Tuesday, September 2, 2008

A Hard Week

This has been a hard week. With the addition of my 18 month old neice for a few days, and the normal unpredictable nature of normal everyday life, this week has not been what I had hoped for. With a couple days of missed exercise, and a couple of POINTS heavy days, i'm afraid that my vision of another 5 lb sticker is fading quickly.

But.....I'll get it back. I used to allow myself to give up. No more. This is a journey. I don't have to be perfect. Lord knows I can't be. In the words of Walt Disney, I just have to "keep moving forward". I need to forgive my mistakes, learn from them, forget them, and take another step in the right direction. Moment by moment, day by day, one step after another. I will get there.

With every day that passes I learn more about what works for me and what doesn't. As I listen to others and allow their words to encourage and teach me, I feel more and more empowered. It is those words that I draw on when I look in the mirror and still see the fat girl looking back at me. I know that she will be there for a long time, but with every positive thought and action she has less of a hold on me.

The other day I heard author Elizabeth Gilbert talking about a situation where she broke down sobbing on a New York subway. Part of what she said was that she didn't want that to be her contribution to the world. That struck a cord with me. I don't want this version of myself, the unhappy, uninvolved, obese bystander, to be my contribution. I have so much more to give, I'm sure of it. I just have to find it. I know its within me, and that is some of what this journey is about.

I look forward to meeting me. :)

3 comments:

Erika Mills said...

Great attitude Janessa.
Who is Elizabeth Gilbert? sounds familiar...

Taking It One Step At A Time said...

Her most recent book is Eat, Pray, Love. I just heard about it yesterday The cover describes it as One Woman's Search for Everything across Italy, India and Indonesia.

Erika Mills said...

Heelllooo...where are you?!