Week 4 (Or Is That 5?)

OK, so I've lost a little track of the weeks, especially since I completely missed last week due to illness. But I've lost 13.6 pounds since beginning this journey to a healthier me, and I'm thrilled. I can actually feel a difference in my clothes - they fit better, a little looser, more comfortable now. I confess I'm not at a place where anyone looking at me can tell a difference. I think 13 pounds on a smaller person is more noticeable than 13 pounds on a large person. But I'm thrilled nonetheless, and happy to know that the equivalent of 2.5+ sacks of flour or sugar (the 5# sacks that is) are now gone from my body. Ain't it grand???

And I will say again, I do not feel like I'm on a diet. I'm just eating normal food - whole food - unprocessed food, and it tastes great!

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Motivating Moment

From one of the weekly inspirational newsletters I get - I had to share it because it resonates so deeply within me. I sometimes feel pessimistic or negative. Yet have been told time and time again by people in both my professional and personal worlds that I'm a very positive person, and a blessing to speak to. As much as we know positive people in our lives, remember to tell them they are. I promise, they need to hear it and you will help replenish their sandbucket!

Choose Optimism

I love to be around optimistic people, don't you? They can inspire us to dream big plans and to take courageous actions. They give us the confidence to look within and discover that we, too, have an unlimited supply of joy, knowledge, and love.

How can some people be so optimistic about life and others so pessimistic? Perhaps, a better question is what makes a person optimistic or pessimistic? I believe that the foundation is their thinking, which controls their attitude and their vision.

You may know someone (or have read about someone) who has overcome tremendous adversity and lived a life that made a positive impact on others. Perhaps they were a school teacher, a mother, a relative, a store clerk, a co-worker, or a business leader. They may be famous, or they may be known to only a few. It does not matter. But one thing likely stands out; their optimism is undeniable.

How do they do it? Why are these people so optimistic about life? It all starts with a thought, an idea, a hope, a dream --a choice. They decided to be optimistic. They made up their mind to change how they think - to change their attitude - to change their vision. They decided to listen to the voice for optimism.

Are they "special" people? Yes, in a way, they are "special." And so are you. They are "special" because they made the choice to take control of their thoughts. All of us can do the same thing. No matter what happens in our life, we always get to choose how we will respond - with pessimism or with optimism.

Consider the following "Creed for Optimists" that Christian D. Larsen wrote in 1912. Perhaps it will inspire us to carefully choose our thoughts, our attitude, and our vision to liberate our full potential.

Creed for Optimists

Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.

Make all your friends feel there is something special in them.

Look at the sunny side of everything.

Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best.

Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

Give everyone a smile.

Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others.

Be too big for worry, too noble for anger, and too strong for fear.

Christian D. Larsen

Affirmation for the Week:

“I will monitor my thoughts. As I do, I will recognize that I can choose to be optimistic as I respond to both expected and unexpected situations in my life.”

Have an optimistic week!

Mary Rau-Foster

Copyright 2008 by Mary Rau-Foster. All rights reserved. However, if you find this information helpful, we grant you permission, and strongly encourage you, to print this page and put it on your bulletin board. Thank you.

Words Of Wisdom

Thanks to a dear friend who shared these words on one of her blogs. They resonated deep within me.

There comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama & the people who create it & surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all, life is too short to be anything but happy.

And to the many friends in my life who make me laugh so hard I forget the bad and focus solely on the good, thank you. I think most of you know who you are!

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Maids?

All my submissive and service-oriented friends out there, what do you think about this: Who takes care of your D/M/O (whatever you call them) when you can't? I think this question is really aimed at folks in 24/7 arrangements, but I welcome anyone's thoughts.

The thing is, I'm the caretaker here. My heart is to serve and care for Sir/Master/Daddy, and that is when I am happiest, and what I do best. But when I'm ill - as in really ill like back in January when I had pneumonia and this past week - I can't do my job.

Then, not only does Sir get stuck taking care of Himself, but also O/our son, and heaven help Him - me too. (And I'm not a very good patient.)

Why don't we have a network of service-oriented people who can help care for the Master's of slaves who are unable to do so themselves temporarily? You know, like Merry Maids or something along those lines? They can pull your file when you call them, find out what your Sir needs, wants, and prefers, and jump in to save the day.

Just like the ones in the picture here, at least that's a place to start...but I'm open to other ideas too.

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Not Strep But...

OK - back from the Doctor, feel much worse than I did before I left - seems odd. Anyway, not strep, but it's called pharyngitis (inflammation and infection of the pharynx). And it's not like I could talk anyway cause it hurt so daggone much - but now they've gone and put me (officially) on "Voice-rest".
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omg!
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Me????? Not allowed to talk? How absurd.
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W/we have friends, an M/s couple, and He frequently puts her on Mute (I think that's insanely cruel, but hey, that's not my place to say!) Thank heaven Sir has never felt compelled to do that to me. Only now the Doctor has done it for Him.
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Of course our teen-age son is thrilled, lol. Brat. But that's OK - I can still give him tasks to do through writing them down on paper with ink. (More than one way to skin a mommy! (or a teenager, whatever...)
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So about all I can manage at the moment is a nap - which is good since that's what Sir instructed me to do when I got home from the Doctor. In the mean-time He's meeting a friend of ours at the other house so the friend can take the Master bed (head-board, foot-board, sides, the 4 posters and top rail.) It isn't going to be part of our home here, and while it's in excellent condition and I'm certain W/we could have sold it, W/we agreed it was much more satisfying to give to a "good home" for free. And indeed. it is a wonderful feeling to know that it will bring beauty to the home of friends.
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ttfn
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Follow Your Gut

We all "ought" to be better at following our guts. As in, you have a bad feeling about something, so don't do it! Bad feelings are worth listening to. Or as in something tells you deep inside that you should do something, so DO do it! Those feelings are worth listening to also.

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This past week I had some bad vibes about a couple things, and I ignored them. And now, since I didn't listen to my body, my inner voice, my heart, instead I let my brain over-ride the feelings, now I pay the price.

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I knew my schedule was too demanding this past week, and I knew I needed to pare it down in order to protect me. But I didn't listen to what I knew. And now I'm sick. Icky, uggy sick - fever, tummy stuff we won't mention, sinus stuff, a sore throat to beat all sore throats, and did I mention the muscles aches and the way the chills from the fever make those even worse?
And it isn't like I can just lay back and rest this weekend - the move is Tuesday and the house had to be packed up. Life isn't going to stop or pause while I'm ill, and patiently wait for me to be well so it can pick back up where we left off.

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So I tell ya - listen to your mother if you want, but mostly, listen to your body, your heart, your feelings, your intuition. And then do as they say. I don't care what the obligation is, or who you might offend by canceling, it isn't worth allowing yourself to become run down and susceptible to the germs and bacteria flying around.

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Take care of you - and since I couldn't be a good example I'll just have to serve as your horrible warning!
:)
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And Still I Wonder

Another of life's imponderables came to mind this morning on the way to work. How can so many turn signals be broken all at the same time? Seems really odd that so many people have broken turn signals. Of course I don't know for a fact they are broken, but what else could possibly explain the lack of signals when called for?

Surely folks have not forgotten what they were taught in Driver's Ed about traffic laws and safety. It seems rather basic to me - let people know you plan to go other than straight before you do it. Especially if you're changing lanes in front of them.

I guess the car mechanics have their hands full repairing all those broken turn signals!