For One Year: A Commitment to End My Own 'Suffering'

Happy New Year! You know how it goes, right? Like many people, the promise of the new year sparks a sense of possibility regarding starting fresh, a clean slate as it were...

Call me crazy, but I'm going for it this year. I have two specific areas of life where I feel my pain... My own health/wellness AND caring for my home and home office. While our home almost always looks presentable, my home office almost, well okay, NEVER looks organized. I've come to sense that these two areas - my health/wellness and home/home office organization are interrelated, and I am going to do a one year experiment to see what happens when I address both areas.

Just to clarify about my health/wellness. I seem healthy as a horse. During some of my annual doctor visits (when I went annually) I was told I was very 'boring' because there was nothing (no thing) wrong with me.

Well that still pretty much the case and I am ill or have a real need to visit a doctor very rarely. BUT, last year, I was turned down by a health insurance company for two reasons - first I had not seen a doctor at all for four years; second - my cholesterol level was higher than the health insurance company liked. Finally, in my own opinion (and probably several others' who know and love me, as well), I am less than fit and and carrying more pounds than is truly good for me (today my 5'3" frame is carrying 175 pounds - more than I ever weighed pregnant!).

I do adhere to the famous quote by author Rita Mae Brown, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results." And I'm aligned with Albert Einstein's "You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it."

For those reasons, I've chosen some guides who have been successful in the areas I'm aspiring to:

FLYLADY - I've been receiving FlyLady's emails and have watched from afar but have only put a few of her principles in place.

From her website: "FlyLady uses the Sidetracked Home Executive (SHE) system as a basis for organizing her home and her life. She adds humor, spunk, and a dose of common sense to her advice, but be prepared - FlyLady does not allow whining. You have to get off your 'Franny'!"

Overeaters Anonymous - I am not as familiar with this approach healthy eating as I am to FlyLady's approach. However, I know three people who have used it to find balance in their lives, not just with regard to what they eat but also mentally/emotionally and spiritually as well. Their stories inspire me and I'm committing to 90 days of using this approach to see if it is right for me.

Finally, I am committing to fun, physical activity five times per week. I have access to the San Mateo Athletic Club so I'll be finding classes that help me make working out fun!

That's my current strategy. Wish me luck! I'll keep you posted and ask for your support and good wishes along the way. Also, I'd love to hear what you intend to do with your one and only 2011.

One more thing: I am blogging this adventure on a blog I started about being a doula. Why? Why not! I am working with new families usually from sometime in pregnancy, birth and/or during the postpartum time. I've seen how some new families struggle with the changes they undergo in adding a new member to the family; I've also seen how some families DO NOT struggle (as much) with this. I figure that my adventure may be helpful to some new families. I will also be posting more thoughts and observations about parenting in this blog. My sense is that it will all unfold wonderfully!

An Essence of Mothering

The other day as I was driving down a busy street, I passed a mother with a toddler about 15 months old. In the brief time I glimpsed them I saw toddler squatting curiously on the sidewalk looking at the bushes, while the mother stood between the baby and the street. The mother was nearby but giving the toddler space to explore. A moment later they walked away from me side by side down the sidewalk.

What impressed me in that instant was that I had witnessed the essence of my opinion of good mothering - mother respecting baby's desire to explore the world; mother near by keeping baby safe without imposing herself on her child. As they walked down the sidewalk together I saw love made manifest. This kind of mothering takes time, patience and respect. This care for a young child is subtle, perhaps almost invisible, and priceless.