memories of autumns past.....

today is the first day of fall 2011. this is my FAVORITE SEASON. why? well for starters, it usually means we have seen the last of 105degree afternoons. other favorite things about fall are -

FOOTBALL

MY BIRTHDAY

HALLOWEEN

COOLER WEATHER

oh and one more thing, FALL is when i do just that, i fall in love. all the 'great' loves of my life (ok, there's not THAT many) have begun during this time.

TALKING TABOO: this week's topic - Fat

FAT. there's no getting around it, i'm fat.

word/phrase association game: our word for the day is FAT

battle of bulge
big-boned
"I'm not fat, I'm fluffy"
beer gut
love handles
muffin top
coach potato

and the dreaded
COW

let's just be honest with ourselves and our current society - THIN IS IN
but its not just a body type, its a lifestyle, for many its false hope, its peer pressure for everyone to look the SAME even in light of the knowledge [well everyone SHOULD know this] that we are all DIFFERENT. The concept that the fraction of a percent of woman my age and height that are a size 0 are suppose to be my role model, well its just NUTS.

and no matter how i diet, i'm never going to look like the models in the magazines and i'm okay with that.

recently a not-yet-released children's book "Maggie goes on a diet" made a big stink over the internet. the problem, well its tricky, YES children today are suffering from obesity and the related health issues but telling young girls that they need to LOSE WEIGHT to meet a certain NUMBER ON A SCALE or certain CLOTHES SIZE is wrong! encouraging healthy foods and an active lifestyle is GOOD. Letting our young girls and boys know that everyone has a different body type and that's is MORE IMPORTANT TO BE FIT THAN TO BE THIN is a far better road to travel down. Oh, and losing 50 pounds, becoming a star soccer player and turning into the most popular girl story line SUX. really? a person's size dictates who they are and how people treat them? its just wrong......

SO, if size 0 is not for me, what is my 'ideal size'? how about a size 12, 14, 16? or a 10? i was perfectly happy as a "10"......

BUT for the most part, i'm happy with myself now - and i passed the size 10 up several sizes [and months] back. the truth is, i actually feel more desirable now than i can remember in my 40 something years. i feel attractive and sexy and while MOST of americans, especially the guys, might look at me and think "O M G! should she really be wearing THAT with those hips and butt?" i don't care.

what's my secret? well instead of changing my DIET, i changed men. LOL. yes, i'm with someone that makes me FEEL great about myself and my added 'loveliness'. THAT has made all the difference in the world to me, not the number on my clothes, not the number on the scale.

photo credit: Maggie Goes on a Diet by Paul Kramer

Talking Taboo - this week's topic: suicide

September 4-10 is National Suicide Prevention Week.

September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day

Every 16 minutes in the US, someone dies of suicide. I knew someone who died this way and my immediate reaction was utter SHOCK. It seemed impossible; a bad nightmare; misinformation, ANYTHING but suicide.....

Until very recently, I had not thought of taking one's life as a MENTAL ILLNESS. But of course it is - when you think about it logically, KILLING YOURSELF is crazy! ok, so much for being PC. It is ILLOGICAL to feel that death is the answer; especially to inflict it upon oneself. Through nature and evolution, we are programmed to WANT TO LIVE - the instinct for survival has led our charge as a species, through millennia, the human spirit has overcome obstacle after another, powered by the WILL TO LIVE.

The depths of depression that lead some to believe that their lives are meaningless and therefore worthless are had to fathom for those of us that have not been stricken with it. And that's the point folks - people who commit suicide are NOT weak or selfish; they are ill.

Look around people - your family, your friends, your children and their friends too - YOU could be the one to help someone who is unable to help themselves.

According to the National Council for Suicide Prevention, here are some of the signs of suicide risk:

• Hopelessness
• Rage, uncontrolled anger, seeking revenge
• Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking
• Feeling trapped - like there's no way out
• Increased alcohol or drug use
• Withdrawing from friends, family and society
• Anxiety, agitation, unable to sleep or sleeping all the time
• Dramatic mood changes
• Someone threatening to hurt or kill him/herself, or talking of wanting to hurt or kill him/herself
• Someone looking for ways to kill him/herself by seeking access to firearms, available pills, or other means
• Someone talking or writing about death, dying or suicide, when these actions are out of the ordinary for the person

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273- TALK [8255]

Visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org