Tuesday, December 29, 2009

You Can Do It!




I want to shine some "lyte" on resolutions. This week, millions of people are making all kinds of promises to themselves and others that they have no intention of keeping. Losing weight and quitting smoking top the list for most. Spending more time with my family, getting my finances under control, organizing my life, are also popular choices.

Bullsh*t. Be honest with yourself. You'll stick to your "resolution" for about two weeks and then you will go back to doing whatever it was you were doing before. Smoking, eating too much, sticking your credit card receipts in a shoebox. Sure, we are very good at making resolutions, but piss poor at keeping them.

So, make a resolution that is easy to keep. I resolve to breathe in and out. To walk upright. To remain conscious (most of the time). Not only will you be able to keep these resolutions, you will feel positively virtuous for doing so. Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Tidings


I want to shed some "lyte" on anticipation today. This time of year is when in addition to snowflakes, there is anticipation in the air. You feel it most around kids; they send out rogue waves of it as they contemplate what they want from Santa.

But adults are not immune to the siren song of "I want". We are bombarded with images of shiny new cars wrapped in bows and flashy new big screen tvs. And when most of us are watching every penny, these temptations are akin to Chinese water torture, or to use the millennium term, Guantanamo waterboarding.

We need to rediscover the meaning of the season. And I am not an advocate for putting the "Christ" back in Christmas. People have been celebrating the winter solstice long before Jesus walked the earth. What this time of year is all about is comfort and joy, and when you are stuck in line at Walmart, mentally calculating if you are going to go over your credit card limit with this next purchase, comfort and joy seem a long ways away.

So send a card, a real card with a note and a picture, to a friend you haven't talked to in a while. Call a family member who is notorious for being a hermit. Carol. Bake some cookies and give them to your neighbors. Simple acts of connection that speak to the spirit of the holidays. It's cold out there, meteorologically and metaphorically, we could all use some warmth.

Monday, December 14, 2009

In Awe


Today I am shining some "lyte" on all the working mothers out there. I know, I know, whether at home or at an office, store, factory, or school, all mothers work. But now that I am trying to balance full time working hours and home life, I have a whole new appreciation for what those women do everyday, often in heels.

I realize that I have been incredibly fortunate to be able to stay home with my family until my little darlings have grown (almost) as tall as me. While being a parent to teenagers is no picnic, it is a much easier row to hoe than working full time and having small children at home.

If one of my kids is sick, they can pretty much stay home and take care of themselves. They can dose themselves with medicine, know where the toilet is, and can operate the microwave. But how mothers of small children or worse yet, infants, work full time and then have the energy and interest to parent, I have no idea.

I am in bed by 9 pm most nights, well ahead of my nocturnal teens. They can do their own homework, and I no longer have to read them a story before bedtime. They help with chores. I cannot begin to tell you how incredible it was to have them and my husband help me clean the house. A job that normally takes 6 hours was done in a little over an hour and a half and my back was not screaming for mercy.

I feel like such a weenie. I haven't made time to write this blog, work out, or any of the things I used to do on a daily basis when I was home. Notice I used the word "made" not "had". I am realizing that my schedule needs a radical overhaul and I need to pay attention to two things: 1) the open time in my daily routine and 2) my energy levels. If I want to blog, I need the time, but not necessarily the physical energy. If I want to exercise, I need both.

So, my apologies to all three or four of my faithful followers out there. But I am back. Not tan, not rested, but definitely back. Let's get this party started...