GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLFRIEND GATHERINGS

Learning from YOU to empower ME !

New Year, New You…Be Intentional

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Happy New Year 2022

I wonder how many of you are in my boat.  

I thought I would have created a “new” me last year, but so much stuff got in the way.

I’m not talking about a physical makeover.

I’m talking about a mental takeover.

Even though we thought it would be different, in 2021, we were all still dealing with the COVID pandemic and its variations.

All I did was wait and hope it would all end.

 I wanted everything to go back to normal. 

I spent 2021 just focusing on maintaining my sanity while missing my active social life, visiting with family and friends, and eating out at my favorite restaurants. 

Now, we’re in 2022.    Will it be more of the same?  

I’ve accepted that there’s no going back to the “2019” normal. 

I’ve accepted I need to adapt to the “new” 2022 normal. 

I’ve accepted our new reality is evolving as we live it.

The bottom line is…there’s a different paradigm living with a pandemic.

I have my moments where I want to do a “full-face” makeup, put on my “after 5” glamour, and go to a ballet, a Broadway show, or an opera.

I have my moments where I want to call my SisterGirlfriends and head south to the Galveston seawall to hang out for Sunday Brunch at the Hotel Galvez.

I have my moments where I want to head off to one of my writing retreats with a group of my creative writing pals.

And, I have too many moments where I want to jump on a cruise ship or a plane to jet off to some exotic international destination.

But I can’t.  Because mentally, I’m not ready.

And, to get ready, to evolve into a new “me,” I need to be intentional.

I need to regroup my internal emotions since I can’t control society’s external factors.

I can only be intentional in how I cope with those external factors.

The focus needs to be on spiritual growth and relational growth because, at my phase in life, these are the things most important to help me.

So, let’s not wait and hope in 2022.

Let’s be intentional in pushing forward and adapting to our new, inevitable reality.

QUESTION: How will you be intentional in 2022?

A Renewal of YOU!

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January.  This month is all about renewal.

We think of rejuvenating the mind, body, and spirit to face the new year ahead.

We look back at the past year and consider how we can improve in the various lives we lead – Spiritual, Relational, Financial, Physical, and Intellectual.

We all should be seekers in the new year.

We should avoid those situations and persons that keep us stagnant – like a body of water that doesn’t flow.

Every aspect of your life should be flowing upstream to something uplifting.

Renewal is about seeking that which is uplifting in your life.

Here is a roadmap to consider in your search:

  • List those things and persons that kept you stagnant or forced you downstream in the past year.
  • Determine why you are holding on to it or them.
  • Imagine your life without the dormant forces.
  • Determine what it will take to let it or them go.
  • Brainstorm what change you could implement to uplift the essential aspects of your life where you felt you were stagnant.

If you desire a change but find it difficult to go it alone, consider a life coach.

Here is a link to an article to provide guidance on choosing one.

https://www.noomii.com/article/how-to-choose-a-life-coach

Take that first step to a new YOU in the new year.

“What Love Ain’t” – Relational Pitfalls

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Remember that song from the movie Urban Cowboy with a young, sexy, John Travolta?  It was called “Looking for Love” sung by Johnny Lee.   I remember one of the verses said, “Looking for love in all the wrong places” which really was an eye opener for some.   It inspired some of us to stop hanging out in the nightclubs looking for Mr. Goodbar and refining our search for Mr. Right in a more meaningful manner.

Well, I want to talk about another pitfall to relationships.  If it were a song, it would be called “Looking for Love with all the Wrong Behaviors.”

Before we can begin to relate to and with another person, some of us need to do some work.  Some of us need to look internally at what is happening which makes us act out externally in relationships.   So, since this is the month for L-O-V-E, I want to spend some time sharing about “what love ain’t” and how we are sometimes the catalyst that creates our relational pitfalls.

So, pick your favorite chocolate from the box, grab a glass of scrumptious bubbly and drop by for an informative visit throughout the month.

Merry Christmas

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Christmas Card

 

Wishing You and Yours LOVE, PEACE and JOY!

Greta Grypp – Report #6

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SuperChgWomanIt has been a couple of months since I posted a report and I have felt the tips of Greta’s boots on my butt a few times over that period.    If I had to give a title to describe my healthy revamp program during this period it would be called “Life on the Weight-Loss Plateau” because that is where I have been for June and July.     I have been hovering around 27 lbs. lost for 2 months now.

I know this is a normal occurrence when a person is on a weight-loss program but it is still discouraging.    It did not help matters that there was a holiday, a vacation to Mexico, and a couple of out-of-town writing workshops which offered opportunities for me to eat off plan.    Since I wasn’t losing any weight, it seemed easier to justify having that slice of bread or that small dessert and the frequency of that behavior has increased over the past several weeks.

Additionally, I have had some residual pain from my biking accident and had to seek medical attention from a chiropractor.   He has limited my physical activity to only stretching during this period so that has also contributed to the slow down.    I am improving and hope to return to a cardio routine soon.   I really miss my early morning bike rides near the lake.

Today, I am researching on how to break through the plateau.    The first thing I will do is dispel those discouraging thoughts and focus on refraining from reverting back to bad eating habits.    Let’s see what happens by the next report.

 

QUESTION(S)

  1.  Have you ever experienced a weight-loss plateau?   If so, how did you break through it?