A very long journey……

I am alive, and holding!

Anyone who knows me will attest that I’ve seen a lifetime of changes in the past months.  Broken bones, a new job, a new job gone sour, a spouse’s job change, physical therapy, more doctors appointments, children with needs, parents with needs, and now a ruptured eardrum.  And the list goes on.  Nothing that anyone on the planet hasn’t experienced before me.  And yet it is all so overwhelming when it happens to you, all at once.  My friends joke about the black cloud that follows me.  After a while, it stops being funny.

The change to gluten free living is beginning to settle in.  It is still hard, some days.  I got contaminated sometime over the past week, but I flew across country for a work conference and ate in too many restaurants to even begin to track the source!  My biggest struggle is balancing it all, and still having time to think about my needs, plan for them, and not just give it all up and eat the ****** (whatever it is that is calling to me in the moment of stress).  I would be the world’s classic definition of “stress eater”  ~ just like you go to the dictionary and look up “meat eater” and see a picture of a lion or wolf ~ well for “stress eater” you will see me!  On second thought, perhaps it is more of a “mindless” or “thoughtless” eating that engulfs me.  I get so numb after dealing with stress and non-stop crises all day long, that I just can’t process anything else.  Eating falls into that “else” category.  Then, at the end of the day/week/month/quarter (whatever period the crisis engulfs), I look back at what I’ve done and feel a mix of accomplishment, guilt, and remorse.  Accomplishment for hanging on, for another day.  Guilt for not making more space and time for the people who matter.  And remorse, for not treating myself the way I know I should, and not doing the things that promote long term health.

On the up side, I am looking at different career options so that I can make a move from where i am.  Whether within or outside of the company I’m with, I need to do something differernt.  I did my resume this week and just need to proof and print.  I’m home sick right now with an ear infection, and I’m trying to get some much needed rest while my ear heals.  Obviously for the time I’m typing, am having trouble sleeping.

Thanks to everyone who has been a support over the last months!

 

Chance

 

A New Vegetable

<>Yesterday I took my son to the grocery store, and we chose a vegetable that we had never had before.  We got a jicama.  I went back to the recipe whose photos I barrowed by mistake (and now can’t get off my webpage – sorry); and tried my hand at it.  I modified a little bit (no vinegar for the kids, fresh lime wedges, a sprinkle of raw sugar).  It was great.  My husband and I liked it.  The baby liked it.  My 8 year old, however, didn’t.

Oh – and I put mango slices and pre-cooked (purdue is gf) chicken slices under it.

Let’s see if this photo posts.  This was the first meal I made that I felt good about in a while.

 

My apologies

<>I am a new and learning blogger…..I just found out today that you can link to other sites.  All I knew before was cut and paste.  It worked.  My overbaked-educated brain had the red-light siren going telling me that there had to be a better way to link to another site so you don’t lose your way.   There is.  Hopefully I can follow the instructions and make it work the next time I have time to surf the net for more great gf stuff!  At least I didn’t lose the great info I found!     Always learning.

 

Deer Meat

Some say venison is good.  Not on the front of your car.  $4500 worth!  I am very grateful for a very sturdy car and the first deer that I saw and was able to slow down for.  If the second one had hit me and I was moving full speed, we may not have been as lucky.  Thank God for insurance.

(Ok – this one’s not related to celiac or food at all, but this was a biggie!  It’s been a rough week).

 

Imagine a Woman

Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is a woman. 

A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories.

Imagine a woman who believes she is good.

A woman who trusts and respects herself.  Who listens to her needs and desires and meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who has acknowledged the past’s influence on the present.  A woman who has walked through her past.  Who has healed into the present.

<>Imagine a woman who authors her own life.  A woman who exerts, initiates and moves on her own behalf.  Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and her wisest voice.

Imagine a woman in love with her own body.  A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.  Who celebrates her body and its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imagine a woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.  Who refuses to use precious energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life.  A woman who sits in circles of women.  Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

Author Unknown