Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned From Robin Williams and his Films

"The Birdcage"

--The crucifix is THE PROP for martyrs.

--Sometimes life can be like riding a psychotic horse toward a burning stable

--Go to a cemetery with a toothbrush. Its very Egyptian.

--Pirin tablets are a brilliant idea.

--The important thing to remember is not to go to pieces when that happens.  You have to react like a man, .  You have to say to yourself, "Albert, you pierced the taost, so what?" Its not the end of your life.

--How I never realized John Wayne really walked like that before.

--A woman is said to be worth her weight in hens.

--And a man's wealth is measured by the size of his cock.

"Hook"

--Believe in fairies.

"Good Morning Vietnam"

--What does the O stand for? Oh My G-d, its Early!

--Is there a marijuana problem here? No, its not a problem. Everyone has it.

--Seeing as how the VP is such a VIP, shouldnt we keep the PC on the QT?  Cause if it leaks to the VC he could end up MIA and then we'd all be put out in KP

--Three up and three down means the end of an inning.

--In the dictionary under asshole it says "See him!"

"Mrs. Doubtfire"

--They say a man who has to buy a big car like that is trying to compensate for smaller genitals

--It was the drink the killed him. He was hit by a Guinness truck.

--Poor Winston's idea of foreplay was "Effie, Brace Yourself"

--Carpe Dentum.  Seize thhe Teeth!

"Dead Poet's Society"

--No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.

--Carpe, Carpe Diem. Seize the day, Boys.  Make your lives extraordinary.

--There's a time for daring and there's a time for caution, and a wise man understands which is called for.

--Sucking the marrow out of life doesnt mean choking on the bone

--Boys, you must strive to find your own voice.  Because the longer you wait to begin, the less you are to find it at all.  Thoreau said "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation."  Don't be resigned to that.  Break out!

--Now we all have a great need for acceptance, but you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular, even though the herd may go

RIP.

The New Norm

I rationalize.
A lot.

Maybe to help me deal with things and accept them?

Is it just me ?

When things change in ways I don't like. I rationalize. I make excuses. Something, anything that helps me accept and embrace the change. Something to make sense out of something that cannot be explained or made to make sense.

I rationalize it to tell my brain it's the new norm. It's different than how things were "before" but if I embrace it and make it part of how things are now aka "the new norm" then somehow it's easier for me to deal with. Easier for me to stop fighting against. Fighting against the change I'm struggling with to accept.

The older I get, and hopefully along with it, the wiser I get...the more I can identify patterns within myself..I recognize more and more cycles of behavior.

One of these, that seems to be getting "worse" or more pronounced the older I get, is an offshoot of the above post on rationalizing.

And that's the fact that I am a planner. Always have been. Growing up, and even now, I make lists, lists, and more lists. Sometimes I even will do something not on a list, and then add it to the list and then cross it off the list just because it makes me feel better!

What I find as I get older is, as long as I can plan for "it," I deal with it fine...no matter how bad it is.

It's the surprises that life and the universe hurl at you, that want to send me into a full blown panic and hit the red ALARM Button.

It's those changes that I rationalize and then embrace. Maybe not right away, but eventually in most cases.

It's OK...

My friend Lynne Hartke's Blog "Do you struggle with FOMO?" (Fear of Missing Out) is what generated this blog entry.  Her blog can be located here:
http://www.lynnehartke.com/2014/03/do-you-struggle-with-fomo.html

2011 was the year I was determined to lose weight. I wanted to by skinny.
I wanted to be the person people said "Wow, I wish I looked like that"

2012 and 2013 ended up being the years I felt like I hit rock bottom and worked my way back up.  Just as my diet and weight loss transformed the physical me, in those 2 years, I feel like I learned a lot more about myself. Even though I knew the weight loss in 2011 was about way more than weight, I had a lot more on my plate that I needed to deal with.

2014 is the year I'm determined to find the balance, "It's OK" seems to be the tagline of the year.  Since undergoing my weight loss transformation just about 3 years ago this month, I have struggled to find the balance.

The balance in being satisfied with one cookie, or one donut.
The balance in being happy with what weight I am, or what size my jeans are.
The balance between working out incessantly and realizing that taking a day off is not bad.
The balance between constantly rushing around, nonstop, and taking a day to nurture my soul, is OK.
The balance between trying to be everything to everyone, and realizing that I have my limits, too - as do others.
And the list goes on.

I yearn to find this balance, and so far, I think I'm doing a pretty good job at it.
Better than I used to, at least.
So, my new tagline is "It's OK"

For now, I'm zero tolerance when it comes to sugar/sweets - I'm on the "Diabetic Diet" as my Dad calls it. Admittedly, this is not much of a balance, but this is what works for me at this moment..and that's OK.

Even today, as I write this blog, I am sitting at home taking the day off from the Gym because I probably overdid it last week training for an upcoming 5K. This is huge for me. Previously, I would have kept pushing and ignored the pain until I could no longer ignore it.

Today, I listen to my body and and am taking the day off and rest. It's OK that I don't work out. I'll try again tomorrow. So instead, I gain an afternoon of relaxation. No running around, no errands, no gym.

The fact that I am mostly a size medium, but occasionally a large (or even a small)  in a t shirt, and my jean size is larger, too than when I was at my "Gaunt Stage" - THAT's OK, too. This year I made a conscious decision not to rely on the scale to tell me how I feel. I rely on ME, and the fit of my clothes, to tell me how I feel. 

It's OK that I indulge more on the weekends, and attempt to make up for it during the week.  If my weight fluctuates, that's OK!  I try not to beat myself up when I overdo it or feel guilty over the choices I've made. I own it.

I have "rules" but I dont hold as rigid to them as I used to when I was first trying to lose weight. I don't need to anymore. I try to make good choices, but if I want something bad, I have it. It's all about the balance. 

No matter what choice I make, I've made the right choice for me.

There are still times I second guess myself or try to figure out how I can do it all.
But, the further along I go in this journey, the more I realize that its a neverending, always growing chapter in my story.

Things You Learn About Yourself From Zumba!

So with the new year, and being incredibly bored with walking and my current gym workouts, I decided to try some new types of workouts in the new year.

First, I'm using a Groupon at a "Crossfit" type gym that has really kicked my butt so far. We're talking sore for days, after the Initial Class, and a bunch of terminology that means little to me right now. Turkish Getups, Donkey Kicks, Glute Bridges, OYY! I will say it is a very challenging workout regimen, and it does a great job of distracting me. The hour long classes fly by in a minute.

Today, I went with a friend to a Zumba Class and that's where I found out..you really learn a lot about yourself in a Zumba Class.

1--If you're un-coordinated, don't worry. You're going to find out exactly how un-coordinated you are. IT'S WORSE than you thought.

2--If you ever go on "Dancing with the Stars," you're going to need every single vote from every one of your friends to barely survive the voting.

3--Many of moves in Zumba are more naturally done horizontally than vertically.

4--For those of among the uncoordinated masses, you can either do the arm movements, or the leg movements, but not both concurrently (credit to Jenn Coleman for putting it so succinctly)

5--If you can't follow or figure out the moves, just make it hell up!
Fake it til you make it!

6--If you're me, You have no idea what you're doing, but you're definitely burning some calories!

7--If you go to Zumba, make sure you go with friends so you can laugh at how stupid you feel and how dumb you think you look

8--After Zumba, you can safely go to a Latin/Salsa club

9--You get excited for the arm movements, because they are something you can actually do.

10--You're glad its over, because you were beat after 45 minutes of nonstop dancing (and the class was an hour long)

11--If you were before, you're going to be even more sore after.