WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MARCH 2019

Tracey, i hear they have great airfares to Hawaii from Canada. However, the summers can be glorious, I know. I remember having breakfast in Hinton on one of our trips. The air was clear and fresh, and the temperatures promised to be in the 25-ish range.

Allie, are you tracking your fluids, sodium and fiber as well as your calories? I mention it because I know I’m a system - just putting in gasoline doesn’t ensure the engine will work. It needs water, not too high an octane fuel and the oil changed at intervals.

Barbara AHMOD! Happy Birthday! And many more. What a nice newsy post! I love the whole area around where you live. We road the main roads and back roads around there a lot. I especially love the wind-y twisty road along the Smith River. That slide will be the dickens for tourism this summer. And that alternate route is dusty and not quite as “scenic” as 101. Meanwhile, you’re pretty much stuck with it if you want to attend church. Meanwhile, I too wish they’d build a bridge or causeway of some sort.

Kylia, “grey Ohio” is exactly what it is this time of year. I remember it’s also the time of year Cincinnati almost always had flooding. But late March is SO different! I always liked from late March through 4th of July. But then it would get too hot and we’d live at the swimming pool all day.

Meg, i had to learn not to make my plan a “change everything NOW” plan. I changed things like logging every bite fires, and bought a cheap food scale so I could be accurate. I had a 32-oz water jug left from the hospital and planned to drink two a day (I’m still not perfect on this one! I also decided to cut out dark sodas. Get control of stuff like that, and once you know what you’re eating you can make changes knowledgeably. “Slow and steady wins the race!” At least it does this one.

Sharon Near Seattle

Whew! Finally caught up! Y'all are a chatty bunch!
Barbie, thank you once again for getting us started!
Barbara, that drone footage of the damage to the hwy is amazing! Mother Nature is definitely a force to be reckoned with, she will get her way! I do hope that a better solution can be found, I have to agree with you that just putting more gravel and asphalt is not the answer, definitely need some sturdier ground to put it all on. Makes me glad that I live on a rock..... (oh! There's those darn ellipses! lol)
Heather, love the photo of you all at pizza dinner! Very good looking group. Belated congrats to your son for completing his run last weekend, he's come a long way in the past year and has every right to be very proud of himself.
Kylia, happy to hear that Aubrey is progressing well and that your niece has been able to hold her. Her mother's touch will do wonders to her healing, I'm sure.
Kelly, good for you for telling your "boys" that they need to get their acts together! And shame on your bil for creating such drama when it wasn't necessary. Nice that other relatives let you have your pick of stuff from the inlaws home, always nice to get a new toy, even if it's just new to you!
Lisa, I'm sad to hear that you won't be writing your Coffee and Egg blog anymore and that you've slowed down on the Home for Us and Egg, but priorities must be set. Having said that, please know that I have enjoyed reading your musings, sometimes informative, sometimes inspirational, always entertaining. That dream of yours with the pit bull puppy was kind of wild! Hope you don't have that one too often!
Machka, that beach is so lovely, so unfortunate that some homes are not properly sewered (or septic tanked) and are flushing into the ocean. Victoria has been doing that for years, I always felt a bit smug as we had a septic tank so didn't flush into the ocean. We moved not quite two years ago, we now flush into the ocean. But, Victoria is in the process of putting in a proper treatment plant so that will end at some point. Victoria also has a LONG outfall, so the "stuff" doesn't come out close to the shore and there is some treatment done, but it will be better when the treatment plant is done.
Rebecca, we have quite the homeless problem as well. I'm not sure what the answer is, but we have had tent cities and they do leave a mess behind. Quite a bit of housing has been set up, but those places don't seem to be properly equipped to handle all of the issues that go along with being homeless, the mental health and addiction issues. As I said, I'm not sure what the answer is, but it hasn't been found yet....
So nice to hear from the folks who have been MIA.
I've been a bit MIA myself, we had snow, way more than our city is equipped to deal with, and then hubby and I ended up with the flu. It was not a fun experience. Hubby says he will be getting a flu shot next year, I don't think I will. However, if I get the flu next year...... The hardest part for me was just the sheer exhaustion! And the annoying cough that doesn't seem to want to let go. It is getting better, I notice a difference pretty much every day, but it's still there enough to be a pain. The point of all of this is that I have not been to the gym, so while I lost about 5 lbs in a week from not eating much, just no appetite, it is quickly coming back because I'm not going to the gym! I will be starting back tomorrow, I think my cough has subsided enough now that I should be okay and maybe the exercise (and heavy breathing! lol) will loosen up the rest of the crud in my lungs and I will be done with it!
Goals for this month:
LOG!! I'm not off to a great start, but I intend to fix that!
End the month lighter than I began. This did work for Feb, as I was sick, so I will take that.
I think that's all I'm going to aim for this month, as a few people have said in previous posts, baby steps are the answer.
Congrats to those celebrating, hugs for those needing them and welcome to the newbies!
Evelyn, Vancouver Island

This is SO important! As humans, we will do everything we can to not feel pain or discomfort. But the truth is, the only way to work through things that are hard, is not to avoid them but to walk straight into them and hang out without escaping.

Close your eyes and think about what you really truly want. To feel better in your body? To find love? To feel more alive? Whatever it is, there are things that you are doing right now that prevent you from living this experience. These beliefs and actions may be subconscious, but in our efforts to get somewhere, many of us do things that specifically keep us from the growth that we want.

If you really want change, like REALLY WANT CHANGE, you have to learn how to not escape. You have to learn how to not use activity or entertainment or a coping mechanism of any kind to keep you from the stillness -- because it is only in the stillness that you can learn how to make a different choice.

The only way to see the truth and is to strip away the crutch of escaping.

It doesn't matter WHAT you want, guys. Do you want to lose weight and feel better in your body? Do you want to have more healthful personal relationships? IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR CHALLENGE IS!

If you are so busy avoiding the truth of what is painful, you can't...

- See what is REAL instead of being caught up in what scares you.

- Gauge what actual self-love is because you'll be too fixated on anesthetizing the hurt.

- Make a choice that SUPPORTS you instead of holding you back.

Action is sexy. I get it. We all want the instant gratification and proof of our growth. But long-term change can ONLY come from a willingness to get very comfortable being uncomfortable. Learning how to transform discomfort into SPACIOUSNESS where self-love can creep in.

REAL CHANGE COMES WHEN YOU CAN STILL YOUR MIND ENOUGH TO MAKE A LOVING CHOICE AND NOT A REACTIVE, FEAR-BASED CHOICE. REAL GROWTH COMES WHEN YOU MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON TRUTH AND NOT WHAT SCARES YOU.

We are ALL capable of love. But the more we create activity, the farther we get from what we really want.

Dont be scared. You are not alone. You are safe and beautifully flawed, like we all are. 🧡

(This is a post from a gal I follow on Facebook, Sarah Safforph. Something like that, I can't remember her last name). She speaks to my soul sometimes.💗

Hope y'all have a great Sunday!
Me on a good hair day!

Good evening/morning Ladies,

Rant Alert!. I was up early even though I didn’t much sleep. I laid there very warm and comfy but started to think about my mother.

She’s been gone for a year now and a year before that she moved with my DS to a house in a little town 2 hours south of us in Arkansas. Of course, DS took full advantage of DM’s age and had her change the Will and when DM passed, within 5 days she had a Uhaul truck loaded up, the house on the market and flew DS DD to drive her car back to Las Vegas.

She didn’t care about DM and her health by leaving her alone. DM was 89 and a neighbor went to find her on the floor. She was taken to Little Rock and had a pacemaker put in. That’s when DS called and said she was flying in from Vegas. I drove to Little Rock picked up DS and then went to the hospital. While I was visiting with DM and DS went to the cafeteria, DM told me she didn’t want to move down south. Later when I had to leave to go home, it was late and we were in the parking lot I told her what DM told me. DS screamed out loud LIAR!!! I don’t know if she was screaming at me or DM. I was so surprised at her reaction!

A month later mom was gone and DS had control of her remains. I hated the way she arranged to view DM at the mortuary. The mortuary director rolled her out into a private room just with hospital gown and a sheet over her. It haunts me all the time. It’s been over a year...


Sorry for the long rant.
Dana In Arkansas