Rites of Passage

Happy July!

Look at my photos compared-- I deliberately wore the same shirt in this photo today that I wore in the photo I used from last December as my "before" or "starting weight" photo.

The difference is getting noticable after 6 months, and I can't help but wonder what it will look like after 12 months.

Makes me wonder why I ever gave up in the past when weight loss wasn't happening quickly enough for me-- I mean, isn't slowly better than not at all? No, at this age and with my metabolism that I probably screwed up with yo-yo dieting, it is pretty slow going for me... but had I given up because of that, I'd still look like the picture on the left, wouldn't I?

So, guess what I did last night?

I held a little party with myself. Just me, on my porch, with my cup of tea. It was my 6 month anniversary of my "clean living" New Year's resolution.

I lit a candle to Goddess and God and made an offering in thanks for the strength, comfort and guidance They have continuously provided for me to draw on through this time. I gave myself a pat on the back for not packing it in when things got hard and for making it this far and getting over any roadblocks and picking myself up and moving on again. I sat down and pondered my accomplishments, great and small, one by one.

I believe formal rites of passage are an important part of my religion and my practice of the Craft. It helps ease transitions. To me, a small rite of passage like this is a bit like closure for the things that led me here, and opens the doors to the next step. It's stopping to acknowledge the accomplishment, put any mistakes in the past and move forward. A rest point to look back at how far I've come and look forward to where I am going. It may not be a major checkpoint on the road, but a 6 month anniversary is certainly a minor one for me and acknowledging it gave me a sense of peace and a renewed optimism for the next half of the year.


And speaking of rites of passage-- my baby has a big one coming this weekend. My daughter, my first born, turns 20 this weekend, and I celebrate 20 years of being a mother, and the USA celebrates the anniversary of it's day of independence.

We are throwing a party to celebrate the events. My daughter is coming over, nanny, and a few of our closer friends and their kids. My husband is going to barbecue, splash about in the pool, finish the day off with a birthday cake and a few fire works. I have to admit, I am excited, partly because I haven't been out much this year... so many changes going on, I've kind of withdrawn a lot socially. And my daughter has been so busy job hunting and with school she has barely come to visit all Spring. And my mother rarely comes over my house. So I am really looking forward to it!

I am serving a combination of party food, some for the "health concerns" and some for those who basically don't worry about it: tortillas & salsa, some other kind of veggie tray appetizer I haven't decided on yet, ribs, pulled chicken (my own recipe-- delicious yet way less fat than pulled pork) and sausage with peppers & onions. My husband's famous potato salad, a low-fat cole slaw I found a new love for in my Cook Yourself Think book and some grilled veggies, a cucumber, tomato & basil salad with a splash of olive oil & herbs, a birthday cake, ice cream & watermelon.

My husband and I are a little nervous about being around all that food, but we've agreed to be careful, yet we've agreed not to be overly-militant and deprive ourselves of half the food. If this is going to be a lifestyle, we've got to learn how to get through holidays and parties.

Anyone doing anything fun for the holiday weekend?

If you're concerned about your weight, how do you plan to help keep from over-indulging?

Tips would be great.

Happy holiday everyone!