I'm #thankfulfor my health

I'm #thankfulfor my health. I have all of my extremities, the use of all five senses. I can walk, talk, eat, think, dance, etc. without assistance. I treat my body right, I don't smoke, do drugs or participate in dangerous activities [don't judge me ;-)].

But I can be better, much better. I can cut back some of the alcohol, drink more water, get more regular exercise. The question is why don't I? The answer is simple, until I'm sick & tired of being overweight, I won't make a change. I do know that I'm getting closer to that point everyday.

I am disappointed in myself for not looking better physically. Don't get me wrong, I don't look bad, but I know I can look better. I've looked better; I lost 60 lbs in 1990 and kept if off for 7 years. I looked amazing! What is the line from Austin Powers, "men wanted me and women wanted to be me," LOLLLLL! It was a lot of work to look amazing, and I damn sure don't want to work that hard. I could go for looking great, which is better than where I am, but not as stressful as amazing.

Yeah, I want to look great...I'm having an epiphany.

Gotta run, stay tuned...I'll keep you posted.

I'm #thankfulfor my extended family

As an only child, it has always been Daddy, Mother and me. It has been the three of us for as long as I can remember, meaning we were each other's worlds, but I've never felt as though I was from a small family. For as much as my earliest memories are of my parents, they also include several members of my extended family.

I'm #thankfulfor my grandparents (now deceased), aunts, uncles and cousins, they love me as daughter and sister.

Honor Roll of Family
Lucy, George, Reava, Pauline, Ellsworth, Louise, Brewster, Melvin, Ollie, Clarence, Rubin, Dot, Jackie, Joe, Sean, David, Rod and Tony.

Thank you!!!!

It's November and you know what that means

It is November 1st, 2009, seven days until my 3rd-39th birthday.

As in years past, I use this season to reflect on the previous twelve months and look forward to the next twelve months. I consider my emotional, spiritual, intellectual and physical well-being.

• Have I progressed or digressed in any of these areas?
• Have I met last year's short-term goals and made perceptible progress on my long-term goals? Are the long-term goals still applicable/valuable?
  
• Have I been a good person this year, helped others, supported my chosen nonprofits, given to my church, etc.?
• Have I picked up any new habits, if so, are they "good" or "bad?"
• What are my goals for next year? What are the milestones on the way to the finish line?
  
• Are there new things I can learn? What can I learn to do better?
  
• Have I spoken life, love, joy and peace this year?
• Have I been a friend? Have I forgiven those who trespassed against me?
  
• Have those in my life brought positivity, energy, laughter, etc.?
• Have I been the best Shannon I know I can be?
• Did I give my life 100%?

You get the idea.

At first glance, this 40th year seems to have been pretty good; however, there is always need for reflection and definitely room for improvement: going further, doing better, digging deeper, reaching higher and going above & beyond.

I invite you, my family, friends, tweeps, followers, connections, readers, fans and haters ;-) to join me on my journey this month. I'm beginning by being thankful and grateful:

"First and foremost, I'm #thankfulfor my Lord and savior Jesus Christ, who gave his life that I am saved."

Facing my fears

I've known Peggy all of my life, upon first look, you may think, "I don't wanna run into her in a dark ally." She is loud, speaks her mind using a variety of 4-letter words and has physically fought men for dissin' her. I can confidently say she ain't afraid of anything that walks on two legs; however, on last Sunday I saw a very different side of her.

She practically ran to the other side of the backyard when she saw a cricket near her...Peggy is scared of bugs...who woulda thought?!? Peggy wasn't kidding around or being funny, she was genuinely uncomfortable and physically extricated herself from the bug's vicinity; she proceeded to watch that one cricket the rest of the afternoon.

Let's be fair to Peggy, some fears are normal, healthy and good. Fear is our mind's way of letting us know danger may be afoot. Some common fears include: speaking in public, heights, being closed in a small space, spiders & bugs (Peggy), needles & getting shots (my Daddy), death, flying on a plane, dogs, thunder & lightning and crowds. When these fears begin to impede our lives, hamper our success or become irrational, is when they've progressed to the phobia stage and tend to require professional intervention. I used to be afraid of some of the aforementioned, particularly dogs and thunder & lightning. Over time the fears have dissipated and I've come want a dog of my own and I enjoy the grandeur of nature's symphony during a storm.

Since the incident with Peggy last weekend, I've been thinking about fear: what fears I may have and how these fears have impacted my life.

• What has fear kept me from trying, tasting, achieving, enjoying, smelling, touching...
• How has fear kept me bound, gagged, paralyzed, confused, dumbfounded...
• Which fears are of irrational, irrelevant, out-of-date...

It is not enough to think about my fears, I must admit I have them, name them and face them head on if I'm to overcome them. Over the next few weeks, I will begin the work of facing my fears head-on. I don't expect to quell all of my fears in a matter of days; however, I do expect to recognize them and start putting them into perspective, getting control of them vs. letting them control me.

I have a lot of work to do, which is one thing I know I'm not scared of.

My statement of Freedom

Coming from the not-for-profit sector, I had gotten used to living with what I needed and doing without a lot of what I wanted. I had purchased my own home; my Mother had given me a few pieces of nice jewelry; and I had taken a couple of vacations to the Caribbean. Many of these things I had come by at great sacrifice. As a single professional woman, I've was determined not to wait for man to give me anything and I enjoyed the satisfaction of getting them on my own.

Then in 2005 I started a new job in corporate America, which allowed for some financial freedom. One of the first things I purchased was a diamond ring. I went to the store and picked it out in 10 minutes. It was my greatest investment to date, it was a symbol of my independence from society's rules...not waiting for a man to give me one, alas buying my own diamond ring. It was a 1 carat total weight, comprised of four 1/4 carat stones set in white gold and it was mine. For a modest ring, it had amazing clarity and brilliance.

I wore it with pride everyday and often received complements on it, and I would humbly say thank you. Only my parents and a few friends knew I had purchased the ring. I didn't care if anyone else knew that I bought the ring; however, what the purchase represented was personal, as it was a symbol to me each morning when I put it on my finger. It was small token of what I had accomplished.

In January I spent a few days with my elderly parents and I accidentally left the ring there. I asked my Mom to bring to me the following week (they were coming for dinner). Needless to say, she misplaced it. I was and remain heartbroken by the loss.

I feel as though I have lost a part of myself. There are still times after these many months that I reach for it, then I realize I don’t have it any longer.

I want another ring...I want my freedom.

Some Goals

Got some goals, wanna know 'em, here ya go:

1. get mentioned in Washingtonian magazine
2. disciplined blogging everyday
3. lose 40lbs (and I ain't saying where I'm starting from, so don't ask)
4. live in a home on the beach
5. own an Irish wolfhound
6. go on a luxury African safari to Tanzania & Kenya
7. have a mentally stimulating, spiritually rewarding & sexually satisfying committed relationship
8. sleep in the Lincoln bedroom
9. be on national TV (I can live w/ being in the outdoor crowd at the Today Show )
10. have a life filled with love, laughter and respect
11. maintain a relationship with and developing a greater dependence on my God
12. win

This is not all of them and aren't in any particular order. Some I am actively pursuing and others are on the back-burner for a minute. It's all good.

What are some of your life goals?

#MusicMonday

This song got to me in a BIG way.