Month: January 2020

Giving up my nightly glass of wine.

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Friday on the New Moon, I began my 28 Day Fit and Fabulous Program. I was excited to start on the New Moon. It is a great time to set your intentions, consider what you want in your life, and what you need to let go of.

The first 7 days of the program, you have to let go of alcohol, sugar and grains. You can have dairy, but very little. I thought it would be perfect to start on a Friday. You are always more motivated in the beginning of a program, and the weekends can be a challenge. The biggest issue for me is to give up my nightly glass of wine.

By Friday afternoon, I could feel the stress and agitation building because I knew I wasn’t having a glass of wine that evening. It is amazing how much power one glass of wine has over me. I was painting the trim in the mudroom, while listening to a podcast called Sober Curious, to motivate me. Saturday and Sunday were easier. I took a nap Saturday and meditated on Sunday. I also took late afternoon walks on both days. All of these things are great stress reducers. Now, we are on Day 4, and… BIG NEWS! I noticed that my hands aren’t achy. My diet is usually very clean. Making a few small changes like giving up my nightly glass of wine and crumb cake at coffee hour on Sunday have reduced the inflammation in my body and my hands feel just fine.

I was at a New Moon dinner Friday evening. It is always a big deal to get myself to go out at night, but I went. There was a woman complaining about her aches and pains. I felt like telling her to put down the wine and quit eating grains and sugar. Statements like that don’t go over to well at a party. Maybe she will read this blog post.

What you put in your mouth really does matter. Everything, I eat or drink for the next 7 days will nourish me. I am grateful for that!

Love,

Mary

A White House.

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I have been dreaming about having an all white house. I follow Jenni Kayne on Instagram. Her houses are basically white with natural wood. They feel clean, soothing and minimal.  I would love our house to feel that way, so I started painting. My kitchen and the room off the kitchen are painted  linen white. We bought a new refrigerator in December. Keeping with the theme, I decided to go white.  Now, I feel like I need to add different shades of white to make the refrigerator look more at home. We call the room off the kitchen George’s room after George the dog. We don’t have a dog right now so maybe it is the mud room. I always wanted a mud room. I painted the ceiling antique white. The walls are mayonnaise and the trim will be Chantilly lace. They are all Benjamin Moore colors. I think I might be nesting. Is a dog coming to live with us soon?

I am working on painting a few hours a day, so I don’t feel overwhelmed. I can clean up at the end of the day before Tom gets home. Today, I was running a few minutes behind and Thomas got home before everything was in order. Tom, as many of you know has special needs. He likes his routines and everything in place. He wants to help and he keeps at me until everything is in order. It can be very annoying. My friend Ivone keeps telling me to remember peace and serenity. The minister at church on Sunday talked about being the light and sending love. Thomas went to Sunday school and they made heart cookies. He told me he is sending love. How quickly, it can all fall apart over wet paint and a ladder.

Tomorrow, I am applying a second coat of mayonnaise paint.  My goal is to have it done before Thomas gets home. Do you think I will start craving tuna salad living with walls called mayonnaise?

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Mary

 

Is a quiet simple life mediocre?

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I read an article last week. What if All I Want is a Mediocre Life? I am not crazy about the title, but it caught my attention on Facebook. It was written by Krista O’Reilly Davi-Digui.

Krista writes, What if all I want is a small, slow, simple life? What if I am most happy in the space of in between? Where calm lives. What if I am mediocre and choose to be at peace with that?”

What if all I want is a simple life? I went back and read my post from November 26th. What do I really want? The things I listed are quiet and simple. A few examples are a clean uncluttered house, more time in nature, and my intention around OutdoorFit  to being more than a typical boot camp.

This morning, I made DHH roasted pepper and tomato soup. I am going to sew linen napkins this afternoon. I know I could just buy soup and new napkins, but there is something very satisfying about making your own.

There is part of me that feels my quiet simple things are not enough. I have a sense of resentment and agitation lately. Why? I have a good family, close friends and a group of ladies that will work out with me in the winter time! Isn’t that enough? Actually, OutdoorFit is more than working out with friends. I have seen wonderful changes in the women’s balance, strength and flexibility.

Do I need more? Do I need to create a virtual program and build a six figure business?  Do I need more likes on Facebook or hearts on Instagram to feel good about myself? All that takes time and effort that would take away me away from my creative projects. I wouldn’t have time to sew napkins and make soup.

There is a part of me that wants to move. I think about moving to Vermont. We have spent a lot of time there. I didn’t  feel the pressure to be more, do more or dress better when I was there. I would go to the Northshire book store in Manchester, Vt. and buy books about simplicity. That was vacation time though. Would living there bring me joy and happiness, or would I have the same type of day that I have now in a different location? I think I need to focus on being grateful for what I have and find contentment in my daily quiet life.

Krista O’Reilly Davi-Digui says, “What if I just offer the small gifts I have to the world and let that be enough? ” As I am writing, I don’t consider my gifts small. What if I offer my fabulous gifts to the world and know that is enough? Now, that feels better!

This blog was helpful to write. I hope you enjoyed it too. What gifts do you have to give to the world? What brings you joy? Please share. I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading.

Love,

Mary

The 28 Day Fit and Fabulous Program starts on January 24th. I hope you will join me. We can make great soup and do mountain climbers together.

Click here for more information.