Good morning, friends, and happy black Friday.
I know that I have taken a break from blogging, but I have most certainly not been idle. It has been a time of change and re-invention.
As of yesterday, I am now 8 months sober. It’s not even a big deal anymore, in my daily life. I have learned that diet Coke is often free at bars, but Pellegrino is not. And that the best bars put lots of cherries in their diet Cokes.
This fall, I started a new job doing behavior intervention at a small charter school. Working full time again has taken some adjustment, and I have had some triggers from the past that I have had to confront. But I love what I do, and I love my co-workers and students.
A surprising change in this arena, has been that Iliana is also attending the school where I work! The program she had been in, in the traditional public school she had been attending, was only available at a junior high that was 30 minutes away by car. The bus ride got to be too much, and I did not like the difficulty I had being involved and communicating with her teachers, due to the distance. So after two weeks, we transferred her to the school where I work!
Charter schools are simply independently run public schools, that are not part of an ISD or school district. They are 100% school of choice, so they tend to be smaller. Iliana has thrived with the individual attention she is getting! She is in pre-AP math and has tested out of speech (which is HUGE, because the language delay/disorder was the most significant part of her disability). She works with a special ed teacher and counselor on her social-emotonal issues and is doing very well. (And what could be better for a minimalist wardrobe, than adorable school uniforms!)
The biggest change for me is not I am not as big as I used to be! On Tuesday, I will most likely reach my weight goal at Weight Watchers. But that is just a formality. The hard work is finished!
I have read from multiple sources that only .8% of obese women ever reach a healthy weight. Most people would consider a probability like that to be impossible. And yet here I am. I have lost 60 pounds and plan to never need to lose 60 pounds again!
So I have done the impossible. Now what? While I will be focusing on maintenance and still attending Weight Watcher meetings and using their tools, I know it is time to move forward and work on new goals. (Here are before and after pictures!)
And thinking of those goals, brings me to my one-word theme for 2020. Do people still do one word themes? I am not sure, but I definitely will be! And my one-word theme for 2020 is, “Create.”
I have already survived. I have already faced my inner demons and completely changed my life. All that remains now is to work on the, “so what?” It is time to create the reality that I want to experience.
I know a one-word theme is open-ended, but I do have some specific goals I would like to start with. Maybe these will be my goals for the year, or maybe they will grow and change. My immediate goals are:
- Reconnect with the blogging community and write a blog post at least once a week. I will set aside a specific time to write, when no one is allowed to interrupt me. Not being firm on this has led to my lapses in blogging in the past.
- Work on my stretching and flexibility on a regular basis. Do stretching exercises at least 5 days a week.
- Run a half marathon. Run at least 3 days a week for now, because the stretching will help more than anything.
- Declutter and fix up the boat to the point where it is everything I want it to be. Do the budgeting to make this happen and make it a priority.
- Connect with positive people, rather than letting negativity suck me in. Be kind, but stop personalizing people’s bad moods.
So this is what I will be working on in the next year! I look forward to sharing it with all of you!
Happily Loco 