I have said this before and I'll say it again, my husband doesn't make New Year's Resolutions. This afternoon, I asked him why (because I couldn't remember). His response, "most people that do that, break them." Hmm, that's somewhat true. Is that because we set our expectations too high? are we setting ourselves up to fail?? A lot of people try and lose weight in the New Year. I have been thin and I have been heavy. I am an "emotional" eater. I deal with stress with overeating. Not a good thing, I know. With the unexpected passing of my mom in May, I have definitely fallen off the "wagon." It's been over seven months, time to pull up my big girl panties and start watching what I eat better. I have been putting off having some bloodwork done, because I already know what it's going to show - high levels of everything! This afternoon, I scheduled an appointment to see my doctor next week (I also scheduled an annual physical). One thing about my doctor which I really like, is that she doesn't "shame" me and make me feel bad. Okay, let's talk mental health now. Several celebrities this year have made the decision to end their lives. They had buckets of money and tons of fame, but still weren't happy. Depression and anxiety are REAL. If you are struggling, reach out to your doctor or a trusted friend. It's not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. I have said this before and I'll say it again. I wish I had gotten on my anti-anxiety medication a LONG time ago. It took me over 40 years to find out my excess worrying was Generalized Anxiety Disorder. A few weeks ago, I was looking at the Obituaries in the paper, I know a bit morbid. I was mentioning to my husband that there was a gal that was just 22 that had passed away from suicide. That is the same age as Lauren, so it caught my eye. Later on that same day, I was heading to the Deaf Ministry Mass. Before I stepped out of the car to go in to the church, Lauren texted me. She said, "do you remember S. from gymnastics? she passed away." I was like, "I read an obituary for a 22-year old this morning." Turns out it was the same person the hubby and I had been talking about. I can't even imagine the pain the parents must be feeling, especially so close to the holidays. We had Lauren home for an entire week. Even though she is busy with her job, her friends and her new apartment, she still wanted to hang out with us. As much as I would have liked to go back to Maryland for the holidays, it just wasn't possible this year. I try to call my dad every night. He had a few health scares recently that I haven't really mentioned. As I was wrapping up the nightly call tonight, I told my dad, "I know that we lost mom this year, but I am blessed to still have you in my life, Dad." He said, "me too." It's been a hard year in some ways, but it's also been a good year too. It's a brand new year starting tomorrow and also a fresh start! If you see someone struggling to keep a door open, help them. Have a boatload of groceries and someone behind you has two items? Let them go ahead of you. Random acts of kindness are not hard. Happy New Year to you and yours!
