Pairon Ki Rozana Dekh Bhal Zarori

A Swirl Braid by the 12-Year Old

Someone once asked me to post what hairstyles my 12-year old comes up with.  She was at a Young Women's Autumn retreat and from the brief explanation I received before she ran off again was that they spent a fair amount of time doing hair.  She did this one on one of her besties.

She started in the middle and went from there.  Not to shabby.

I Have Let Go of Being Hard on Myself

DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

Believe me this has been a lifetime learning journey and it feels really good to be in this place�peaceful existence, balance with life and self, and overall feeling of AWWW�Life is BETTER than Great!

I can remember being caught up in the stuff that really does not matter in the BIG scheme of life�the house looking just right, what people thought, oh my�my body is not quite there�is that fat on my butt�really???  How many times am I going to give myself the outer thigh pinch test for crying out loud.  Oh�I burned this, and that food presentation does not look perfect, oh�am I saying that just right,  am I doing this right, and, oh no�my diet was not clean today and I have just ruined everything�REALLY?  Enough of that crap already�whew�like I shared earlier�I am so glad to NOT be there anymore. 

We really can be our own worst enemy if we let ourselves.  Thoughts of �not good enough� swirling around in my head years ago are thankfully gone, praise God that is for certain.   As I reach almost 50, I have to say that I have let go of being hard on myself�I mean what the heck would be the point.  I do not need the acceptance or approval of others to be ME, although as I shared earlier, I know how that feels to be in that ugly place.  Also, coming from a position of fitness competition, and featured here and there, I admit, I felt pressure to look a certain way, be a certain way, always on guard to public scrutiny and needing to be THAT GIRL�always in shape�perfect as some say�but�even then and now�I was and am FAR from that YUCK word.  As I have shared many times�PERFECT DOES NOT EXIST except in fairy tales and photo shop�what a mind @%#& life can throw a person if you let it. 

Moving to the NOW Darla�I do not �Sweat the Small Stuff� and I will certainly leave a few dishes in the sink and not worry about the pillow arrangement on the sofa when family and friends come over�I mean are they coming to see my dishes or me�taking that pressure off myself for years now feels FABULOUS and I really enjoy the precious moments of Life.  Am I saying that I do not take pride in my home and self� of course not�I am NO piggy.   What I am saying is my priorities have changed and I have a happy lived in home.  When my time comes to leave this life, will my regrets be�I should have made sure the dishes were done all the time, the house was spotless, and all the streaks off the mirrors, work more�NO WAY�in fact, I do not want any regrets�I want my life to be full of meaningful moments with my family and friends, and helping people adapt healthy lives.  What does this have to do with maintaining a healthy ME?  Let me tell you�STRESS relief plays a big role in feeling great about who I am and life in general.

Not stressing over things that do not warrant attention and giving attention to those things worthy of my attention are important to living a healthy life in my book.  I am not going to bash myself for hours on end for eating a splurge meal for example and thinking that I have ruined my life and health.  I am living life for heaven�s sake.  One or two splurge meals are not going to make or break my fitness health bank as the old ME would have thought.  NOPE�not going to sustain my body on boiled fish and broccoli as a lifetime routine�YUCK �not realistic and truly not sustainable for a lifetime of healthy eating.  My body definitely needs all the variety that comes from a variety of healthy foods�and I LOVE food to taste good�did I mention the spicier the better:) 

Taking a deep breath each morning and being a thankful woman for my health, my hubby, family, this body,  home,  job, and so many other things that often  get taken for granted like the beauty all around me is what fills me with absolute happiness.  Am I saying that I do not take care of myself physically and through my healthy foods�now that would be ridiculous�I have not gone rebel on you and saying that this is not important.  I live an example of a healthy life through my fitness and nutrition and share that with you as much as I can. I would be a hypocrite and not even be able to represent myself as a trainer and motivator if I did not live a healthy lifestyle.

 I have relaxed so much with acceptance of whom I am, loving my body as it is with all the changes that come with the aging process,  and knowing what is important as I have shared before�Being the BEST version of ME given my genetics and medical issues.  Genetically, I would have to say that I have my father�s long, lean look, and I have had to work hard to put muscle on this body to add the curves that I like.  So, I will no longer be a slave to society�s view of what Darla should look like, and I have let that go for years now, and celebrate the fact that it feels so good to NOT be hard on myself.  What I will say about myself is that I am a dedicated woman when it comes to being a healthy person and take the time and effort to ensure that my body is exercised and fed healthy food on a consistent basis�but being over the top obsessed to the point that my life is negatively affected�NO WAY!  Life is about beautiful balance, health in the physical, nutritional, and I can�t stress enough how important it has been for me to really key into my emotional and spiritual life.  Talk about feeling carefree, and open to sharing my life and being REAL�that is what I am all about.  

IN YOUR FACE MOTIVATIONS 

Newly Added to the In My Kitchen Page!

Rosemary Crusted Grilled Salmon with Peppers

Me with My Fabulous Daughter Hope

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Have a FABULOUS weekend and upcoming week!

 

Stay Healthy!

Darla;)

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