Just. Breathe.

I am about to embark on an adventure. Not a new adventure, and at times, not even a fun adventure. I am sure it will alienate me from some people and draw me to others, make me stop doing some things I love and find other things instead. I am beginning the process to lose 60 pounds for what I plan to be the last time in my life. I've been on a diet ever since I can remember. I have joined Weight Watchers so many times they don't have to give me the welcome packet - I always already have one. I can tell you the calorie count and/or WW point value of pretty much any food out there. I know serving sizes, and I know how many calories 30 minutes of most exercises will burn. I am NOT a fan of exercise. Never have been. I don't find it fun, I don't get that elusive "high" those crackheads people talk about. I am an expert at finding excuses to avoid it. I am also a realist - I need to grow up and just do this. It's not a diet, it's got to be the ...

It's December. I let the end of November come and go while I considered what I wanted to write. I've felt slightly overtaken by events, but moving on... I'm not nearly as "thoughtfully thankful" as I should be. For every minute I spent writing something specific and of-the-moment here, I spent at least five minutes whining about something that wasn't exactly the way I wanted it to be. And that's probably a conservative estimate. So this post is an attempt to get me out of my own gripey [is that even a word?] head. Maybe by the time I finish writing it I'll have learned something else. I'm thankful for a family that puts up with my need for control, my random (and often hurtful) sarcasm, and my compulsive need to throw parties when we could really just sit here and watch NCIS/Criminal Minds marathons all by ourselves. I'm thankful for an amazing assortment of friends - I've often said that watching the comments on my Facebook page is a...