I am in the midst of a hardworking summer; truly, this is one for the books! I have to write another 65 lessons to meet my benchmark goal and then I am halfway there. This is a challenge.  I don’t know if you can relate, but (in the old days) when faced with such a big challenge, I would be literally be eating my way through these lessons. I regarded food was an expression of self-caring.

That is so sad, for so many reasons. Sad, because I would sabotage my efforts.  Sad because I didn’t realize what I was doing. Sad, because in an effort to feel better I was making myself so unhappy.  Now that I see that behavior for what it can’t be unseen.  I am grateful for gaining this important insight into who I am and how I really think about things.  This journey is about more than unwanted pounds and smaller sizes. It’s really about knowing who I am.

I have to take a trip into Connecticut tomorrow so I went to a different Weight Watchers meeting this morning.  Thank you, Fran, and all the brilliant Friday morning members for making me and my sister feel so welcome! Fran has this beautiful knack for being both funny and inspiring.

During the meeting, we talked about boosting self-esteem. Many people shared and I learned a lot from the group. One member said something that really lifted us all up, when asked how she was feeling 5 pounds down (in one week mind you) she said, “Satisfied and happy.”   That is a great way to feel, and the best part is she did it for herself! That’s real self-caring.  Members talked about going for walks to see a nesting spot for eagles and I had a real sense of appreciation for our connectedness to the natural world.

When I attend my meetings I am always struck by the generosity of the group. We generated a list of words that would help us all to amplify self-esteem:

I will carry these words with me throughout the week. When I’m stressed and overworked I will think about the successes of my fellow members, I will imagine the eagles,  and I will repeat the words other members gave me to think about. I hold all of these small encounters in my heart. These are the moments that sustain my “why” and this is how I’m getting to goal. Thank you for reading.