Happy People

My brother is in the Marine Corps and is stationed out in North Carolina.  To put it mildly, he isn't thrilled with his situation.  He has no friends out there, he doesn't particularly like his MOS (his job), and he is just counting down the days until he can come home on leave and eventually get out.  He is sad out there and spends a lot of time posting on Facebook about how much he hates it, how lonely he is, and how frustrated he is.

My step-dad was a Marine for a little over 20 years.  While his particular job is confidential, I can say that what he did wasn't easy, wasn't fun, and there was a lot of time spent alone.  My step-dad rarely gets on FB but tonight he did and he saw my brother's post.  And the following is what he wrote.

 "Alone is a state of mind. A happy person draws people unto him. Try to be happy my young man and happiness will find you. I promise you this!"

This is exactly what I needed to read tonight.  I had to work overtime today and it was a 10 hour day in a warehouse.  I was surrounded by people who hate their jobs, who hate everyone around them, and who generally hate their positions in life.  It was SOOOO depressing!  Then I came home, turned on my computer to do homework, and Wa-La!  Day= 1000000 times better.

So my homies, be happy.  Be happy!  I don't love my job but I love that it puts a roof over my head and money in my pocket.  I love that I get to go to work and come home and live with my best friend!  Just because you hate your job it doesn't mean you have to hate your life.  Very few people love their job.  But if you look at it as a necessity and that it's a part of your life but it doesn't DEFINE your life, you will be ok!  Fill your life with joy and enrichment!

My Addiction

I am one of those "goody-two-shoes" kinds of girls.  I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, I am allergic to pot smoke so that is out of the question, I occasionally will have a few glasses of wine or a couple beers, but that is infrequent, and I maintain a pretty well balanced life.  If you were to ask me if I am addicted to anything, last week I would have told you "no way!"  Well, I have recently started my new diet.  And this isn't a fad-diet, it's about eating really cleanly. (excuse the fact it is on a napkin, I wrote it down for someone at a gathering last night and decided to take a picture of it.)

So this is what I am doing.  It is a slow process and it is taking a few days to adjust.  I am still trying to figure out how to get 136 g protein in my life on the daily.  Today I will go buy an excellent protein powder which was recommended to me by a fitness coach.  In the past few weeks doing just the cross fit twice a week, I have gone from 170 down to 165.  I don't see where the weight has been lost but I gladly accept the change in number!

Back to addiction, I am, for sure, addicted to sugar and carbs.  I am going through withdrawal and feel weird and I cannot wait for the withdrawal period to be over.  But despite my weird feelings, when I am not craving cookies or bread or french fries, I actually feel pretty energized and good!  I am excited to see how much this helps.  I will also be starting HIIT training in between my Cross Fit days at work and I cannot wait.  My life is changing and I am so motivated.  Last night I did slip up and ate the piece of toast that came with my chicken salad, but today I am back on track and will stick to the plan!  Ready to make waves, people!  I'm ready to make waves.  

No excuses!

NO EXCUSES.  No excuses.  When you want something you push hard for it.  No excuses.  Ever since I was a little girl my wise father has told me

"Pain is part of the mind and the mind can be controlled."  

Dad, thank you for these words.  People, be in control of your bodies and your mind.  You can do this- whatever "this" is.  Go, go, go!  No excuses!

Today, I have a migraine from my brain tumor, I have a stomach ache from being too exhausted (slept terribly), but I went to crossfit and I worked my tooooooshy off.  I hurt so badly I want to cry.  No excuses.  Some people want fame, some want fortune, I want good health.  And getting back to a healthy, strong body is what it will take.  So NO excuses.

Be amazing, push forward, and make your life the way you want it to be.  No excuses.

Grief and Overcoming It

Time.  When they say time heals all, it's true.  But I believe you have to want to let time heal.  You have to want healing and progress or else you will stay trapped in the bubble you have been living in.  In 2012 one of my closes childhood friends was involved in a wildfire accident.  Anne, age 20, was a break-dancing, horseback riding, only-girl-majoring-in Diesel Mechanics, beauty-pageant winning, Forrest-fire-fighting powerhouse.  She was inspirational to everyone around her.

Young at heart and of mind, she was a force to be reckoned with.  I remember that summer... She was really upset towards the end because she didn't want to stop fighting forest fires to return to school.  She was called out on one last fire the week before she was to return to school to finish up her degree in diesel mechanics.  She said she wished she could just fight fires forever... and then it happened.  A total fluke of an accident- no one saw it coming.  A huge gust of wind out of nowhere came and broke a large, dead branch off of a tree that was above her.  It fell on her and she passed away instantly.  It took us by surprise that God would call her home so soon and at such a young age.  It was baffling and confusing and frustrating.  She was one of my closest friends.  And then she was gone.

And it has taken me a couple years go get to the point I got to the other day.  I wrote the following on my personal social media page and thought I would share it here.  I will leave you with this.

grief is a very interesting concept. It can be short lived, life-long, or somewhere in between. There are many stages to the grieving process but the end one is the goal. The last stage is when the grief turns into appreciation and love. There will always be hard days, but eventually the good days outweigh the bad days. Eventually you may get to the point where when something reminds you of a departed loved one, the memory doesn't bring tears and pain, but instead a smile and a celebration of a life. Today was monumental when I realized I have moved into that final stage. Instead of wanting to turn on sad country songs and lay in bed, today I found myself wanting to share memories with people and reminisce about a wonderful life. To those of you grieving a death, a loss of a friendship, a family member, a pet, a lifestyle, a home- whatever grief you may be dealing with, you are in my prayers. I pray you may find healing so you may look back and smile and have a toast on behalf of the past.