The Aim of Life is to Live,
and to Live Means to be Aware, Joyously, Drunkenly, Serenely, Divinely  Aware. 

{Henry Miller}.

It is a beautiful Sunday Afternoon. I have had a wonderful weekend. (Well, Friday was not so great, but I did get my license renewed so, Yea me! Oh, and last night really sucked...had to call the police on my neighbours AGAIN....my walls were vibrating their music was SO loud. After the police left, the neighbours got REALLY childish and spent the next two hours stomping just as loudly as they could all across the apartment, I swear I thought that the ceiling was going to cave in and they were going to end up in my apartment. They really need to GROW UP!).

ANWAY! Yesterday I spent a delightful interlude with two dear friends for lunch and a movie. (It was an early birthday gift from them. *grins*) We saw "Music and Lyrics", it was too cute. I enjoyed it immensely! I now have to purchase the soundtrack as I have a couple of the songs dancing in my head all the time! *LOL* I love my friends and am so grateful to have had that precious time with them.

*Drumroll please!* I made my weight loss goal for my birthday day two days early and actually exceed the loss by 1.5 pounds! Again... YEA me! My next goal will have me at 30 pounds gone and I can't wait. *does the happy dance* I have never in my life been so jazzed about a lifestyle change...and it is a lifestyle change. Now when I go to the store I bypass the sodas(Been almost two months without a soda! hehehe)...I reach for fruits and veggies and I use smart balance instead of butter. I'm eating whole grain bread , whole wheat pasta and  I eat a lot of chicken...I'm dancing everyday...will one day soon perhaps join a gym. Of course I can't see any changes, but I feel so much better and my clothes are beginning to fit a wee bit more loosely.

I have not felt this good in such a long time, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. I am disgustingly cheerful...I am slowly weeding out the negativity in my thoughts and in my life and that has included gently letting go of the negative people in my life. I am determined to surround myself with positive, upbeat people . Even more than I used to, I am finding joy in the everyday and it is such a miraculous blessing. I have started attending the church of Religious Science and just going makes me so happy and bubbly! They teach what I have always known(but never really had success with), which is I can do, have and be anything I put my MIND to Doing, Having and Being! It is such a joy*full experience and I look forward to going again next weekend.

For now, I think I am going to go work on my vision board. I bought a large cork board to today. I have posterboard, paints, stencils and pictures. I will make a board that will have all my wishes on it...the things I want to manifest in my life. *GRINS* It's "The Secret!"  I know I can so it. NOW....TODAY! Baby steps.....baby steps...towards a brighter lovely, love*filled life. A life which is good and happy and loving now! 

Brightest Blessings,
Ame

The real momentof success is not the moment apparent to the crowd.  (George Bernard Shaw)

I posted a comment on another Sparker’s blog this morning (Spark People is the support site I live at now! *LOL*) regarding exercise and what I do to get my daily exercise in and I felt the urge to blog about it myself here. It is for me, right now, the single most important facet of my lifestyle change. I used to HATE to exercise. Period…end of story. I knew that it was a key ingredient in the whole lifestyle change and I just couldn’t get my brain to wrap itself around the concept and embrace it. I mean really, a woman of my size out in public, going to the gym with all those size two little things and making a fool out of my self. I so don’t think so!

Then I had a sort of epiphany (although deep down I had known it all along…go fig) Movement of ANY kind is exercise. Walking at the park, feeding the ducks. Walking to work everyday…walking AROUND work everyday in the course of my duties (I usually put in, at the very least, two miles a day running around after my doctors. I wonder if that really counts towards exercise?). But most of all, I discovered that what I love to do most is considered exercise. I love to dance. I dance at work (even if it is in my chair, and especially when I am all alone in my little room when my workmate leaves for the day), when I am at my Renaissance Faires, you can catch me dancing surreptitiously when the drums begin or we are in the vicinity of the belly dancers. When I go to my Christmas party or to other parties I frequent with a group of some of my online friends, I can dance the night away. Last August, a friend and I actually closed down a party, we danced to everything, including the twist! He was kind enough to give me a massage afterwards as my body was ready to rebel and thought I was going to fall down from sheer exhaustion

Yes, I ADORE dancing and it occurred to me as I began contemplating and planning this lifestyle change toward the end of last year, that this is what I could do for exercise. I can do it in the privacy of my own home. I can be just wild and uninhibited as I wish! *Smiles* It can be sensuous, as I explore my body and it’s reactions to the moves I make, it can be exhilarating, it can be so very exciting as I am able to bend, stretch and twist farther as I get more fit, and it can be exhausting, but it always feels GOOD! It is what helps keep me motivated.

I have several songs that I love, and when they come on, I just HAVE to move. So, I put them in a few different dance mixes that now are 45 minutes long and just boogie away. (I started out at 20 minutes sets, then went to 30 minutes and now here I am) I have two songs that inspire me every time I hear them and they are in every mix. Gloria Estefan's "Get on your feet" which for me is so apropos, and Sugarland's "Something More." When I dance, I twist, turn, stretch, and shake my hips as if there is no tomorrow. It gets my blood flowing, my heart pumping and it ALWAYS puts me in a positive frame of mind.

As I become surer of myself, more in tune with myself, as I grow to love myself more and as I grow to care less what other people think, I will venture forth to the gym. Those size two little things have nothing on me! *grins* I am a strong, vibrant, healthy, loving, succulent woman and the world is mine!

Brightest Blessings,
Ame

"I'm no longer afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my own ship." Louisa May Alcott

I have been so focused on my Health goal, the time is just flying by at an incredible pace! I have lost another 3 pounds, which means I may meet my birthday goal of 15 pounds gone! I feel great and people are starting to notice I am losing a wee bit of weight. That just tickles me to death! I have danced every day except for 4 days when I was out of town, and the difference in my overall sense of well being is fantastic.

I have lost enough weight that I can buy off the rack at Wal-Mart. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I bought a blouse for $12.98 at Wal-Mart that would have cost me $50.00( or more) at the store I normally have to go to for clothes. I actually could afford three new blouses for my weekend in California! I very rarely buy myself new clothes because they are so bloody expensive! Huzzah for me!! *LOL*

While I am thrilled with how well I am progressing with my health goal, I have been so very tightly focused on it that I have been neglecting my other two goals. Actually, my financial work is easing forward and I really have no complaints on that score. However, my focus has totally been off my spiritual goal and I REALLY need to rearrange my schedule/ time so that I can devote a couple of hours a day at least to what I promised myself I would do to help myself develop spiritually.

Despite my inattentiveness, The Goddess has been watching out for me! Even though I have not devoted as much time as I feel I should in developing my relationship with her, I am always so grateful for all the blessings in my life! I know without a shadow of a doubt that her hand is in all I now am and am working on becoming this year. She continues to surprise and delight me with her presence in my life.

So starting this weekend, I am going to set aside 30 minutes a day to read, study, meditate, and talk with the Goddess. I have learned through my experiences with my health goals, that baby steps are much more effective and more likely to be followed than setting huge tasks for myself and letting myself down. I will work up to a couple of hours as I ease the 30minutes a day into being as natural as breathing.

On my SP site, I have a personal page and I have written a pledge to myself on that page, that covers all my goals:

I, AmethystStar Pledge to do my best to work towards successfully meeting my goals this year.

I pledge to be kind to myself, to love, and encourage myself. To have a sense of humour and to pick myself up when I fall, without castigating, berating, or hating myself.

I pledge to surround myself with people who are positive and upbeat; who will love me and encourage me. I will be there for them as well, to love, encourage and cheer them on as they strive to meet their own goals.

I pledge to set mini goals for myself so that I am not overwhelmed, and I will celebrate every success and learn from ever mis-step.

I will find the joy in every day! I will go through my day with an attitude of gratitude for ALL that the blessings that I have in my life.

I move forward. I am going to work on a Vision Board for myself. On it I will place pictures, words and ideas of the things that I want in my life. I will concentrate on it each day, to draw the positive into my life. (One would think I had taken the opportunity to watch "The Secret." One would be right! *grinssss*)

I went to the library today and checked out some marvelous books to explore. Being Saturday night, my Brit coms are on PBS and I have a novel to finish in a trilogy written by Nora Roberts. It is wonderful and I will HAVE to buy it when I can.

Now it is time to think about supper and see who of my firends are online to chat with tonight. I have my live 365 radio on listening to the oh so relaxing New age station Gentle sounds and I am in such a blissful place.

Bright Blessings on this beautiful Saturday evening and be sure to do at least one thing that brings you joy this weekend.
Ame