Positively Weightless: December 2019

I want to start off today's post by wishing my father a very happy 60th birthday! He's always joking about including him in my posts on here so I figured today would be the perfect day to mention him! Since it is December 29th that only means that we are just a few days from starting a brand new year. I know a lot of people that 2019 was a difficult one, so I am sure they are relieved to start fresh. For others maybe it was an amazing year. Either way we have an entire new year ahead of us to improve and grow. As I have the last few years, I wanted to spend my last post of the current year both reflecting, and talking about my goals moving forward.

Let's start with how 2019 was for me. It was honestly a pretty big and busy one for me. As I have mentioned in numerous posts (honestly you are all probably sick of hearing it by now) I was a lot busier than usual at work. Honestly because of that this year basically flew by. All of my weeks seemed shorter and shorter. This wasn't really a bad thing, and I learned a lot about how to do my job a bit more efficiently now that I have slowed down a bit again. The process also just reinforced my relationship with my bosses as well and that I know they have my back. This year was also a pretty big one with my writing. Even through all the work I managed to keep up with this blog. Sure I missed a few weeks, but overall I posted almost every single Sunday of 2019. I also had the honor of being nominated for The Sunshine Blogger Award, which was really fun to participate in. And here is for the most exciting part... I took up poetry in early 2019, and in February I will officially be part of an anthology of published poems. I can actually say I will be published now! My work and picture will be printed in a book and I am so excited about that! The amount of support I have received already for that is astounding. It is a small step, but being published has been a dream of mine since high school!

Let's move on to the other half of the main topic of my blog: weight loss. Honestly I didn't go super far in terms of the scale on this one. I also will be the first to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed my holidays (and plan to enjoy my birthday on Tuesday) with no shame at all. That hasn't changed at all. I did another round of Whole30 in the beginning of the year and although I did have results, I figured out it probably wasn't the best option to continue. I am still working on the diet portion of losing weight, but I know I will find something that fully works for me. Exercise on the other hand, I had a pretty decent year. I kept to the 5 days a week at the gym schedule pretty well even getting up early on Saturday mornings. I kept up with the weight training, working with a personal trainer, cardio on the opposite days, and I even randomly slip in some yoga on my days off of the gym. Overall my relationship with the gym is in a pretty good place even if I have been slacking a bit around the holidays. I keep getting compliments as well asking if I've lost weight and such, so I know I am doing something right even if the scale isn't moving too much.

Overall for me personally this year was a pretty good one. I feel like I've accomplished a lot in these 365 days, and I know I will continue to grow. So what kind of resolutions do I have? Well they are pretty much the same as usual, but overall it is just to keep moving forward. I know I've overindulged during the holidays so I am actually looking forward to getting back to eating right and getting back to my normal gym routine. I think living a healthy lifestyle will basically be a resolution for the entirety of my life. I would love to improve my writing even more as well. I only started writing poems earlier this year and I am going to be published, who knows what I may be able to do if I keep pushing myself to improve. I would love to learn new forms and keep writing as much as possible. I hope to spend every day of 2020 with a little less worry and a lot of love. I just hope to keep moving forward with my head held high, a smile on my face, and on the days I don't, I just hope to move through them quickly.

Now that we have just a few more days left in the year I want you all to sit and ponder how the last year was for you. Sure we all grew another year older, but did you take what you experienced and become another year wiser? Are you surrounded with people the truly love you in your life? Are you doing the best things for both your mental and physical health? Really reflect on all of these things so you and move forward in the year ahead of us. I would even go as far as to say to not make a resolution, but to just make a conscious effort to truly just live your best life in the year to come. Whether that means living a healthier life with food and exercise, cutting out negative people from your life, or overall just doing what you love to live a happier life. Make 2020 your year, and all the years to follow! Thank you all for an absolutely wonderful 2019. This was probably the biggest year I have had for this page, and I hope to keep it going strong! I hope you all have a wonderful and safe New Year!

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Well here we are again with Christmas just a few days away. I personally cannot believe it. It feels like it was just the end of the holidays last year, and here we are almost across the finish line yet again. I know I probably sound like a broken record here! Because it is so close to the holiday I think it is safe to say a lot of people will be doing (and probably are at this moment doing) some last minute shopping. Whether it is a quick trip to the liquor store, grocery store, or convenience store for a last minute ingredient needed for Christmas dinner, or you are out doing all of your Christmas shopping. If you are that person... Godspeed! No matter your reason for it, and just in life in general, I want you to remember one thing, and that is to be kind.

I am going to start in what is likely an unexpected place here. I think especially this time of year it is important to remember the workers that are at all the stores during what is likeliest the busiest weekend of the year. I can promise if you hate being out shopping, that cashier you are complaining to hates it just as much, if not more. I used to work on Christmas Eve quite a bit at my first job at a grocery store. It was probably the most miserable day of the year to work other than around Thanksgiving time. People were all in there buying last minute things. That meant no matter how many cashiers were on, there were lines. Was is my fault the lines were backing up? Obviously not, but did I hear about it through the many complaints of the customers. You bet! I think it is fairly safe to assume that most of those workers are kids putting themselves through school, people working that as a second job, or people providing for their families. Give them a break. I can guarantee they don't want to be there cashing out your last minutes purchases any more than you want to be there buying them. Be kind and be patient.

That was a fairly specific example I felt the need to include here, but really this post I overall just wanted to talk about being kind to others, as you always should, but especially this time of year. If the person ringing the bell for the Salvation Army bucket smiles and wishes you a happy holidays, smile and say it back. Throw any pocket change you may have in there as well! Be patient with the cashiers I mentioned before and, despite the likelihood they are having a lousy day, say "you too" when they tell you to have a nice day. Hold the door open for the person behind you, and if someone holds it for you please say thank you! Small acts such as these can truly lead someone who may be having a bad day into maybe brightening their day, even if it is just slightly. It is literally free to be a nice person so there really is no excuse.

I am not telling you all to run out and just do a list of good deeds, what I am suggesting is to just be conscious. It is incredibly easy to let the pressure of the holidays get to you and there are plenty of places it is tested. Maybe it is in the parking lot and someone just took the spot you were heading for. I can personally say that enrages me. But instead of screaming out your window, just keep driving and looking for another spot. Maybe the lines at a store are incredibly long and you are annoyed by this. Keep in mind that the reason for those lines are for people, just as you are, out doing last minute shopping. Trust me I am not a saint. I let these things get to me too sometimes, but I think it is incredibly important to deal with them in a much kinder way, especially to the people that are there to help you, and if a cashier is working Christmas Eve, don't tell them it stinks they have to work on a holiday no matter how good your intentions. You are in the store so clearly there is a need for them to be there. That is likely going to just annoy them. Sure that is a good intention but speaking from first hand experience, that may be the one exception. 😉 Overall I just want to encourage you to be kind always, but especially this time of the year.

I wanted to take the rest of today's post to share my gratitude for all of you. Whether this is the very first post you've read on my page, or you are a long-term reader I appreciate you so much. As I have mentioned many times before I more so have this page as a hobby, so to see people enjoying my writing as much as I enjoy writing it is a lovely thing. My page has grown a bit this year and I have found that pretty endearing. I try to spread some kindness every week on this page to hopefully inspire someone to pay that forward. That is how we change the world isn't it? One act of kindness at a time? I look forward to keeping up my tradition of reflecting on the year with next week's post, but until then I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, or whatever it is you choose to celebrate!

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Just like last week I want to take today to in a sense elaborate on one of the points I made in last week's post. I spoke about spending time with someone you love in place of spending money on gifts. I think overall your presence at the holidays is something incredibly important. After all, are the holidays not more about the memories we make and traditions that follow from those memories? As I said last week do we not remember the fun stories of the holidays rather than each and every gift that Santa left us under the tree as children? I thought it might be fun to share some traditions and memories of my Christmas Pasts, and offer some suggestions to make your own holiday memories.

Our family has a ton of traditions around this time of year. Putting up the tree, baking cookies, taking the kids to see Santa at the mall, opening gifts Christmas morning, etc. Sure these traditions are not unique to our family but we make them ours. We've also come up we new traditions as the years pass and as our family grew. I think one of my favorites is Christmas Eve. We used to go out to lunch every Christmas Eve and my sister and I would each get to open one present. Our Christmas Eve traditions have changed since then. Every year I gift my niece and nephew a set of Christmas pajamas and a mug with some cocoa for them to enjoy before getting to bed so Santa can come. As they grew older they started mentioning it, asking if I was going to give them these gifts again this year and it truly makes me happy that this tradition is just as important to them. I hope to keep that going when I have kids of my own. Through the years our traditions have changed and morphed into brand new traditions, and to me that is what the holidays are about.

A little different from traditions is making memories. Sure traditions are based around memories, but I mean stand alone memories that may not be an every year thing. This year on the day after Thanksgiving my father was kind enough to buy tickets for everyone to go on a Christmas train ride even though he couldn't go because of work. That isn't necessarily something we will do every year but it was a fun memory to make. I have so many holiday memories to even count honestly. I know I am lucky and had lovely holidays as a child and to this day, I also know that others are not as fortunate. If this may be you then I want to encourage you to look toward the future. Maybe you have kids of your own now. Focus on making beautiful memories with them. Start new traditions and enjoy the smiles on their faces. Chances are there will be one on yours as well.

Like I mentioned last week though not all memories need to involve spending money. It can be as simple as sharing a cup of cocoa by the tree with a loved one or hand making an ornament out of cardboard every year for the tree. I can speak from experience on that one as I made an ornament as a joke for my mom one year out of an old box. It goes on the tree every single year to this day. Some so simple just may bring a smile to your face every single year when you pull it out of storage to put the decorations up. The holidays can get expensive there is absolutely no doubt about that, but they don't have to be. Memories stand out in our minds more than gifts. Decorate cookies with someone. Watch your favorite movies cozied on the couch in your pajamas. Focus on love.

Presence over presents. I know it is an incredibly common saying but I find it very important. If you cant afford extravagant gifts for your loved ones I am betting they will understand. Make holiday memories together instead of draining your bank account. There are plenty of ways you can be present during the holidays. I have named quite a few in this post, but I am sure you can think of plenty on your own. Traditions are so special because they are ours. We take special moments and make them our very own. Sure many people have the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree, but we each have our own way of doing it. We each have our very own way we put the ornaments on the tree. That is truly what makes the holidays so special; the love we put in everything we do!

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Last week I talked about being in the season of giving. I hope you don't mind but this week I wanted to almost elaborate a bit more on that. If you celebrate any of the winter holidays chances are you are looking for gift ideas or shopping for gifts, sending out cards, baking several different treats. It truly is a busy time of year, but don't let the true spirit of Christmas get lost in the process. That goes for all year long as well. I think it is important to remember that it is the thought behind a gift that makes it truly worth something. I know I cant speak for everyone, and not everyone has quite the same size heart I do, but I think in general the meaning behind our gifts is much more important. I wanted to take today's post to talk about that a bit more, and even offer some suggestions along the way if you are stuck, and stick some pictures of my favorite holiday memories in as well! I know this may not seem like a topic that fits with my blog, but once you reach the end I am sure you will see why it is.

Let's start with physical gifts. Maybe you are out shopping and looking for the very perfect gift for the person that means the very most in the world to you. To many I think the bigger the price tag, the more it says "I love you," but I personally do not agree with this. To be quite frank the gift I spent the very least on this year is the one I am most excited to give. My suggestion is to look for something that really just speaks to you in regard to that person. Don't just text them and ask what they want. Put thought into what you are purchasing. Maybe they are into cooking and you want to get something that has to do with that. Instead of just grabbing the first cookbook you see and throwing a spatula with it, maybe log onto a site where you can get something personalized with them such as a baking pan with their name etched into the bottom (shout out to Danielle who gave me something like that for Christmas last year). Etsy.com is a great place for things like that. I remember last year I bought personalized Christmas tree ornaments for my bosses' families and they both absolutely loved them (especially their wives) and I got so much praise for them. They weren't expensive but that just shows you that when you put a little thought into things, that goes a very long way!

So what if you are still stumped and just cannot think of the perfect gift for a friend or family member? Have you ever considered making something? As I mentioned already the gift I am most excited to give is the least expensive of the bunch. This is because I actually made the gift, and one part of it needed to be purchased. I am not going to go into too many details here because the recipient does read my posts and I really want to keep it a surprise. Baking is an extremely popular thing to do during the holidays. There are a ton of cookies, candies, breads, and many other things you can make as gifts. If you are not a good baker/cook you can always buy mixes and just wrap up the finished product in a pretty bag and bow. Maybe you can make a beautiful handmade card with more importantly a lovely message full of sentiment inside. A few years ago I made homemade pickles from the plethora of cucumbers I grew in my garden that summer and gave them to my grandma and aunts. The year after that I printed out a poem my grandma left for my mom and aunts after she passed and tied it to a cardinal ornament and gave one to each of my aunts and mom. A small handmade gift with a ton of sentiment behind it. That truly is all that matters.

So what if you still can't find the right gift and maybe you are not very good at making things yourself? What else may make the perfect gift? Well a little back story here before I get to my point. One of my very best friends, Danielle made a lovely suggestion this week. It is the funniest thing because we literally talk every day for most of the day. We know each other so well at this point so buying gifts should be easy right? Wrong. Every year we always struggle to pick out the best gifts for each other. Danielle had the best idea that instead of just buying gifts for each other from now on we will just instead go to a nice dinner together for Christmas instead. Instead of spending money on a bunch of gifts we probably don't even need, we will spend that money on a nice meal where, more importantly, we can spend time together. My entire point in telling that story is to tell you that your time is one of the best gifts you can give. Do you ever watch those videos of military parents coming home to surprise their kids? Especially the ones that take place during the holidays. In that moment the child in his father or mother's arms does not care what might be wrapped in a pretty box under the Christmas tree. They care about the time they are having with their parent. The precious time spent in their arms, but also the likely limited amount of time they have before they are apart again. If you are anything like me you can't watch one of those videos without crying. Time is one thing we cannot purchase any more of. Time is invisible, but somehow we live our lives revolved around it. Use it wisely and remember it very much is a gift.

I hope I was able to help you out just a little if you are struggling to find the perfect gift for someone in your life. Overall I just want everyone to remember that it isn't the physical content of the gift that matters, it is the thought behind it. The holidays can truly be a struggle for everyone I know that, so why not use the money more wisely. Why not buy a smaller more thought out gift for someone, rather than just grabbing another boring pre-made gift set you see at a department store. Maybe put together a nice little gift basket of your own for someone so it is more personalized and most likely not nearly as expensive. Get creative and genuinely put some thought into the gifts you want to give this year. The most memorable holidays are the ones spent with the ones we love. Sure there are probably gifts that stand out as well, but truly think about the reason they stand out. I am guessing it is because of the meaning the gift had for you, not the price tag. Christmas is all about the spirit we hold in our hearts, not the amount of money we spend.

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Another Thanksgiving has come and gone in a flash. I don't know about you but to me every year seems to fly by. It feels like last year's holiday season was going and, and here we are a year later doing it all again. What that means for most people is the season of giving is here. Giving can mean so many different things to everyone. To some it means exchanging gifts with our loved ones. Maybe to others they think of charity work and donations. Time can be given this time of year as well. I think it is only appropriate to dive into this topic just a bit more with the biggest season of giving of all being upon us.

So let's start with the most obvious way of giving in this season, gift giving. I don't know about you but I absolutely love buying gifts for people. It is just so fun picking out something just right for someone I love and it is a great feeling being especially excited to see their reaction when they open it. There is one gift in particular that I am especially excited to give on Christmas Day. I think the most important thing to remember when giving gifts is that the thought that is put into them is the most important thing. Sure it is easy to ask a person what they want exactly and but it but aren't the best gifts surprises? Think back to your favorite gift you have ever received. Was it something you just told the person who gave it to you you wanted? Or was it something that took you completely by surprise? I am guessing most of you will say it was a surprise. Sure it is easy to just spend an extravagant amount of money on a gift, but I am guessing the gifts from the heart are the most appreciated and remembered.

What is another way we can give during this time of year? Well I think the obvious is giving back to our community and helping those in need when we can. I understand that everyone's financial situations are different and that we all have our own expenses but if you can do anything, big or small, it is a wonderful thing to do. When I was out Christmas shopping yesterday I went into a store that was selling special ornaments. Each ornament was $4 and the proceeds went completely to the local food bank. With that purchase was also a discount on your entire order at the store that day. For less than than I usually spend on a cup of coffee at Starbucks I was able to buy an ornament and help out those in need. Sure $4 is a small amount, but that adds up. Think about the Salvation Army buckets at the grocery stores too. Sure most people only throw in their spare change but I am sure it adds up and really helps those who don't have it. My work specifically does and adopt-a-family where we all donate to give a family in need a great Christmas. I get it. The holidays are expensive and hectic, but there are so many ways to help out people that do not have the luxuries we do to have the lovely holiday we get to have each year. Give back when you can. No deed is too small.

As I said before the holidays can be expensive for us. So what if we really do not have anything physical to give? I think giving our time is just as important. I want you to think back on holidays you spent as a kid or just in the past in general. I am sure the memories mostly revolve around who you spent time with. For example I can think of many different Christmas mornings as a kid. My sister and I sitting on the floor in front of the tree opening gifts. Santa really did use to spoil us. But do I remember every little physical gift I opened? Not at all. What I remember is sitting on the floor with my sister while my parents watched us and the smiles. I remember having to sit at the top of the stairs while mom made sure everything was ready, eager to run down and see what was left under the tree. I remember decorating sugar cookies and drinking hot chocolate with friends as we laughed and shared stories. I remember my niece and nephew in their cute Christmas outfits coming over to open gifts and the chaos that ensues. Always remember that your time is the best gift you can give of all.

I know I am incredibly blessed in order to Christmas shop and give my loved ones what I can. I also love that I am in a place to give back when I can. I admittedly have a pretty big heart and I know not everyone is the same way. Like I said, I know we are all in different financial situations so we can only do what we can. That is the most important thing. Do your best with the means you have. If you can't give physical gifts, give your time. Give your thoughts and prayers. Give a smile to a stranger on the street. You never know who might be having a bad day and your kindness will bring a smile to their face. This holiday season just remember that giving is one of the greatest gifts of all that you give yourself as well.

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