Happy Autumn Equinox with BONUS House Hunting Tip!

Here’s a tip you seldom read about when hunting for a new home:

Make sure there is an automotive repair shop within walking distance of your home. Trust me on this. It’s important.

Are we house hunting? No. But I did spend most of yesterday getting the front brake pads and rotors replaced on my van. (And I HATE spending money on automotive repairs.) Now, I suppose I could be zen about the whole thing. I did get in a nice walk. Twice. I drove to the repair shop with my crunchy brakes. WALKED home. Waited. Worried. Waited. Got the phone call with the price for repairs. Waited around some more. Got another phone call saying my van was fixed. Then WALKED back to the repair shop to pay the bill and collect my vehicle. The repairs weren’t as expensive as I thought they’d be, so that’s something. I got in More Movement. So there’s that… But seriously, this is NOT how I wanted to spend my day.

It irks me to spend money on something I know could do myself. I’ve changed my own brakes and rotors before, so I know how to do it, but I didn’t quite trust myself to do alone. Unsupervised. In the past, I could just drive over to my dad’s house and borrow his tools (and his knowledge) and save a little money. I’d bring the root beer and we’d have a Daddy/Daughter fix the car day. I’d do the repairs myself. Dad would talk me through the steps. But my Dad’s retired in Florida and I’m still here in Michigan, so those days of building memories while performing vehicle maintenance are over. In fact, it won’t be long before my own kiddo is driving! Yikes!!! Perhaps there will be Mother/Kiddo fix the car days instead? That would be nice.  😀

I’m still working on my “List.”  My weight is down to 179.6 lbs. (I started out at 184.6 lbs on 9/13/17.) I’ve dropped 5 lbs in 9 days. I have mixed feelings about it. I’m happy to have lost the weight, but I’m concerned that if I drop down too quickly, I’ll relapse more easily, and put more weight back on.

I feel good. I’m not light-headed or anything. I’m eating well. I’m not skipping meals. Yesterday, both at lunch and dinner, I PILED on the vegetables—3/4 of my plate was PACKED to overflowing with colorful veggies. I should have taken a picture of my lunch. It was almost ridiculous! But I was stressed about my van—and I eat when I’m upset—so I piled on enough vegetables for at least two people. I didn’t want my body to feel like I was cheating it, or like I was missing out on something. I didn’t want that “I’m dieting” sensation, that feeling of being hungry and deprived. I’m NOT dieting. I’ve tried the “diets” other people have come up with. They all worked for a short time, but once I start to feel deprived, I give up. I don’t want that to happen to me, not this time.  When I wrote down my List of MORE, I didn’t want to focus I what I can’t to or what I can’t have. I want it to be about living a life of abundance.

Honestly, I don’t see the point of worrying over portion size when it comes to vegetables. (Or plain fruit for that matter.) No one has ever grown fat from too much broccoli. I didn’t grow to almost 185 lbs by eating too many carrots. If you’re diabetic, you MUST watch your sugar, so you do need to watch your portions when it comes to fruit and starchy veggies. That’s part of being kind to your body and respecting your individual needs. In my case, fruits and veggies were not the problem. It was the snacks and treats that did it. The cookies and chips. The skipping of meals, then eating “whatever” when I finally slowed down.

I got in Day 3 of Yoga with Adriene this morning.

Does it matter that I didn’t follow the rules, that I skipped a day of yoga? No. We perfectionists get sooooo hung up on doing everything the “right way” like good little sheep. We worry over things that don’t matter. I wanted More Movement in my life and I’m moving. So, YAY!! Success. If you get hung up every time things aren’t perfect you’ll never get anything done. If you’re afraid to dance in your living room because you think you’ll look foolish then you’re missing the point. (More Judgemental BS wasn’t on my list, either.  LOL)

Have a wonderful day!

xo Juli