Hello Dear Friends and Readers… I must say it has been a busy week at the Sew Exhausted households. Between finishing up Carnivale costumes (which we will blog about next week), kids, cleaning house and all the other myriad things we have to do- WELL, let’s just say we have been pretty swamped.
I wanted to share something we have implemented that does not directly have anything to do with sewing- although Kerrielee and I both agree that sewing makes us happy. But a few days ago Kerrie posted one of those little pics with a cute/funny/true saying and it got me thinking. A LOT!
A few of you may remember I went through a breakup 4 and a half months ago that really hit me hard and I teetered on the edge of some pretty serious depression. (OK- I wallowed in it for a bit) But to keep my mind from thinking (that sounds kind of funny but that is what I mean because My Mind sometimes won’t SHUT UP!) I started sewing again and blogging. I had not sewn in FOREVER and it has really helped me get back on my feet emotionally and mentally. *Side note- I love you guys! I feel so inspired when I read your blogs and see what you have created, when I chat with you on Twitter and FB, and I feel like I have a wonderful circle of pals and I hope I am not that annoying new friend you just roll your eyes at each other about ;)!
Anyway- Back to The Happiness Project. I want to be happy. I think we ALL want to be happy and many of you ARE already there. I am happy at times now. I am not one of those up and down people at all and I am generally content. But I wanted a list of WHAT I don’t have that is still preventing me from that full on state of happiness we all desire. And guess what- it was not THINGS. 🙂 I mean- SURE- that state of the art sewing machine may make you happy, or that new car, or that $50 a yard piece of silk (pleeeease) but I came up with something different. (Oh- and it is NOT a new man in my life- lol)
The thing I currently struggle with the most is my weight. I have ACCEPTED that I am the same person regardless of what I look like and I need to feel good about myself, BUT I am not happy with the way I look and feel. As a matter of fact, I am NOT a Spring Chicken anymore and I do not want to shorten my life by being heavy. I want to keep up with my future grandchildren! (WAY in the future children of mine!) I want to make myself some of the styles and clothes I have in my head that I avoid now. I want to be able to take a Saturday morning hike up a mountain and not want to cry half way there… and I don’t want the bottoms of my feet to hurt when I get out of bed in the morning.
I have lost weight before. Years ago I was VERY heavy and I lost 100 pounds. I kept it off for 8 years. It is only in the last 2 years or so I have seen it start creeping back on. I want to stop it before I get back up to that miserable weight I was at. Being heavier does NOT make me happy, it makes me miserable. And so that is at the top of my list for my Happiness Project. I listed a few things that I want to accomplish and HOW I was going to accomplish them and now it is time to make them happen. Because ultimately I truly believe someone else is not responsible for my happiness- I am!
All this said- I am not unhappy. I love being a mom and I adore my kids. I have been blessed with a job that lets me work from home and although more money would be nice there are many with less. I manage to scrape by! A few years back I moved from a “mobile home” to a house with a yard and I love living in a nice neighborhood. I have great friends I don’t see often enough but that is another “list” item. I have my health and I have both my parents… LOTS to be thankful for. But now I want to work on losing some of this excess weight that is creeping up on me.
This week I hiked a mountain, bike rode to Kerrielees house and home IN THE RAIN (had tea with Kerrie in between 🙂 ), walked and ate right. I am 47- starting to go through that “oh so wonderful” time in my life and it is going to be a lot harder but I am determined to not let the exercise and eating right slip away this time. I do not need to be skinny or perfect but I want to look and feel good.
And so I am on it! I have other things on my list that I will mention later- and Kerrie has a great item at the top of her list we will share. (I just want to share it because I love how she is going to get there!) But I really want to know if there is anything in your life you are working on that will help complete your happiness? Is it something simple or something that is going to take some work? Or are you already at the peak happiness in your life?
If you have something you want to work on or towards I encourage you to make a list of the steps that are going to help you get there! 😀 One of things on my list is a trip to Ireland– has been for years. I am going to make that happen and have the steps listed to get there! (And I am going to have a made by me wardrobe to bring along with me and look darn good in it!)
On another note- The Wellington Pattern Pyramid has arrived!!! Thank you Anne at Pretty Grievances. I will blog about it in a few days after I add my patterns and send it on to the next winner! And I have my Polka Dot Frock half finished. I think I will make it by the end of February! And Kerrielee and I want to share our Carnivale costumes…AND I am expecting my 1940’s sew along pattern ANY day (all the way from the UK) and I will be sharing that too… So see you all soon!
~Laurie