Various and Sundry: February 2007 Archives

The first is a book called The Alchemist by Paulo Caelho, a Brazilian author, whose book is an allegorical tale of finding your life's "treasure" and enjoying the path to its discovery. A fast read, this book isn't terribly subtle about its claims to wisdom. Still, I enjoy the reminders of a lifetime of lessons in such a small volume. What I enjoyed the most was the reminder that sometimes WE'RE the reason we don't find that treasure - we're our own worst enemy. Lack of confidence, self-imposed distractions, listening to negative people, and ill-focused dreams have tripped me up from time to time. I sensed that as the main character dealt with all of these, there was a freedom unleashed. That freedom to believe, to hope, is attractive to me - perhaps as attractive as the dream itself.

The second is an article from the December 2006/January 2007 issue of the magazine, MORE, a magazine written for women 40 and above. I really like this magazine - relevant to my life at this time and inspiring. The article is called "10 Things to Know Before You Change Your Life" by Susan Crandell, the author of a book called Thinking About Tomorrow. The article seemed to mirror the advice in The Alchemist. Ms. Crandell shares retrospective wisdom about what she calls "reinventing" yourself - that desire for a second (or third) career, the drive to do what you've always wanted to do, the culmination of that moment when you realize you are not any longer doing what you were meant to do. She offers an apt metaphor for the confidence necessary to move on. She says to "picture how effortlessly chimps move through the trees. As they swing one arm forward they let go with the other; they know they'll be able to grab the next branch." What do we need to "let go" of in order to move freely to the next stop, step, or milestone? Do we need to let go of other's expectations of us? What about stuck-in-a-rut behaviors? And, self-doubt?

That's just one of her insights - there are nine more. They are impressive examples of deep-dive thinking - soul searching at its best. And worth the distraction on your way to your treasure.

I've often thought that retirement is not the time for the rocking chair and knitting needles. It is my opportunity to do one more thing I've always wanted to pursue. With undistracted confidence, with belief that an old dog can learn new tricks, and a sound ignorance toward badly behaving people, I will reinvent myself some day.

Well, what do you think? I was looking for a background that would allow me to post pictures without the underlying graphic showing through. I think this'll do it. Now, I have to remember how to post those pictures again!

I've been thinking about topics to post about. Our impending snow storm just may be the opportunity to do that. (Teachers LOVE snow days!!) I do have some grading that will need my attention and I just started Barak Obama's book The Audacity of Hope, so there's competition for my bloggin time. I figure if I get to the computer first thing in the morning, I'll beat my teenagers to it and I'll grind a few thoughts out.

What are YOU reading these days??

Ever been on the Weight Watchers diet? I've been grousing about a "few" extra pounds that have insisted on taking up residence along my hips and tummy. (Don't laugh, okay? Like YOU never thought it would happen either, right??)

A friend of mine at work and I joined last week. I'm following the Flex plan - counting points. (I'm also following the guidelines of the Sonoma diet which is the way I'd like to learn to eat when I shift to maintenance.) Very painless, and at least this week I haven't been hungry. I lost 3.6 pounds at my weigh-in yesterday. Yeah, me! Except that my friend only lost a pound, and I think she's a little upset. I'd give her my loss if it would encourage her.

I taped pictures of cute swim suits on my bathroom mirror and hung my favorite pair of shorts - ones that I can't get into at the moment - right where I have to look at them everyday. I never go anywhere without my diary and my points book. I think having to write everything down is very convicting, just as weighing in at Weight Watchers once a week. Can't cheat.

Still, I plan to allow myself one day when I don't write down points and I don't worry about what I'm eating. The only rule is that I don't eat unless I'm hungry. I think you have to allow yourself whatever treat you desire on occasion, or you become victimized by "the rules".

Yep, Panera's 4 cheese souffle. 12 points. I ate it all. I didn't remorse over the points. Interestingly enough, I enjoyed it without guilt and wasn't really hungry the rest of the day. No fretting, just enjoyed the creamy goodness.

My friend and I agreed that we would stay on this for three months. From now until April 12th. My goal is to lose 15 pounds in 12 weeks. My husband and I have talked about a "little" vacation to a sunny spot with white sand and blue ocean. I'm hoping for a new bathing suit . . . something little.

Well, I didn't tell anybody, but you know how a secret gets out in a family. California never had such a fierce wildfire! Last week on Friday, I had surgery on my left leg. This will be the second time in 9 years to remove varicose veins. I wasn't really keen on it, except that this constellations of veins were causing a good deal of discomfort.

The surgery went fairly quickly. The surgeon closed off the main vein feeding the varicosities using laser technology. This wasn't done the first time and caused a pooling of intramuscular bleeding. My bruises were huge and took weeks to fade. After sealing this vein from groin to knee, he then removed the offending veins from the knee to the ankle.

I was sent home to keep my leg elevated for a few days. I recall that the first time we did this, I had to wear comprehesion hose for one month. This was a cinch compared to last time. My wounds were wrapped in guaze and then tightly wrapped with a huge ace bandage. I had to keep the ace on until Tuesday morning, then return for an ultrasound to ensure that the surgery was effective and that there were not blood clots.

All good. Except that I found that I was weak as a puppy the first two days back at work. I don't quite remember that part happening last time. I'm not THAT much older. REALLY. I didn't have to challenge my energy the first few days since I was supposed to have my leg elevated. But chasing middle schoolers and enduring vigorous debate with high schoolers just wore me out!

I'm feeling much better and looking forward to getting back to my walking. I know, I know . . . start slow and work up.