BulgingButtons

Not bad for a fat girl


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Healthy Challenges Update – A Slug With a Cold

I bring you this update with a belly full of ice cream. I’ve been on a sweets binge lately, and it’s not good.real

I’ve also been kinda sorta sick for about a month now, and it’s making me feel a lot like a slug. Yes, I’ve been to the doctor, and he thinks it’s viral, but it just keeps hanging around. UGH. So I just keep hanging around and waking myself up at night coughing and sniffling and then I feel like a zombie during the day. The whole thing is rather unfortunate. And annoying. And getting OLD.

As I was feeling sorry for myself, it occurred to me that I haven’t really been keeping track of my challenges, so maybe it’s time to revisit them. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Stay away from Starbucks – Generally still accomplishing this one. I did have a week a while back where I went more than once, and that got me to go cold turkey again, so overall I haven’t been there much in 2015.

2. Eat more fruits and vegetables – Hmm, not so great, but not so terrible. I used to go days on end without any produce passing my lips, but now I generally try to have at least ONE fruit or vegetable a day. I know it’s not much, but it’s still better than nothing. I need to work on this one.

3. Stay away from the drive-thru – Overall I’ve done well with this one too. I’ve gone through a couple of times for a quick breakfast, but not nearly as much as in the past. We’ve been making a lot more meals at home and not eating out so much, so this one is pretty much a victory.

4. One Soda per Day – Most of the time I adhere to this one, but sometimes I don’t. Most of the time, though, I do. As the weather gets warmer I have to make sure that I bring enough water bottles to school, though, because I get really thirsty!

5. Move More – Fail. I’m a slug. A couch potato. A lazy butt. I don’t want to exercise. I don’t want to get outside and enjoy the gorgeous weather we’ve been having. I want to stay in bed and read, or better yet, sleep. UGH. Must. Shake. This. Cold.

So there you have it, some successes, some failures, and a lot of stuff in the middle, as usual. What are your challenges, and how are you doing with them?


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I’m in the Top Five

saas-productsWhat does it mean to be in the top five? Without any other information, it sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?

If I’m one of the top five earners in a Fortune 500 company, I’m probably doing pretty well. If I’m attending one of the top five universities in the world, I’m probably getting an excellent education. In those cases, top five means something.

What if I told you it was for a monthly writing contest? Does it still sound pretty good? It’s no longer clear, is it?

I received an email yesterday informing me that my submission was well received and indeed was one of the top five submissions. Clearly it wasn’t number one in the judges’ eyes, since I didn’t win, but still, to be considered one of the top five seemed like an honor to me. I imagine that’s why sent that particular email, not to make me feel like my piece was way off the mark.

Then I got to thinking about it a little more, and I wondered, just how many submissions did they receive? Was I in the top five of only five received, or was I in the top five of five hundred?

Does it matter? Well, yes and no. Yes, because maybe my work really wasn’t very good but there wasn’t much to choose from, so by default it ended up in the top five. If that’s the case, I would love to know, and to learn specifically how I can improve. I’m not going to get that type of feedback, though, I’m afraid. In fact I was a bit surprised to receive the feedback I did get.

Since I’m not one to look gift horses in their respective mouths, I’ll just assume that there was a nice pile of submissions and mine hung around until nearly the end of the judging process. The thought puts a spring in my step and makes me want to write more. So what if there were fewer than a dozen entrants, that means next time I may even make it to the final round.

 


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Blurry Dreams

horses-in-fieldI’m in Europe somewhere, possibly Germany. The grass is impossibly tall, up to the horses’ eyes. There are wolves in pens with sheep. The wolves have black spots spray-painted on their sides. They are guardians. I walk up a path, past tiny cattle. One of the wolves walks up next to me, beside me, rubs against me, like a friendly dog. I try not to be afraid.

We arrive at a clearing. There is a large stage, and a patio table. My mother is at the table, saving seats. The light is dim, but a spotlight shines on the stage, only then it dips and shines on my mother. She is displeased. They fix the spotlight and continue with the somber event.

A curtain is drawn back. A portion of a bus, or is it a boat? is revealed, with an old man sitting, telling his story. Another old man joins him. The stories are sad. War stories. Stories of loss. I listen although part of me doesn’t want to hear.

A woman I know silently passes me a packet of her craft projects, small beaded items, along with their packaging. She wants me to package her wares as I listen. I can’t. My hands won’t work correctly while I am hearing these stories and watching my mother. I have to be in the moment. I look for the wolves but they are missing. I can only save myself.