Well, I can hardly believe that we are already putting 2010 to bed. I am just getting over it being a new millenium, and we have already used up the first decade of it. The final day of a year that has been as wonderful for me personally as it has been awful. I have come through a program of self improvement that has actually improved me! I have studied some new material that has enhanced my personal life and personal relationships, and has taught me new and better techniques for my professional life. I have made new friends, and have looked on my old and valued and much loved ones as the golden treasure they are. And every day I appreciate the many good things that come my way: the smiles, the weather, the love of my family and my beloved Lucy, good health, good memories and good friends.
I am grateful that there are people of good will in every country that are trying to conteract the wars and terrorism and poverty and bring some peace and harmony to our planet. I appreciate the advances that have been made in medicine and science that make us healthier and more comfortable, better able to withstand disease, and to cure it when it befalls us. I am most grateful that I have been able to help others in small ways, and to add to some level of comfort that we hope to have in the world. I look forward to being more involved in my community in the new year, to enhancing my own power to help others, and to being an instrument of good change in the days to come.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! MAY 2011 BE A YEAR OF PEACE AND HARMONY, HEALTH AND SUSTENANCE FOR ALL PEOPLE. MAY GOOD WILL PREVAIL.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas
Well, everyone, tomorrow is Christmas day and I am wishing all of my dear friends for whom this day is important and celebratory, a wonderful and happy Christmas. I was thinking this morning of all the wonderful Christmasses we have celebrated over the years with good friends who have since passed away. Christmas is not our holiday, but good friends for whom it was important often included us in their celebrations, and we were happy to share their good cheer and the importance to them of this sacred and happy time. My parents, devoted Jews, were great celebrators. Every time the family was together, every time that we spent in the company of people we loved, of whatever religion, was a moment of celebration. At this time of year, I spend some time thinking of those generous people who included us in their holidays, and were not afraid to be incuded in ours.
I remember a lovely woman, Hattie was her name, who always included us in her Christmas. We kids (there were four of us) were little and I was the youngest, and it was certainly my first brush with the light and color and sweets and treats of Christmas. I can remember the anticipation of walking up the stairs to the apartment she shared with her husband, and seeing the tree with the colored glass balls and the "snow" and the tinsel and all the simple decorations of the early 1950s. Hattie was of Polish extraction and shared her special holiday memories and treats with us American California kids. She is gone now. She never had children, but attended Passover seders at my house sometimes when I had kids. She will be alive as long as I and my children remember her. But now I wish I had told her how I felt about those Christmasses past that she shared with us.
When we got older and lived next door to an devout Italian Catholic family, we shared their Christmas as well. The cookies were to die for, and the noise and singing and friendship and laughter were to live for. My grandfather and the grandmother from next door used to sit on the front porch and speak in Italian and keep each other company. I remember going to Louise's graduation from Catholic high school, at St. Timothy's on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles. It was truly awe-inspiring. It was shared celebration. Mrs. Foti is gone now, and Jenny and Louis too, but I hope that they knew how very dear they were to me and how much I loved being included in their Christmas. I knew it was theirs and not mine, but I also knew how generous they were to share it with me.
Over the years, many other families have taken us to their very big hearts on Christmas and shared the joy of their holiday with us. When we lived in San Jose, the principal of the school where I taught, and her mother and sister, gave my children the same feelings of inclusion that other friends have done over the years. Jo, the mom, passed away last year, but I hope that somehow she knew what it meant to me that she welcomed us into her home, shared her holiday with us, gave us the benefit of her wisdom and love and made us feel like family when we were so far from our own.
So here in this short few paragraphs, I have said "I hope they knew" three times. I guess that I am reminded at Christmas, to not only hope that people know what they have meant to me, but to tell the ones that I am lucky enough to still have right here how much I love and appreciate them. Every year, the kids and I take a "Regina Amira Memorial Christmas Lights Tour" of the neighborhood. That was my mom, and she absolutely loved Christmas lights. She was such a kid at heart all her life. I loved the things, the joie d'vivre, the joy that she modeled for us, and the openness to good times and celebrations, no matter whose they were.
So take this time, this moment, to tell those you love and are lucky enough to have around still, how much they mean to you. And when someone wishes you Merry Christmas, Happy Kwaanza, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, take in the meaning and forget the specifics and smile.
I remember a lovely woman, Hattie was her name, who always included us in her Christmas. We kids (there were four of us) were little and I was the youngest, and it was certainly my first brush with the light and color and sweets and treats of Christmas. I can remember the anticipation of walking up the stairs to the apartment she shared with her husband, and seeing the tree with the colored glass balls and the "snow" and the tinsel and all the simple decorations of the early 1950s. Hattie was of Polish extraction and shared her special holiday memories and treats with us American California kids. She is gone now. She never had children, but attended Passover seders at my house sometimes when I had kids. She will be alive as long as I and my children remember her. But now I wish I had told her how I felt about those Christmasses past that she shared with us.
When we got older and lived next door to an devout Italian Catholic family, we shared their Christmas as well. The cookies were to die for, and the noise and singing and friendship and laughter were to live for. My grandfather and the grandmother from next door used to sit on the front porch and speak in Italian and keep each other company. I remember going to Louise's graduation from Catholic high school, at St. Timothy's on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles. It was truly awe-inspiring. It was shared celebration. Mrs. Foti is gone now, and Jenny and Louis too, but I hope that they knew how very dear they were to me and how much I loved being included in their Christmas. I knew it was theirs and not mine, but I also knew how generous they were to share it with me.
Over the years, many other families have taken us to their very big hearts on Christmas and shared the joy of their holiday with us. When we lived in San Jose, the principal of the school where I taught, and her mother and sister, gave my children the same feelings of inclusion that other friends have done over the years. Jo, the mom, passed away last year, but I hope that somehow she knew what it meant to me that she welcomed us into her home, shared her holiday with us, gave us the benefit of her wisdom and love and made us feel like family when we were so far from our own.
So here in this short few paragraphs, I have said "I hope they knew" three times. I guess that I am reminded at Christmas, to not only hope that people know what they have meant to me, but to tell the ones that I am lucky enough to still have right here how much I love and appreciate them. Every year, the kids and I take a "Regina Amira Memorial Christmas Lights Tour" of the neighborhood. That was my mom, and she absolutely loved Christmas lights. She was such a kid at heart all her life. I loved the things, the joie d'vivre, the joy that she modeled for us, and the openness to good times and celebrations, no matter whose they were.
So take this time, this moment, to tell those you love and are lucky enough to have around still, how much they mean to you. And when someone wishes you Merry Christmas, Happy Kwaanza, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, take in the meaning and forget the specifics and smile.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Reflections on TIME
Reflecting on time is something that people do as they get older, I guess. Recently I was reading a book in which the main character reflects that she has less time ahead of her than behind her, and that she has realized how much time was wasted in her youth on things that in the end turned out to be unimportant. She mentions the impatience she felt with her husband and son, and the time she spent being indifferent to neighbors or co-workers, rather than spending time as a mentor or friend.
All the anger that we waste so much energy on, say in traffic, or waiting in line is a good example of wasted time; all the grudges we hold for what seems to be perfectly good reasons, in looking back on them from a distance, we oftentimes discover that they weren't good reasons at all, and they did not add anything to our happiness or sense of wellbeing. Sometimes, rather the opposite. And the character in the book remarks that we never know what a waste of time it is while we are doing it.
I have reading a book by a teacher that I have been studying with, and one of the things that she talks about is how we would like to be remembered, what we would like to be remembered for. She joked in a lecture about what we would like on our tombstone; whether we would want it to say something like "Here lies Maria, she had issues" or rather something else, like "Here lies Maria, who lived a life of love and fulfillment". I am not trying to be morbid here, but just passing on this gem: that if we think about how we would like to be remembered, it tells us something about what is really important to us, and that we can then go on ahead with our lives doing and reinforcing those very things which are important and letting go of the rest of the "stuff" that we waste so much of our precious time doing.
Because life IS precious. We each have hours and days and years to spend making ourselves who we want to be, passing on our thoughts and ideas, effecting change in the word if we dare, and then leaving it all behind. Doesn't it make sense to make those hours and days that we have the best that they can possibly be, to make them the happiest and most beautiful, to create around us a lively and interesting environment that we can share with the people we love and respect?
When we are young, we think that we have all the time in the world to make decisions, to correct mistakes, to forge ahead without thought or apology, and then the time passes and we don't always or perhaps even ever notice its passing. But pass it does, and just as the woman in the book, we have less time ahead than behind. So think of how worthwhile it would be to think now of how we want to be remembered, and then go out and do something about making that happen.
The year is about to turn. The 21st century is already 10 years old. It's a good time to think about time and to reflect on how we want to spend ours. You are writing your own story, what do you want it to say? Who are you willing to be?
All the anger that we waste so much energy on, say in traffic, or waiting in line is a good example of wasted time; all the grudges we hold for what seems to be perfectly good reasons, in looking back on them from a distance, we oftentimes discover that they weren't good reasons at all, and they did not add anything to our happiness or sense of wellbeing. Sometimes, rather the opposite. And the character in the book remarks that we never know what a waste of time it is while we are doing it.
I have reading a book by a teacher that I have been studying with, and one of the things that she talks about is how we would like to be remembered, what we would like to be remembered for. She joked in a lecture about what we would like on our tombstone; whether we would want it to say something like "Here lies Maria, she had issues" or rather something else, like "Here lies Maria, who lived a life of love and fulfillment". I am not trying to be morbid here, but just passing on this gem: that if we think about how we would like to be remembered, it tells us something about what is really important to us, and that we can then go on ahead with our lives doing and reinforcing those very things which are important and letting go of the rest of the "stuff" that we waste so much of our precious time doing.
Because life IS precious. We each have hours and days and years to spend making ourselves who we want to be, passing on our thoughts and ideas, effecting change in the word if we dare, and then leaving it all behind. Doesn't it make sense to make those hours and days that we have the best that they can possibly be, to make them the happiest and most beautiful, to create around us a lively and interesting environment that we can share with the people we love and respect?
When we are young, we think that we have all the time in the world to make decisions, to correct mistakes, to forge ahead without thought or apology, and then the time passes and we don't always or perhaps even ever notice its passing. But pass it does, and just as the woman in the book, we have less time ahead than behind. So think of how worthwhile it would be to think now of how we want to be remembered, and then go out and do something about making that happen.
The year is about to turn. The 21st century is already 10 years old. It's a good time to think about time and to reflect on how we want to spend ours. You are writing your own story, what do you want it to say? Who are you willing to be?
Monday, November 22, 2010
Giving Thanks
It has been so long, not because I haven't thought of all I had to say and share, but because the time has seemed so short. To catch everyone up, Project Transformation has ended as a program for the eight of us lucky winners, but we are all still in the process of being transformed as is every single person, every single day. All of the new things we see and learn and do, all the new people we meet who affect our lives, all of the people we love-- all of our losses, even--combine to transform us each and every day. And isn't that a lucky thing? Because it means that as long as we live and breathe, we have the ability the capacity to transform into something better than we are right at this moment. Every thought that occurs, every grain of truth that we realize, has the power to change us.
We Project transformation winners had an amazing experience, learning to eat well, to treat ourselves to exercise and excellent self-care, to set goals that we had a method and steps for accomplishing, and take it all out into our own world and have it become part of our lives. What a gift! It was winning the lottery.
So this week, just about two months after the end of our sojourn at the Califoria Health and Longevity Institute, when we are prepared to think about all we are thankful for, that six month time out of time that we were treated to will be right up there with my thanks for good health, a wonderful family, and the life of my darling dog Lucy. That education, that period of tender loving care and wicked hard work is one of the many things that I am thankful for this year. I am thankful for the new friendships I have made this year, and for all the old and faithful friendships that I am so fortunate to have. I cherish them new and old alike.
We are approaching the end of the year, and it is time to take stock. Thanksgiving comes at a good time of year, as it is a prelude to turning over the year (in the Gregorian calendar) and thinking about change. What have we done that we might have done differently, what new challenges will we face, and how do we want to face them this time around. I have learned so much in the past two months about myself, and even about the people that I am most familiar with and thought I knew everything about. I was wrong. I will save this revelation for another day, but I would like everyone I know to stop a moment to take a real clensing breath, and think about how lucky we all are, not because of what we have, but because of who we are, and that we are capable of striving to be better.
In the deepest part of my soul, I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving, meaning being happy about being grateful. What could be better?
We Project transformation winners had an amazing experience, learning to eat well, to treat ourselves to exercise and excellent self-care, to set goals that we had a method and steps for accomplishing, and take it all out into our own world and have it become part of our lives. What a gift! It was winning the lottery.
So this week, just about two months after the end of our sojourn at the Califoria Health and Longevity Institute, when we are prepared to think about all we are thankful for, that six month time out of time that we were treated to will be right up there with my thanks for good health, a wonderful family, and the life of my darling dog Lucy. That education, that period of tender loving care and wicked hard work is one of the many things that I am thankful for this year. I am thankful for the new friendships I have made this year, and for all the old and faithful friendships that I am so fortunate to have. I cherish them new and old alike.
We are approaching the end of the year, and it is time to take stock. Thanksgiving comes at a good time of year, as it is a prelude to turning over the year (in the Gregorian calendar) and thinking about change. What have we done that we might have done differently, what new challenges will we face, and how do we want to face them this time around. I have learned so much in the past two months about myself, and even about the people that I am most familiar with and thought I knew everything about. I was wrong. I will save this revelation for another day, but I would like everyone I know to stop a moment to take a real clensing breath, and think about how lucky we all are, not because of what we have, but because of who we are, and that we are capable of striving to be better.
In the deepest part of my soul, I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving, meaning being happy about being grateful. What could be better?
Monday, October 11, 2010
Learning from Magicians
Well, our Project Transformation experience has formally come to a close. Tomorrow night we have our farewell party, and officially fly out of the nest. We have all taken our final tests, received our final results, met with our trainers who have sent us on our way with instructions, met to prepare and eat Breakfast for Performance, received recipes and learned what our bod pod results were. Some of us will continue at CHLI, and some of us will go to other gyms, hike and walk on our own, join classes in yoga and dance, and do other healthy things.
But for myself, while I am flying solo, I will be thinking of the magic that this program has wrought on not only me but all of us. I can't imagine that any of us are going to walk out of the hotel tomorrow night feeling like the same person we were when we walked in. My son-in-law reminded me on Saturday how ambivalent I was as I entered the contest. Not about how good an experience it would be, but whether I would be up to it. I think we all walked in with doubts about ourselves, and I think that I can detect that our physical muscles were not the only ones that were built in the course of the program. In mulling over what I have learned, in addition to the obvious instruction in nutrition and physical training, I have learned, as I told Dr Barr, to say both "yes" and "no". I have learned that when I am offered some water by someone who will go and get it and bring it to me, there is nothing wrong with saying "yes, thanks". There is nothing selfish about letting someone else take good care of you, and then you can return the favor sometime. There is nothing wrong with being pampered, with feeling good, with looking good, and with feeling the power of accomplishment. There is also the important "no" that I have learned. Saying no to overload, or overwhelm, or overcommitment is good for neither the body, nor the psyche, nor the job that needs to get done well.
When we started, I was in a place where I never said no. One of the reasons I stated about wanting to be chosen was that I wanted it to be my turn for a change. I had always felt that it was as if I were in a line, and as the people in the line had their needs met, they stepped to the back and waited for their turn to come again, but when I got to the front, someone else always seemed to have a more urgent need than mine, and I stepped to the rear without ever having my needs met. Project Transformation was a way to get my most important needs met, the way to learn to take really good care of myself, and --surprise!--in doing that to take really good care of the people in my life. From what we have discussed briefly, the other people in the program had similar experiences. Some families are eating at home more, have jettisoned fast food from their diets, are incorporating more exercise into their days, and are more aware of what they eat, what's in it, and how it will help or hurt their goals for themselves.
So all that I can say is that the Magicians of Project Transformation have waved their magic wands, and given us gifts that will stay with us all our lives, hopefully now that will be all of our healthy lives, and the magic dust that has fallen on us was so generous and plentiful, that others have benefited as well.
We have been given the gifts of SMART goals, Kaizen Steps, learning the value of restful sleep and breakfast, label reading, and portion control. Is there any way to say 'Thank you' to magicians, except to be ambassadors of living well and healthily, to being living examples of all that has been taught and given to us so generously?
And one more thing, and not a small thing at that. The Four Seasons hotel has made us welcome with smiles and greetings and feelings of welcome from the beginning, from the door personnel, to the locker room attendants and the pool personnel. Each thing that we have experienced, from the Spa, the massages, the healing sessions with Barbara, and the makeovers with Billy has been more (dare I say?) icing on a very lavish and amazing cake.
I hope to continue my blog and keep my readers apprised of what I am doing and how I have taken the lessons of Project Transformation and use them in my everyday life. I pledge to keep everyone informed as to my progress. It will be one of the many forms of accountability that I will be working into my daily program of self improvement.
To my faithful readers, thanks for sticking with me. Hope you have enjoyed the journey as much as I have. It's far from over.
And to the Magicians at CHLI and the Four Seasons hotel, Thanks for the ride.
But for myself, while I am flying solo, I will be thinking of the magic that this program has wrought on not only me but all of us. I can't imagine that any of us are going to walk out of the hotel tomorrow night feeling like the same person we were when we walked in. My son-in-law reminded me on Saturday how ambivalent I was as I entered the contest. Not about how good an experience it would be, but whether I would be up to it. I think we all walked in with doubts about ourselves, and I think that I can detect that our physical muscles were not the only ones that were built in the course of the program. In mulling over what I have learned, in addition to the obvious instruction in nutrition and physical training, I have learned, as I told Dr Barr, to say both "yes" and "no". I have learned that when I am offered some water by someone who will go and get it and bring it to me, there is nothing wrong with saying "yes, thanks". There is nothing selfish about letting someone else take good care of you, and then you can return the favor sometime. There is nothing wrong with being pampered, with feeling good, with looking good, and with feeling the power of accomplishment. There is also the important "no" that I have learned. Saying no to overload, or overwhelm, or overcommitment is good for neither the body, nor the psyche, nor the job that needs to get done well.
When we started, I was in a place where I never said no. One of the reasons I stated about wanting to be chosen was that I wanted it to be my turn for a change. I had always felt that it was as if I were in a line, and as the people in the line had their needs met, they stepped to the back and waited for their turn to come again, but when I got to the front, someone else always seemed to have a more urgent need than mine, and I stepped to the rear without ever having my needs met. Project Transformation was a way to get my most important needs met, the way to learn to take really good care of myself, and --surprise!--in doing that to take really good care of the people in my life. From what we have discussed briefly, the other people in the program had similar experiences. Some families are eating at home more, have jettisoned fast food from their diets, are incorporating more exercise into their days, and are more aware of what they eat, what's in it, and how it will help or hurt their goals for themselves.
So all that I can say is that the Magicians of Project Transformation have waved their magic wands, and given us gifts that will stay with us all our lives, hopefully now that will be all of our healthy lives, and the magic dust that has fallen on us was so generous and plentiful, that others have benefited as well.
We have been given the gifts of SMART goals, Kaizen Steps, learning the value of restful sleep and breakfast, label reading, and portion control. Is there any way to say 'Thank you' to magicians, except to be ambassadors of living well and healthily, to being living examples of all that has been taught and given to us so generously?
And one more thing, and not a small thing at that. The Four Seasons hotel has made us welcome with smiles and greetings and feelings of welcome from the beginning, from the door personnel, to the locker room attendants and the pool personnel. Each thing that we have experienced, from the Spa, the massages, the healing sessions with Barbara, and the makeovers with Billy has been more (dare I say?) icing on a very lavish and amazing cake.
I hope to continue my blog and keep my readers apprised of what I am doing and how I have taken the lessons of Project Transformation and use them in my everyday life. I pledge to keep everyone informed as to my progress. It will be one of the many forms of accountability that I will be working into my daily program of self improvement.
To my faithful readers, thanks for sticking with me. Hope you have enjoyed the journey as much as I have. It's far from over.
And to the Magicians at CHLI and the Four Seasons hotel, Thanks for the ride.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Things Happen for a Reason
Always having been a believer in the sentiment that "things happen for a reason", I have thought of this phrase several times recently. I think that all of us Project Transformationists are dealing with mixed feelings that our time with the Project is reaching its end. I think that I can say that without exception, all of us have done better than we could have imagined, losing weight, getting fitter, feeling better, seeing surprising and very pleasing changes in our test results. But the thrill of this is mixed with some degree of trepidation about being able to sustain all that we have done and continue to use all that we have learned. We have not reached the end of the journey, or the top of the mountain, but have miles to go yet. And then there is the very real work that will go into maintaining all of the gains we have made once our goals have been reached.
We have , I think that I can say without exception, appreciated how lucky we have been to have been the recipients of all of the attention of the Community of Caring that is CHLI, and the courtesy and helpfulness of all of the staff of the hotel and spa that we have interacted with, that has without doubt been pleasant and rewarding. But now it is time for us to 'leave the nest', to be out in the real world, to fly on our own, to arrange our world so that we still have all of the elements that have made the journey possible: accountability, diligence, balance, hard work, and patience. And to realize that continuing the journey will reap the rewards of continued good health and fitness.
I was so pleasantly surprised to reexamine the papers that we had filled out at the beginning of the program, when we set goals, and designed strategies to make those goals a reality. I had done just about all of the things that I set out to do, setting goals, designing small Kaizen steps to reach those goals, and defining what the barriers to success might be so that they can be dealt with before they become a problem, along with identifying supports and rewardss, extrinsic sources of motivations. I never did identify any rewards on my sheet, but now that I have achieved some of the goals, I can see that the rewards might have been having to revamp my wardrobe, wearing things that might not have been comfortable for me to wear before. Internal rewards are being realized often when people compliment me on how good I look, and I feel good about it.
So the things that have happened for a reason are first and foremost, the winning of the contest that made such a difference in our lives and the lives of our families, because the learning that we have done has benefitted not only ourselves, but spouses and children as well. Another is the sense of self that we have gained. For me there was a learning curve to taking my place at the "front of the line" not all the time but certainly sometimes. Learning to make the time to get fit equally important as all the other things that we somehow manage to schedule into our days has set us up to be on our own, and to still set aside time for this very important activity. And now, being cut loose also has a reason. Taking the opportunity to order our lives in such a way as to maintain our achievements and set new and perhaps differet goals for ourselves. As kids, we had the opportunity to set goals of good grades, or awards, or scholarships, or athletic wins. Later we had educational goals perhaps, graduating college, advanced degrees, jobs, and personal goals of marriage and children. Now we have the responsibility of other personal goals that only we can control: Maintaining health and fitness to the best of our abilities, staying active, being aware, recognizing when we need help and seeking it out.
So as we phase out of this very rewarding place that we have been so fortunate to have been blessed with, we will take with us a renewed sense of life and self, what it means to have goals and to work hard to achieve them, and the very real rewards of being healthy and fit and continuing along this path for the foreseeable future.
We have , I think that I can say without exception, appreciated how lucky we have been to have been the recipients of all of the attention of the Community of Caring that is CHLI, and the courtesy and helpfulness of all of the staff of the hotel and spa that we have interacted with, that has without doubt been pleasant and rewarding. But now it is time for us to 'leave the nest', to be out in the real world, to fly on our own, to arrange our world so that we still have all of the elements that have made the journey possible: accountability, diligence, balance, hard work, and patience. And to realize that continuing the journey will reap the rewards of continued good health and fitness.
I was so pleasantly surprised to reexamine the papers that we had filled out at the beginning of the program, when we set goals, and designed strategies to make those goals a reality. I had done just about all of the things that I set out to do, setting goals, designing small Kaizen steps to reach those goals, and defining what the barriers to success might be so that they can be dealt with before they become a problem, along with identifying supports and rewardss, extrinsic sources of motivations. I never did identify any rewards on my sheet, but now that I have achieved some of the goals, I can see that the rewards might have been having to revamp my wardrobe, wearing things that might not have been comfortable for me to wear before. Internal rewards are being realized often when people compliment me on how good I look, and I feel good about it.
So the things that have happened for a reason are first and foremost, the winning of the contest that made such a difference in our lives and the lives of our families, because the learning that we have done has benefitted not only ourselves, but spouses and children as well. Another is the sense of self that we have gained. For me there was a learning curve to taking my place at the "front of the line" not all the time but certainly sometimes. Learning to make the time to get fit equally important as all the other things that we somehow manage to schedule into our days has set us up to be on our own, and to still set aside time for this very important activity. And now, being cut loose also has a reason. Taking the opportunity to order our lives in such a way as to maintain our achievements and set new and perhaps differet goals for ourselves. As kids, we had the opportunity to set goals of good grades, or awards, or scholarships, or athletic wins. Later we had educational goals perhaps, graduating college, advanced degrees, jobs, and personal goals of marriage and children. Now we have the responsibility of other personal goals that only we can control: Maintaining health and fitness to the best of our abilities, staying active, being aware, recognizing when we need help and seeking it out.
So as we phase out of this very rewarding place that we have been so fortunate to have been blessed with, we will take with us a renewed sense of life and self, what it means to have goals and to work hard to achieve them, and the very real rewards of being healthy and fit and continuing along this path for the foreseeable future.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tempus Fugit
Yes, the time has flown by, and we Project Transformationists have come to a place where our journey doesn't end, but where we part ways with our mentors, our trainers, and all the people who made it easy for us to stay on track. The road has been made easier with all those helping hands, but now that we can walk by ourselves, it is up to us to keep up the practice, to find ways that we can encourage ourselves, not backslide, be accountable and keep on the journey. These were only the first steps of the journey. First, we made decisions about our destinations and goals, and then we outfitted ourselves for the trip. We took our first steps and found that we could fit exercise and good food preparation into our busy lives. We educated ourselves, with lots of help, about the terrain, and took precautions, and even when we hit bumps in the road, we kept putting one foot in front of the other and moved ahead. Today, we look around at each other and only Percy looks the same, because he started out quite trim, but his reports of better numbers are quite a feat. Everyone else has changed equally significantly, but it is more apparent to the naked eye. Along the way on our journey, we have gotten healthier and even better looking; we have left lots of pounds by the side of the road, and we have also left behind the idea that there are things we can't do. Christy and I discovered that we actually liked to hike. Kassi has discovered that she can run down criminals and catch them more often than not. Kristin has overcome some very difficult times and still has lost the weight, looks only too fabulous and has a 1000 watt smile, well deserved. Sophia has been our hiking mentor, our demon tamer, our hard working Amazon, and looks terrific. Don't even get me started on the men. Bill and Dave look like different people than the ones who started with us. I have increased my strength and balance, feel great, and have had to buy smaller underwear twice!
I guess that all of us, or I should speak only for myself, and say that I am looking at the end of the program with some fear and trepidation, some elation, some relief and more than a little amazement. CHLI and the Four Season Hotel have given us six glorious months. we have practiced what we have learned, we have built up new habits, made new friends, learned tons of important lessons, and the gifts will just keep on coming as we practice what we have learned. We have added quality to our lives that was not there before. We have been given the chance to help our families learn to live healthier by example, so our mentors have not only helped us, but our spouses, and the next generation as well.
I don't suppose that there is a way to say Thanks for such gifts as those mentioned above, but I am sure that we have all reveled in our luck at being chosen to participate in this experiment. We have wanted to pinch ourselves as we enjoyed the healing sessions with Barbara and the massages. We have wondered, at times, what we were doing sweating like crazy as we engaged in some demon-invented bosu balancing while standing on our heads. OK, that's an eggzageration but it felt like that.
Now we will have to be our own fitness-demons, we will have to channel Paulette and Erika as we stare at a plate of food that someone has put in front of us and think "dressing on the side, quantity is important here, and is the dessert good enough to be worth those extra calories?"
We will have to get our proper number of hours of sleep, and plan strategically for times when things are not as easy to stick with. We will have to create our own schedules for fitness, training, learning and doing what we have learned.
The time has flown, but it has not been wasted. There are eight very appreciative people who will live better and healthier, and hopefully longer, due to the magnificent gift which has been bestowed upon us.
So to all the management and staff at CHLI, and all those at the hotel who have made our sojourn there so pleasant and lovely, a heartfelt Thanks. ♠
I guess that all of us, or I should speak only for myself, and say that I am looking at the end of the program with some fear and trepidation, some elation, some relief and more than a little amazement. CHLI and the Four Season Hotel have given us six glorious months. we have practiced what we have learned, we have built up new habits, made new friends, learned tons of important lessons, and the gifts will just keep on coming as we practice what we have learned. We have added quality to our lives that was not there before. We have been given the chance to help our families learn to live healthier by example, so our mentors have not only helped us, but our spouses, and the next generation as well.
I don't suppose that there is a way to say Thanks for such gifts as those mentioned above, but I am sure that we have all reveled in our luck at being chosen to participate in this experiment. We have wanted to pinch ourselves as we enjoyed the healing sessions with Barbara and the massages. We have wondered, at times, what we were doing sweating like crazy as we engaged in some demon-invented bosu balancing while standing on our heads. OK, that's an eggzageration but it felt like that.
Now we will have to be our own fitness-demons, we will have to channel Paulette and Erika as we stare at a plate of food that someone has put in front of us and think "dressing on the side, quantity is important here, and is the dessert good enough to be worth those extra calories?"
We will have to get our proper number of hours of sleep, and plan strategically for times when things are not as easy to stick with. We will have to create our own schedules for fitness, training, learning and doing what we have learned.
The time has flown, but it has not been wasted. There are eight very appreciative people who will live better and healthier, and hopefully longer, due to the magnificent gift which has been bestowed upon us.
So to all the management and staff at CHLI, and all those at the hotel who have made our sojourn there so pleasant and lovely, a heartfelt Thanks. ♠
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