"Get Over It" Packs a Punch

          When something goes wrong, get over it.

          When disappointment pays a massive visit, get over it.

          When emotional hurt becomes a burden upon your spirit,     
                   get over it.

          The bitterness from these situations takes root and will keep problems in your subconscious unless you get over them.

          Do you want to know what hanging on to grief, anger, stress, anxiety and general negativity REALLY does:  it kills you…. physically, emotionally and spiritually. That may sound harsh, but I truly believe it. I can just feel the life being sucked out of me when I’ve clung to something negative for well past it’s “Use By” date.

          Getting over it means really releasing all the power something – usually negative – has over you. Getting over it means moving on to the next great fun, creative, challenging, inspiring, motivating, uplifting and joyous thing life has just for you.

     I love to be reminded of what we can learn from our pets. I never see Kali (my beloved tri-pod kitty) hanging on to terror (like when a plastic bag accidently chased her because it was stuck to her one good back leg) or disappointment (“No snacks right now, missy.”). I can recall more than once when I’ve come waltzing around the corner only to smash her precious little face with my big foot. She darts off in fear and confusion but will return moments later, when I’m sitting down, for a love fest petting session. I may be anthropomorphizing just a tad but, the point is, she gets over it. It obviously does help that she’s not as highly evolved as her mom. Despite their lack of higher education, I still think we can learn from our pets’ actions.

          So, the next time:

     -          Someone cuts in front of you in traffic or

     -          Forgets to do something you asked them to do or

     -          Doesn’t invite you to the party, dinner, or other event 
                       or

     -          When your partner hurts your feelings or

     -          When you fail … at anything or

     -          Act harshly to yourself or others or

     -          If you relapse back into bad behavior

STOP

...and do yourself a favor…GET OVER IT and move on to goodness.

Contact Antonia at antoniasseniormoments@hotmail.com or
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Celebrating Freedom, Senior Style

            As we age I believe our sense of freedom and all the implications of freedom are heightened.  Perhaps this is because our lives are not as splintered with family and/or work obligations, or a boatload of other tasks or responsibilities. The simplicity of my later years has allowed me to focus on the basics of life, and freedom is right up there at the top of my basics-of-life list.

 

          I  don’t generally wait until July 4^th to celebrate freedom and what it means to me. I recall it every day that I am able to move about my community without fear of sniper attacks or bombings. (I’m talking about the norm and not the aberrant Newtown or Columbine here.)

My take on freedom

          I celebrate freedom every time I check out books of my choosing from the library or freely leave the U.S. for foreign travel or attend my spiritual home for prayers and learning, all without the involvement or questioning by others. These are just some of the things not afforded to everyone in the world, and I don’t take them for granted.

          My freedom includes spending my time and money and energy on people and activities of MY choosing. There are no requirements for me to do anything I don’t choose. Sure, taxes and death will always be there whether I choose them or not ... but you know what I mean.

          This coming Friday the most difficult decision I have to make is how much and what kind of calories and carbs to consume at my friends’ BBQ.

          I am grateful beyond words about the freedom that I have. I will take time this Friday for a silent prayer of  thanks for all who fought to insure my freedom and the freedom of all of us.

          I hope you have a great holiday and didn't forget to look at all that freedom does for you and for those who made possible the opportunities and liberty enjoyed by you and your family.

 

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Contact Antonia at antoniasseniormoments@hotmail.com or
  Antonia's Senior Moments on Facebook

Weight Loss - Diving In

          Last week I traveled to Paris, Kentucky for a 50 year reunion of those of us who attended boarding school at Paris American High School in France. Kind of cool about the same city name/different locations, isn't it? Well, picture this:  fried catfish sandwiches dripping with heavenly homemade tartar sauce, light as air deep-fried French fries, lemon bars, bourbon cream, crusted salmon, buttered green beans, rum and coke, pulled pork, ribs with your choice of three different kinds of sauces, potato salad, smoked chicken sandwiches, fruit salad, brownies...and the list goes on and on....for five full days.

          And I dove in. So much for my healthy eating plan and for my best resolution to stay on track during this vacation. I never ate past full but I ate everything. This morning, after getting home late last night, we began the first day of some home remodeling we're doing on our new place for our move-in date of July 1st. I've got some cooking utensils here and some at the new place but for the next few weeks, we'll be eating most of our meals at restaurants.

          Having said all that, I've decided not to continue with my efforts to lose weight right now. This is a difficult decision for me because, instead of just quitting on my own without anyone knowing, I have to do it here publicly. But I promised to be honest and that's what I'm doing. While I don't feel like I completely failed, I am concerned I may have let you down ... that I didn't stick with it long enough or try hard enough.
 

          The bottom line is I don't feel like doing it ... perhaps I will when my new husband and I have moved in and things settle down. Perhaps I'm using traveling and moving as excuses. I don't know. At least I feel good about being honest about my decision. My motivation this go 'round was never as solidified as in past attempts and that may be because I know for sure I'm more than how much I weigh   ... and you are too.

          Life goes on whatever our bodies look like. There'll be no harsher critic than myself.

          I wish you the best in your weight journey and, I'd love it if you keep me posted. I may be out there again sometime soon ... or not.

Contact me at antoniasseniormoments@hotmail.com