run out of the house
and FAR FAR AWAY
keep going and going until
[all the little irritating things
that kept tap-tap-tapping
you on the shoulder and
eventually became]
one huge BOULDER
[pressing and pushing
weighing you down]
FLIES OFF and
TUMBLES AWAY
along the path
BEHIND you.
i used to facilitate a weekly mindful eating support group.
women who met regularly to talk about their emotional issues with food.
to explore new relationships to eating, food, and weight.
to share their setbacks and disappointments,
but also (and especially) to revel in their insights and successes.
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.
-Anais Nin
for me, there has never been a more profound statement.
this is my favorite quote, and one i try to keep uppermost in my mind.
anais was right.
a long time ago,
in a clinical setting far far away,
i worked with adolescent girls.
they were struggling.
with anorexia nervosa.
and bulimia nervosa.
i went on to start my own business.
and my clientele changed to adult women with various emotional eating issues.
with my mom (in my early 20s)
YOU KNOW WHAT?
being independent and authentic is hard.
it’s so much easier to go along with the crowd.
to get swept up in the momentum.
even when those assembled claim to be living outside the box.
to be rebellious thinkers.
i don’t set new year’s resolutions.
oh i always have goals in mind.
but that added pressure at the beginning of january has never worked for me.
so for the past two summers i have created vision boards instead.
i was facilitating a support group at the time and we decided to explore this concept together.
we’ve all heard about it, read about it, perhaps even discussed it.
maybe a few of you have actually tried it.
POSITIVE SELF TALK.
replacing those negative, self-defeating thoughts and beliefs.
with realistic, appropriate phrases.
shifting the focus.
rewriting the script.
april 15, 2013. monday.
the sad day during which boston went from cheering to grieving.
yet i was lost in the midst of my own personal mourning.
that date held a different significance for me.
april 15, 2013. monday.
eleven years since my mom’s death.
