September 11, 2013
by BulgingButtons 7 Comments

Daily Passion Prompt 7: You Inspire Me

TODAY’S QUESTION

Who inspires you? Who do you look up to?

Who are your mentors? And Why?

Oh no, how on earth do I answer this one? Would it be horrible to admit that I don’t really have a mentor? Oh sure, I had a few assigned to me early in my career, and along the way I have sought out others, but those relationships have either evolved or run their course.

So who inspires me? Well, that tends to change week by week. You see, lately much of my inspiration comes from the men and women who are featured on Extreme Weight Loss. No, I don’t know these people. And yes, I realize that they have tons of support as they do these insane year-long weight loss courses. But really? They lose almost half of their body weight in a year. That’s insane. That takes a delirious amount of determination and dedication, even if you do have a team to help you.

I know there are inspirational people in all walks of life. I know that people who overcome huge obstacles and put themselves out there in service of others deserve my admiration. I do admire them. Firefighters, police officers, health care workers of all types, air conditioner technicians, plumbers, electricians, fellow teachers, alligator wranglers, dog trainers, honest auto mechanics, bartenders, chefs, and exterminators all have special places in my heart. But the ones I wait for week after week, the ones I cheer on and think about when I’m feeling down, are the brave souls who take off their shirts and step on the loading dock scale.

Those fat, brave souls are the ones who fall apart at their first workout and spew out the poison that has held them back from success in the past. They’re the ones that wake up at 5 am, work through sprains and strains, and allow us to see them binge on a bag of french fries. Bless them. I don’t know if I would have the courage to put myself out there for the world to see. I give them all the credit in the world, and a little tiny part of me wishes I was one of them.

September 9, 2013
by BulgingButtons 5 Comments

Daily Passion Prompt 5: Wandering the Bookstore

TODAY’S QUESTION

What’s your favorite section in the bookstore?

Okay, this daily passion prompt shouldn’t be too difficult. I love the bookstore. I imagine most bloggers do, since we write. Writers read, don’t they? They ought to, anyway, and bookstores are repositories for words. Millions and millions of words. Oh, how I love them!

So on to the prompt. Easy, right? Um, wrong. I’m not sure I exactly have a favorite section. I’m more like a diner at a fabulous buffet. I like to sample of a little of this and a little of that. I don’t want to fill up at the salad bar so I have room for the pasta station, but I can’t have too much of that or I might miss the prime rib. Oh, and dessert, don’t forget about that.

So here’s a typical bookstore visit for me: start with the tables filled with new releases and buy two get one free deals. These are generally novels, and I usually am tempted by a couple of them, but I extricate myself from their pull and move on to the craft section. Here I’m drawn to quilt books, scrapbooking books, journaling books, and general interest books on living a more creative life. How many of these books can one own? I don’t know, but I have many.

From there I wander over to the education section. Am I feeling like an activist? Do I need some inspiration? How about some fresh approaches to old topics? This is the place to browse through my colleagues’ pearls of wisdom.

Feeling inspired or overwhelmed, depending on the mood and books I’ve viewed, I generally seek self-help. Maybe it’s a new approach to eating or fitness or some fabulous new exercise routine that involves lifting red velvet doughnuts to my lips (oh how I wish). I admire the people who pen these and not only get them published, but find an audience.

From here I may wander over to the children’s section. I may feel as though we need one more biography of Ben Franklin to really understand him, or one more poetry book for motivation, or one more biography of an inspiring woman to round out our curriculum. Usually I look at the price of these books and decide that I can find appropriate resources online.

Near the end of my visit (and stamina) I may cruise past the magazines. The latest quilt magazines are fair game. They usually offer as many exciting new designs as a book for a third of the cost.

Oftentimes I leave empty handed, but I always feel as though my soul has been refueled, thanks to the power of words.

September 8, 2013
by BulgingButtons 3 Comments

Dancing Through Life’s Changes

If you’ve been reading this blog for more than ten minutes, you know that its main focus is change. Change in the form of getting healthy, change in the form of challenges, and change in the form of personal development. Change is good. It can be scary, or even paralyzing at times, but it’s inevitable, so you might as well embrace it. At least that’s my theory.

Not long ago, I was lamenting some little roadblock or other and my wise friend chimed in with her own thoughts. She said she often feels like her progress to get healthier is two steps forward, then one step back. Instead of complaining about this state of affairs, she pointed out that overall she was going in the right direction. Brilliant.

Life isn’t a walk along a straight path with a steady pace and no obstacles. How dull that would be. It’s more of a series of intricate moves, in fact it most closely resembles a dance. Dancers respond to music, just as we respond to the circumstances in our lives. Sometimes we move fluidly, and other times we’re out of step. There are times when we’re in synch with our partner and times when we can’t quite coordinate, and then, there are many times when we’re alone. There are also times when we’re on the sidelines, taken out by an injury or other trauma. Most of us get up and get back in the dance, though.

This dance of life is constantly changing. In one chapter it may be a ballet, smooth and elegant, another may be your own personal disco era. Any of those chapters may suit you perfectly, or you may find yourself lost and desperately waiting for new music to begin. For each of us the soundtrack is unique, and our attitudes and abilities determine how we respond to that music. Are you a tap dancing dervish or a fox trotting diva? And overall, are you moving through your life with grace and elegance, or are you bandaging blistered toes?