Hi, remember me? I am shocked that weeks have passed since I last wrote here. Please forgive me, I am still trying to lay down a more manageable schedule to fit in all of the new pieces, such as blogging and a weekly newsletter. The past week my family and I were in sunny (REALLY sunny - perfect weather) Florida visiting my Mom and Stepdad. A change of scenery, climate (!!) and leaving daily responsibilities behind was very restorative.

I grappled with whether to take my laptop to do some writing, and decided to leave it at home. Most of us know the feeling of being drained by our online activities and I am no different. The internet is an amazing adventure and treasure, but like anything else, it requires moderation- and many of us here do not do moderation very well. I know I don’t.

The best part of my mini-vacation (only 4 days) was not cooking, shopping for, or preparing food. Yes, the weather was spectacular, it was great seeing family, having time WITH my family, but what really put me into vacation-mode was being cared for around eating. It felt peaceful and easy, and balanced.

I “automated” breakfast by bringing my smoothie powder with me, which made things super easy and ensured that I got a big dose of nutrition for the morning. I took the week off from exercise as I was mildly injured in my neck and lower back from overtraining with weights (yes, I still make these mistakes at times just like you). We got treated to lunch daily at the beach bar which happened to serve an amazing Cobb Salad, which was delicious and really satisfying. Dinner varied.

Another interesting piece was being able to distance myself from all of the goodies my Mom likes to keep for everyone, the kids mostly. Old habits die hard, and typically when I am in my Mom’s kitchen, I find myself eating less consciously and going for the sweet treats. This time was very different.

How come?

I have a theory about this, since you asked…

My theory is that I did not bring my perfectionism on vacation with me. I had no “rules” about what I would or would not eat, no rules about trying to get work done, or exercise. Nothing.

Isn’t THAT interesting!!?? That one can let all of those rules/shoulds/demands/conditions go, and actually find peace and balance around eating as a result. Hmmmmm…. We may be on to something here.

Did it help that there was little stress, no phones, no computer, no 5 dogs yapping at me, no bills to look at,
fabulous weather, beautiful locale, etc. Well, yes of course it did. But that has not always helped in the past.

My belief is that the ease around food came as a result of ease with Self. Letting my Intuitive Body guide me to what felt good, what did not, without my feeilng I had to police myself with external conditions. Letting go, trusting, relaxing, finding what felt good moment to moment was the key.

Let me know your thoughts on this - I always love hearing from you. And THANK YOU for all of the really nice emails around the newsletter . I am trying to send it out weekly, and if you are not already a “subscriber”, go sign up right now- I am giving away LOTS of good information every week for free!!!!

As always, I wish you all good things and many blessings,
xox
Lisa