Enriching the Soul and the Mind

Well, a lot has been going on lately. I've scored an exciting new job and am hoping to make some money and pay down our bills! I've been working really hard on remaining positive of late. I'm not where I want to be yet but I'm confident that I can get there. I'm also trying very hard to 'share the light' with others around me. (In fact I had a great conversation with my dear friend Michelle tonight! She's such an inspiration to me: Mother to three (including a son with special needs), Creative and talented, Primary President to a unique Branch, and all while dealing with some physical infirmities of her own). I love her dearly and hope to emulate her strength of character.

Recently we had a chance to visit Bookman's, our local used book store. We picked up some treasured Doctor Who novels and some books in a series written by Dave Duncan. It's always enjoyable to see what amazing finds you come across as you explore this unique store.

Speaking of books, and broadening the mind, a dear friend of mine just launched the third book in her historical fiction series: Free Men and Dreamers. I'm not a die-hard fan of historical fiction but I've read the first three chapters of 'Dawn's Early Light' and have to say that I'm hooked. I can't wait to pick up my own copy and find out what happens to the characters. (If you are a lover of historical fiction, or enjoy richly crafted characters, click the link to the right of my blog and check out her book for yourselves!)

Breakfast was leftover cheese sticks. I've not had lunch yet and I'm not sure I'll eat for awhile because of the meds I'm on for my back. It's mostly important that I drink tons of water with them in my system. I do think dinner will be healthy. We've a pasta mix that contains cheese and chicken and veggies that is sounding pretty appealing right now.

Yesterday I did awesome at 'rockin' the nano' and got out about 4500 words. Fortunately I had a lot to say regarding the characters. Today is a lull day and not much has happened. Nothing has been written and no new ideas for inspiration have struck. I'm trying not to worry about it unless several days go by with no water in the creative well.

Yesterday the puppy and I went for a walk to get the mail. (It's not close by, though it's not marathon distance either). But it was a nice little jaunt, got some fresh air. Of course, when we had to pick up a package - I finally got my print: Cloak of Stars from Amy Brown - the puppy went spastic over seeing Lynn and Angela at the Main Office. I think it was cuter when she did this as a baby than now as an adult dog. People seem to be less kind about it now. We need to get some obedience lessons in, both individually and perhaps with a professional trainer, to see if we can weed out the hyper and reach a calmer dog. She's still a great companion though! She behaves for me when it's just the two of us but loses focus when there's more than one person to pay attention to. (Lil ADHD puppy!)

Stumbling Blocks

The last few days have been filled with ups and downs of varying degrees. As I've returned (unwillingly) to dealing with the Mysterious Pain in my left abdomen and ribcage I have fallen back into the habit of trying to make sure I actually EAT, as opposed to eating well. Last night, dinner was a burger and fries. I've begun to avoid Subway since I suspect some of the intestinal pain has something to do with their brand of pepperoni. Monday, in an effort to make sure the internal organs were working properly, and because I wanted warm food for lunch (since we've been having random forty five degree days here out West) I ordered cheese sticks from Pizza Hut. I also caved Sunday night and had my first soda in five days. Almost made it a week without the carbonated stuff but I had a hunch that perhaps the carbonation might help my pain (if anything was blocked inside there) and the hunch seemed to pay off. The bubbles did something right.

On the plus side of things I've been waking up early in the morning and eating a regular breakfast. It's been a bagel and some jelly and water but it's been consistent. I've been able to take my meds and start the day with something less disastrous for my system (as the PB was giving me issues). I'm planning on picking up some loaves of gluten free bread next time we go to the store. (The almond bread my mom had here at Christmas was rather tasty and my husband located some nice 'plain' sandwich type bread). The only trick is getting used to eating less of it. It doesn't disappear as quickly as toast does and it's an odd consistency than what one is typically used to for bread. Lighter than pound cake but about a similar thickness and yet heavier than 'normal' bread. (We also have gluten free waffles in the freezer so I think I'll start on those when the bagels run out in a few days).

The other good thing is that I've been able to make a list the past few days and accomplish most of the tasks on the list. Since my energy wanes greatly due to the fluctuation of the pain itself and the addition of pain medication to cope, I've adapted the idea of a 'to do' list and cut it down into a 'Short List' of five to eight items that I want to accomplish in a day (or maybe two days). This has worked well for me recently and comes with more of an emotional high than making a list of twenty items and only crossing off two or four of them. (It is hoped as well that some of the items on the list will spiral off into habits and no longer need to be written down!)

I was excited to be able to get my novel this month off to a great start with achieving over 3600 words in the first two days. That said, I took a day off yesterday due to pain (parlaying some of it into a 'personal day' where I got to spend a good chunk of time on the phone with Leslie catching up on her life, her husband, and her four kids) so no writing got done, although there was an condensed version of what I plan to write out in the next day or so that did get put into words.

I'm looking forward to writing more on the book. I'm hoping and praying for more energy to put into my business. I'm trying to expand the limits of myself mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. (And I know I cannot accomplish any of it without some Divine Intervention!)

Creative Blog Backgrounds!

Due to having several blog projects in the works, I've searched high and low recently in an attempt to locate blog backgrounds that I truly enjoy. Sadly, I've found very few that fit my personal tastes.

Until today.

My friend Calla recently wrote about an artistic friend of hers who creatives lovely blog backgrounds. I figured I would check it out and low and behold I came across several backgrounds that I fancied very much. (This was a surprise to me, as I consider my tastes to be unique and rather eclectic at times!)

In kind, I wanted to return the favor and let you all know that there are great blog designs out there! To see some of them, just click the link to the right of this page and explore Cristi's Creations!

(Bonus: At the moment, she's running a contest that is both fun and easy to enter. You could win one of her gorgeous photography prints for yourself - or another prize of your choosing! Swing by her page and check it out.)

Introduction

Well, this is the first entry in my new blog: Committed to Self! A friend of mine recently made a blog to keep track of her health aspirations and after contemplating what she had to say, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to construct my very own blog to keep track of my goals and successes. (Of course I recognize that there will be some failures as well, along the way, but let's not dwell on the negative at the moment).

I pondered a great deal about what I wanted to name my blog - as I think names are very important. (Afterall, ancient civilizations believed that names had the power to steal away your soul, that is, if you were naive enough to give your name away.) I'd love to say I sorted through many various possibilities but I only considered a few and one night when I was trying to sleep this name came to me. It was simple, plain and yet expressed exactly what I wanted it to embody: that I was committed to myself, committed to changing my lifestyle and achieving the dreams that I've watched dangle above me and out of my grasp for so long.

I'm making changing to my eating patterns and taking stock of how food actually makes me feel, despite whether or not I love the taste. (Sadly, many of the things I love, like cheesecake and chocolate covered cherries, have recently been noted to have a horrible negative affect on my emotional stability. As such, they have become more costly options for my tastebuds; as well as more contemplative options, like do I want to feel this way after I eat this? Is it truly worth it? In many cases, it is not.)

This is the start of something beautiful. I can feel it. I'm looking forward to fitting into some of my beloved college clothing again. (Yet I'm being kind to myself. If I don't quite get there, I won't hate myself for it because I think the journey in trying to get there is a feat in and off itself!)

You're welcome to come along for the ride and interject your thoughts as you wish. (Though you are strongly cautioned to keep the negativity to a minimum as this is intended to be an upbeat, positive, uplifting forum!)