out and met up with some special friends.   I wore my cashmere poncho and my sunglasses and met the most handsome man in the world.  It was a brief encounter but reminded me how great this city can be.  A handsome man wearing a green lantern shirt on a sunny Seattle day.

Sunday morning I had a call with my magic coach that rocked my world.  This is where I needed to hear things even if they are not what I wanted to hear.   I have my next move in my career coming to me.  I can clearly see it and I am ready to take the leap but she said it’s not time.  I can do it but not without the one ingredient I am missing at the moment, it won’t be as powerful and I know deep down she is right.   This missing ingredient will require me to sit in transformation magic which is a quiet, dark  and mysterious magic.  It’s not manifesting magic.  It’s the opposite.  It’s the magic that happens when you totally let go and just do nothing.   It’s the hardest magic for someone like me to do.   And this is exactly why I have to do at this moment in time.  

So here I sit.  It will be hard not to do magic because at this point even just thinking about things seems to be causing magic to happen.  Which means I have to clear my mind of the topic.  Ugh!  Not an easy thing for me to do.  But what my coach said feels so right and so true.  I could start my new path but it won’t be as powerful and beautiful without this missing piece.  So I let go and I let the magic happen.

One interesting thing that happened over this Valentines weekend was someone from my past that I am not friends with on Facebook liked some of my photos.  In the past this would have caused me to break down and cry and probably throw up.  The love and pain I had with this person was so strong and intense.  And yet now…. I don’t know what or how I feel now.   

I didn’t respond.  It was strange timing.
It was an odd move considering my page is private and we are not friends in Facebook land or real life.   This person left my life and we have had almost no contact for over 5 years.   This person did serious damage to our relationship and to any future relationship we could have.  However, there is this part of my heart that feels like, if this person has truly changed.  Maybe.  

Maybe there is a chance they have actually grown in a way that could mean something?
But I am not a back-up plan.   I am not a trip down memory lane freak out on valentine’s day.   I am so much more than that and I require so much more than before.  This person would need to do some serious soul searching on their side to think about who I am now and who I have become since we parted.  Have they have become a person worthy of being in my life since we were last around each other?  Are they living a life that makes them worthy of being the kind of person that deserves to be in my life now?  Maybe? But they would need to make it known and they would need to do the work to tell and show me.  

Magic is the fact I let this whole situation happen and I didn’t respond or let it hurt me.  But I also let my heart stay open to let magic do what it needs to do because there always is that maybe.  Maybe this person is something to me that is more than just a dark memory?  I don’t know and that’s the point.  I have to just sit with the nothing. 

What a wonderful long weekend!

I am still in a state of bliss from my amazing weekend!

This weekend was filled with new friends that I just adore. I have been making so many wonderful new friends and feeling like I am on this incredible new journey in life. Everything feels different! I feel different! I feel like I have new energy and it is attracting the kind of friends I have always wanted. I am so grateful for all the work I have done over the last couple of years to get here. Exactly where I want to be!

I was able to go to a baseball game this weekend, have lunch with a good friend, attend an amazing BBQ, take a short nap, clean my room, plant more veggies in my garden, enjoy the sunshine, have korean food, have RAW food, read a very empowering book and the list goes on.

I wish every weekend was a three day relax fest like this weekend was! I am so grateful to everyone I was able to interact with this weekend and I wish we could have kept the party going!

One side note, I have never been one to walk away from difficult situations or people. I usually keep trying to work things out way past their experiation date but this weekend I realized that for once I am going to make the right choice. I am going to walk away and not engage with someone that is clearly very unhealthy. I have too many wonderful and positive things happening in my life right now and I just want to keep growing. This is a very healthy decision for me and I feel very strong about it. The Universe is showing me such love right now!

Me Month May

I have been thinking about doing a theme for next month called “Me Month”. Of course every month is me month, but in May I was going to strive to be really exceptional in taking care of myself. Of course if the last two weeks are any indication of what “Me Month” would look like I think I should stay far away!

My last two weeks have been rough. I was exhausted all last week and did not work out very much. I think I was fighting getting sick and I just simply got distracted. This week I found out some shocking news at work that has increased my hours. Shocking in that my job is possibly turning into a full time long term kind of thing. I love working on a project type basis and tend to not take “blue badge” full time employee work. I made a commitment to myself this year to put my health first and my career on the back burner because I needed to focus on my health. It has been very successful and I am happier than I have ever been. Except for this week when I found out I needed to start working harder. First thing I did was throw the RAW foods right out the window. I felt that I needed to take the time I would be preparing food at night and use it towards work. Next went the running. I was already used to not working out from the previous week so I just ignored that as well. Next went my meals for when I was at work. I simply stopped craving RAW during the day and started eating more cooked foods.

NIGHTMARE!

This week my stomach has been hurting from all the cooked foods I have eaten. I have more gas, acid and just general nasty feelings in my stomach than I have had in a very long time. I am not waking up happy or full of energy anymore. My dreams or visions for the future are clouded. I no longer feel in touch with myself, my energy or my surroundings. I also feel less effective at work. And all my insecurities and weaknesses are suddenly loud and very close to the surface. I feel like a raw nerve of doubt and I hate it!

This weekend I am spending some time with friends but then I am quickly getting back on the self-care train. I need to learn to prioritize myself even when the stress of life becomes strong. I need to learn to say no to family, friends and work mates. I need to make grocery shopping a regular habit so I have plenty of RAW foods when I come home exhausted and can’t think of what to do. And I need to learn that it’s ok to fall off the wagon every once in a while and that the best thing is to gently get back up and start again.

One positive note is that I did join a gym this weekend so I can start to lift weights and also use the steam room to relax in. And I am happy to admit that I have been able to notice every time I fell off the wagon that I simply did not feel as good as I had in the previous weeks and my desire was to get back to my healthier lifestyle. None of these thoughts were mean or degrading thoughts. They were loving thoughts of awareness when it came to my health.

Friends and Food

Yesterday I was reminded of a New York Times article I read a couple of years ago titled “Are your friend’s making you fat?”. I spent a good part of the day thinking about this article and my own personal journey. I was inspired and dare I say… A little jealous of Amber’s blog post about all the vegan/ raw food bloggers she got to see over the last week. I am so grateful for my friend Jen because without her own desire and interest in health, I may not have gotten as far into this whole topic/ life style change.

So I thought over how food and friends have affected my life over the last 10 years and if really thought about if I believed in what the article was trying to say. Do my friends and acquaintances really affect my food choices and my eating habits?

After spending an evening thinking about I dare say… I have to agree. …

To some parts of the article and only when thinking about my own life and my own journey. I don’t want to offend anyone nor make this a huge nightmare of a blog post but for the sake of my own journey, I have been affected by other people when it comes to my relationship with food.
But I am also affected by location of where I am living, traveling or visiting. And I am affected by my own mood and general wellbeing. There are so many factors going on but the one I want to focus on is the friendship/ relationship connection.

As I think back about my journey I see how this idea that other people affect me has happened throughout the years.
When I was living in NYC I became very small. I was around people that ate very healthy and very small amounts. I walked everywhere and I learned to say no to most food. When I lived in the Midwest, I gained weight. I was around people that liked to eat fried foods, not move very much and drink a lot. Seattle has always been a up and down city for me. I have friends that are all over the weight range. But I have noticed a shift lately. Because I am becoming so health focused I am moving towards more like minded people. It’s not a matter of judging people. I do believe you can be extremely healthy and also a larger size. But I am more attracted to people that are realistic and real about the relationship between food and how they are living their lives. This has been a natural progression and has happened slowly. I also find that people are becoming more attracted to spending time with me based on my healthy choices. I have spent numerous evenings taking friends to the RAW restaurant here in Seattle. I have been going over to friend’s houses to create RAW meals for them. I am introducing a new lifestyle to a lot of people around me while learning from already healthy people.
Last night I was talking with a friend about how I have noticed my friends that eat really healthy and do not struggle with issues with food have no emotions around food. It is not good or bad to them. It is just a neutral balance situation. I have been very influenced by this way of relating to food. It is something to be neutral about. Some days I will eat great and some days I might have a “treat” but there is no emotion around it but pure love.

I also find that what used to seem normal to me no longer does. And what does seem normal to me now is what tends to be normal to my healthier more balanced friends. There is an interesting quote from the article “Christakis and Fowler suspect that as friends around us become heavier, we gradually change our mental picture of what “obese” looks like and give ourselves tacit permission to add pounds.” So true! I have started to notice this with people around me. My mind set goes very relaxed when I am around certain groups of people and I tend to think about what I am eating. I look at things that are very unhealthy and some friends see these items as being fine. And I know the people around me feel the same way.

This does not mean by any means I will be dropping friends or refuses to see my friends that happen to be a larger size. That will never happen! I am just noticing for myself that I am influenced good or bad by the people around me. This leads me to want to be around healthier people while also being able to help my friends that want to lead a healthier lifestyle. I am never one to judge and I struggle with this issue so much myself that I totally understand where people are at on all sides of the health scale. Because I have been on all sides of the health scale.

But in truth I am finding that the healthier I get, some friends are simply disappearing. Not because of my actions but because …. I don’t really know why but I have some theories.

I have become boring to them. Without my desire to complain over unhealthy food and engage in unhealthy actives, I become less fun to be around. Unless, you want to go running with me, learn about raw foods with me, take a walk, play pinball etc. But if you want to sit in front of me and eat a burger while having me eat one as well…. You will be out of luck.

I think I am bringing up issues for them that they do not want to deal with. I am admitting that I have a problem and I am actively fixing it. But if my friends don’t want to admit to having an issue or are uncomfortable about admitting it, I am not going to be much fun around it. Unless you understand how healthy it is to face your fears and grow as a person!

Lack of similar interests. This one I understand. I am growing and my interests are growing. I want to expand my life, my mind and my body(in a healthy way). This includes change and a new direction and I am ok with this.

So far now I am just looking at this whole topic on a bigger picture scale and watching how my actions and choices change as I move towards a healthier lifestyle and while also allowing myself to change and grow as a person.

Loads to think about

I am eating RAW a couple of days out of the week, mostly while I working. I find the routine of being at work easier for me to not be tempted by the old ways. I love how I feel full at lunch yet not sleepy or sluggish. I practically jump out of bed in the morning full of energy. I am happy all day long with loads of positive energy and I feel very balanced in all areas of my life.

And my morning smoothie.... I can't say enough about my morning smoothie.

For the last couple of weeks I have been adding cherries to the mix. Yum! I also switched to Almond Milk and if I need a an extra kick I will throw in a few raw almonds for extra energy. My days have been full of radishes which as you know are my new favorite thing in the world and then in my evenings I am eating salads made up of fresh arugula from my kitchen garden. Truly Divine is all I can say!

I have had some interesting developments this week. For one, two nights this week I have broken my rule and gone out on a week night. It has been OK. I just don't feel as happy at work. I come in and just put my head phones on versus my usual bubbly self. I can feel the imbalance that has developed because I am tired after being out late the night before. And I don't feel as present with people. So next week it's back to the normal way of doing things.

I have been pushing myself to get outside of my comfort zone and this has actually included meeting someone. It's a very new thing and I won't go into to much detail but this person makes me smile, laugh and feel better all around. If nothing more new friends are always good.

I have also been having to give space in situations that I no longer feel are healthy. I am all about being present, honest and loving right now to everyone in my life. And sometimes other people are not on such a peaceful path. I want to be able to hold space for them and be there for them but I also do not want to fall into their drama or unhealthy cycles. I feel that I am accepting that I can not be healthy for these people right now but I can change the dynamic by giving people space and time to work out or at least work on what they need too. While I continue on my peaceful and very fulfilling path in life.

This weekend I will be working in the garden and spending time with good friends. Two of my favorite things. Someone commented last week that my kitchen was becoming very "green". Meaning full of live plants, veggies growing and kitchen herbs. It is quickly becoming my favorite room.