My world seems brighter now


We have a new mayor. He is someone who captured my attention years ago with his residential planning suggestions. I discovered he thinks the way I do. Now all of Calgary has heard of him, and some are actually afraid of him because he is a Muslim. We obviously have a lot of work ahead of us in the here and now but I believe he will actually improve the way our city is run.

What's wrong with me?


I watched some of the Chilean miners' rescue, like a billion other people. I am glad they are out and I am impressed with the technology that achieved this. I am also pleased for their families that the waiting and wondering is over. But that is where it ends. I don't care about it anymore. I don't want to watch a movie or read a book about it. I don't understand how this event could balloon into something this big and apparently hold so much meaning for so many people that have no connection to these people or the country, or the industry. Am I missing a gene the rest of you have? I can feel compassion for a lot of people in a lot of situations, but I am not feeling it to the same degree as everyone else around me. Something has changed me. I think it may be all the reading and research I have been doing this past year on the nature of our existance. The vastness of the universe and divine concerns may be putting earthly events into a different context. I am not sure where all this is leading, but it is a path I am eager to follow.

10.10.10


Something amazing happened today. I received a link from the 11:11 Awakening group on Facebook. It was a link to a sound and it ran for over seven minutes. I never would have thought it possible that hearing those frequencies in a sustained manner could give me such a feeling inside my body. It felt as if my lymphatic system was draining, my body felt lighter and I felt more peaceful and energetic. I am going to have to listen to this kind of thing more often.

On forgiveness


Do you find it easier to forgive or ask for forgiveness? I have been doing some reading on this recently. It doesn't seem to matter how big or small the transgression, or how long ago the harm occurred. Some people can't let go of their issues and some are too prideful to acknowledge their issues. I think there is more to learn. Then pray and meditate. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

Eat,Pray,Love


Thanks to a late arriving birthday present, this book came into my hands just when I needed it. Although I could not relate to the issues Elizabeth Gilbert had with her life, I thoroughly enjoyed the telling of it. Italy certainly was a more enriching experience for her than I found it to be. Italian food is very good, but I have never felt it necessary to go there to find a good plate of pasta or pizza.

My friend who gave me this book had been in India this year. They had very different experiences as well. This was the third of the book I enjoyed the most. Her search for a relationship with God was so pathetically honest and funny at the same time. I got a lot of good tips on meditation which I have incorporated into my own life.

Gilbert's descriptions of the Indonesian people who live in Bali was a hoot. I am tempted to go there just to soak up the atmosphere. It sounds like a place full of beauty, grace and contradiction.

Gilbert strikes me as a needy, self centred woman, and her year travelling has not endeared her to me, but the woman knows how to write, so even though her life does not resonate in me, I really loved sharing the journey with her.

Surrounded by fat

When I found myself stuck in neutral (or even reverse) on the road to wellness, I regretted having called my blog fat.fighting.family. It made even less sense when Paul and Quinn didn't show much interest in blogging. But when I thought about it, I could see that there is all kind of fat in our lives that needs to be trimmed.

From the fat morning newspaper, that lands on my doorstep, full of flyers that are never read to the fatheads who participate in (and watch) reality TV, I seem to be surrounded by different kinds of fat in my life. There are even people who wear a fat face, a false one that professes to the world that they belong to the only religion worth joining, or have the nicest lifestyle and are the most giving, charitable people with their time, talent and treasure. There is also another kind of fat that people envelop themselves in, to protect them from being noticed, appreciated or even loved, maybe because they have been told if they stay fat, they are not worth loving, even by themselves.

After my boating accident which I wrote about earlier, I remember thinking, "So THIS is why God made me fat! So I could stay warm and float so well in the water."

Now the question becomes why am I hanging onto this fat and the lifestyle that goes with it? The risks far outweigh the reasons. It is time I shed what is holding me back on my journey through life and became a much lighter version of myself - in body, mind and spirit.

Homage to Caprica

The long wait is over and the battle widens. This television show is very enjoyable simply as a rich story. It also works as a warning to our civilization as we greet the advent of Artificial Intelligence coupled with the emergence of a religion with political potential at the same time as we witness the decline of the ruling religions of the world. Food for thought for sure. While speaking of food we decided to treat ourselves to beer and Indian food but passed on the rice and Naan bread. A noble compromise. Man cannot live on Rosedale food alone.

Tonight I merely re-aquainted myself with these fascinating characters. In the weeks to come Paul and myself will have many stimulating conversations while appreciating a perfect merge of technology and human drama.

What's new?

Apart from being older, fatter but hopefully wiser, I figured I'd mention briefly what we are all up to lately.

I quit working full time about two years ago. I really can't remember how long it's been. I just didn't feel that sitting at a desk 40+ hours a week was in my long term best interest. My body, mind and spirit were all screaming at me to get out of that situation. The adjustment has not been an easy one, because I have had a full time career that meant a great deal to me for over 3 decades. The time at home has not always been as productive as I would have liked, but I have managed to find part time work doing what I love, and have spent a good deal of time getting to know myself better through reading, works of art, and meditation. My general health has improved in the past few years since my TSH has stabilized at a manageable level, even though menopause is giving me new hormone challenges, I feel confident that I will be feeling much better in the golden years to come.

Paul is enjoying the challenges of a new position at work, and doesn't seem to mind the overtime it entails. He has a good buddy he likes to chill with on Friday nights to unwind from his hectic pace, and we continue to make a point of leaving town regularly, to have a change of scenery. I would like him to find a hobby he can become passionate about, but so far nothing has grabbed his attention. Paul's diabetes is under good management, but he is beginning to suffer with arthritis in one knee, so he is motivated to lose weight as much as I am.

Quinn is a young adult now, who makes her own decisions, with constant unsolicited guidance from her mom and dad. We supported her decision this summer to quit the business program at the local polytech. She is planning to work the next year and save up for a music diploma, hopefully the one offered in Victoria, BC. She also has a very nice boyfriend that keeps her grounded and happy. We were all shocked recently to find out that Quinn's liver is not functioning very well at all. Apart from being told to abstain from alcohol, lose 20 pounds and not take any Tylenol, she is expected to wait six months to retake the blood test. We hope this will work itself out and she can resume a normal life.

That's all folks. I hope you can check in with us here once in a while.

Never give up trying

Well, howdy my peeps! It has been way too long since I did this, I began to wonder if I ever would return to blogging, but a friend was right. I need to do this to get unstuck again. On the topic of weight, predictably we all fell off the wagon and have even more ground to regain, but I have a new optimism. 3 weeks ago Paul and myself started following the Rosedale diet. It's another type of low carb and its focus is to get our bodies to switch the fuel they prefer to burn from sugar to our body fat. It apparently achieves this when you starve it of sugars and give it readily available sources of good fat, like unsaturated oils. So for 3 weeks we struggled with a huge list of don'ts and went through the tedious weaning process. This week we are ready to begin our new way of life. The diet is now over, and even though the excess fat has yet to drop off we will begin to shed it every time our body runs out of conventional fuel. The difference this time is that it won't go after healthy tissue to find energy but rather the fat we have been storing up for years. I hope to become a regular blogger again so we shall see how it goes.