Replacing food with joy-From my blog.

Replacing food with joy.
When I was in highschool, my goal in life was to be a graphic designer. Art was my life, my soul, and my dream..along with music (I'm a band geek...I play the flute and only feel absolutely at peace when I'm playing some sort of classical piece of music).
It's no surprise I am an artist. My father can draw anything and I mean ANYTHING. He is amazing. He also can play several instruments himself. I picked up these loves growing up and ran with it. I also was blessed with a decent voice so I also enjoy singing.
As life got tough and things got cloudy, I started letting go of my passions. I eventually left band and stopped being part of a musical group. I will always be angry with myself for not going further ...I could be playing for the Boston Pops right now...I was that good on a state and national level.
Highschool and college was full of drawing, painting, sketching etc and slowly those faded away as well. I have art supplies up the ying yang in my basement, in my office....old projects from art shows and school projects.
Thankfully I have a few friends that are just like me and were along side me during those great times in HS...they have helped renew my interest and yesterday I went to the best store on earth, Hobby Lobby (it's literally a storegasm for any crafter/artist etc) and I picked up canvas, brushes, and new acrylic paints.
The time I've spent being lazy, lonely, and snacking for years is going to end. I'm starting to paint again and right now thinking of what I want to do. I want it to be something that reminds me of my weightloss journey and my soul's rebirth. I'm also going to get my scrapbooking cart out and finish up projects I started many years ago.
Weightloss and becoming healthy in general isn't all about calories and exercise. It's about discovering passions in your life and running with them. It's about rediscovering what makes you happy and care enough to not eat yourself to death (literally). We all come from different backgrounds but one thing remains the same...we've all experienced pain and disappointment. And we all have the choice to NOT let that dictate the rest of our lives.
Think back to things that made you happy growing up or things you really wanted to learn. For example, everyone in my family knows how to or has skiied...I was never taught. As an adult, my goal is to learn and hopefully make it a loved hobby for winter time. Whatever it was, just pick it up again and do it. It's pretty hard to be depressed and eating crap when you're doing things you love and around people with shared interests.
Don't be afraid to be reborn. Don't be afraid to show people that you have some amazing talents. Don't be afraid of the idea that people may just get jealous.
It's about you and only you. This is your life. Claim it, love it, and live it.