I am no longer the Michelin man’s sister
March 3rd, 2010 | 
Author: I’ll start today’s post by saying that I haven’t lost any weight….
I’ve lost inches!
Ha, bet you thought it was going to be a negative start to this post didn’t you? Oh ye of little faith. For the last 3 or 4 so weeks I’ve been working out daily only missing two days and it’s paying off. Since we don’t have any scales in the house, any weight loss I miraculously experience is only usually noticed if clothes start fitting better and that’s pretty much how I know I’ve toned up this time. That at the fact that I got up, close and personal with a tape measure haha. So, I’ve lost an inch off both thighs, 1.5 inches around my hips and almost two inches around my tummy/waist! Oh and let’s not forget my visible biceps and reducing bingo wings! Have that you ugly fat cells! And of course the added bonus is that I’ve improved my fitness which means I won’t sound like I’m about to keel over and die when I start climbing the volcano in Bali (though I might be snoring since it’s a 3.30am wake-up call for the sunrise!).
I’ve also got back into my volunteering over the last couple of weeks but it’s not the Safe Bus or Saturday night with the kids, I’m now doing something else. It’s online mentoring with a company called Horsesmouth. Basically you write down your area of expertise whether it be ‘life/relationships/business’ etc and people e-mail you to ‘talk’ and ask for advice. You may think that I don’t need to take on anyone else’s problems right now but it actually helps…it’s a ‘nice’ distraction to be able to help other people that are worse off than me and gives me the opportunity to feel as though I’m still volunteering without taking up too much ‘physical’ time.
A lot of similar search terms have hit my blog recently all about the future:
How do I put together my future? What will the future hold? Can I tell he will be in my future? It’s time to think of myself and my future…(I especially like that one!) You get the picture. So in honour of all those people searching for ‘answers’, I write this for you:
Life is a rollercoaster; sit back and enjoy the ride. Two phrases spring to mind about the ‘rollercoaster’ bit and they are ‘yeah right’ and ‘whatever’. Life is really a bitch but as the saying goes ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ so go find that bitch and start sleeping with her! I’m not saying ‘hate life’ or that everything has to be a war, I just mean that, as the saying goes, ‘death is easy. Living is hard’ and whether we like it or not, sometimes, you really do need to fight for what you want. Whether it be that promotion you want at work or finding the strength to leave your partner because you realise you want more; your future depends entirely on you. Sure, there are days, weeks, months or even years when life seems to deal you nothing but the Joker cards and you want to give up but don’t let the world and the people in it defeat you. I’m not philosophical about life at all. I’ve hated the bitch for many years but you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way. Being through the things that I have through the years and then settling down and becoming the ‘Domestic Goddess’ at such a young age (note to readers…I was an AMAZING Goddess!) taught me things and made me into the person I am today and whilst I didn’t appreciate it at the time, I wouldn’t change it for the world because I have a unique view of life that no one can challenge.
If someone had told me this time last year that I would be travelling solo from Japan to Bali I would have promptly told them where to go before getting back to cleaning the flat and worrying about money but I’m here and doing it because I fought for it. Despite being petrified of the unknown I made the difficult decision to leave my ‘safe’ relationship because I wasn’t happy and I knew wanted more, I went to dinner with 18 people I’d never met and made connections for life, learnt some difficult lessons about my insecurities (but came through them) and despite all my feelings to cancel this trip after Sweetpea, realise that my future is whatever I want it to be. Sure, there are going to be bad spells, setbacks and times where I just want to give up but I’ve come this far over the last ten years and if I have to fight for what I want and deserve for the rest of my life then I will find the energy and strength to do it just like you will. Regret the things you’ve done in life, not the things you haven’t.
In a little side note, I was shocked to realise that despite only having 29 people on my Google Friend Connect, I have 137 people lurking in the background reading my RSS feed…I’m pretty impressed with myself…I’m feeling soooo popular…don’t go bursting my bubble by telling me you have way more than that! Though I’d love to know why you’re not commenting and simply ‘lurking’; are you ugly? If so, stay lurking. Only kidding…all visitors are greatly received, it boosts my ego!
Anyhow, back to work I go and back to some much needed last research and bookings to be made!
Aloha!
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Looks like you are seeing things in a much better perspective! That is great about losing the inches, also!
Thank you for the bigger words! Us old guys have a hard time reading the tiny print!
WOW Toni, you are smokin! What a great post and a great frame of mind you are in. I can hear the wheels turning and the positive changes for you in every word! Way to go!
Congrats on the “inches” too. That makes a girl feel even better. Keep up the good work.
xo
Joanna – thank you for the encouragement. I still get really bad days but I’m getting there and that’s all that matters
I soooooo need to lose some inches. Very happy for you but jealous too
)
I’m so impressed with you too! Two inches around your waist is a major achievement (wish I could come close to that) and your life outlook is so inspiring. I have let my volunteer work slide by and you have given my the incentive to start again.
ED – I’m usually the one that’s jealous of other people losing weight…it’s nice to be on the other side of it!
Fly Girl – last time I checked you didn’t need to lose any weight!
I’m glad I’ve given you the incentive to start volunteering again. The beauty of Horsesmouth is that it can take up as much or as little time as you want!