My 2010 New Year’s Resolution

Some of you may have noticed that the Autumn of 2009 got a wee bit unhealthy for me. I worked too hard and didn’t take care of me, despite reminders from Jennifer and Rob that my well being was the most important thing at the end of day.  I did hear them, but their would always a more pressing matter that needed my attention whenever I’d scheduled ‘me time’, and as a result I ignored my needs.  I didn’t get enough fresh air, exercise or eat as healthily as I normally do.

I am resolving to change this in the New Year.  I have to change this in the New Year for my own health.  You see, all that unhealthy living has resulted in my feeling quite uncomfortable, as my belly has grown uncomfortably large, and the good doctor tells me it is dangerous for ones heart to carry too much around your waist.

This doesn’t change my philosophies on body images. I still don’t believe in dieting, but rather am a fan of healthy living, including good food and exercise. And I think bodies of all shapes, sizes and ages can be beautiful and sexy. My body, however, is feeling uncomfortable and unhealthy to me, so it’s time for a change and hence, a New Year’s Resolution.

My New Year’s Resolution: To return to my normally toned and healthy feeling self.

How: By getting fresh air and exercise at least 6 days a week and eating healthily.

Evaluation: To stick to my goals, stay on task and for added incentive, I will be photo documenting this New Year’s resolution every two weeks on flickr. Come cheer me on.

Any of you that have New Year’s Resolutions of your own and want a bit of incentive, accountability and support, come and join the 2010 New Year’s Resolution Group I’ve set up on flickr.

Love and Light,

Emme xoxo

Mature

The last couple of weeks , I’ve been having to make some very tough decisions.  I’m always reminded at times like this how lucky I am to have such great and incredibly supportive friends and family in my life. And more recently to be working with a wonderful personal coach, like Jennifer Priest.  This year has been filled with so many changes and Jennifer has been helping to make sure they are positive ones.

The debonair and thoughtful Stefan, recently sent me this word play on my name:

Very sweet of him and amidst a lot of tough decisions this brought a smile to my face.  I just didn’t get why Stefan would see me as ‘mature’, especially since I like to think of myself as a modern day Peter Pan.  Then I thought about the last few weeks and the decisions that were facing me and I got it.  Even though, I am having more fun then ever and enjoy a lot of laughter and silliness, I, in part enjoy that because I’ve grown up.

A big thank you to Stefan and Jennifer for allowing me to see that maturing is a good thing!

Menilations

The last two weeks I’ve been barraged with the notion that men are far deeper beings then they often let on.

When the chips are down as women, we often seek each others companionship out to vent, drink, cry in each others arms and let loose.  I certainly have those gal pals and when I had a bit of a stumble a few weeks back, it was those gals that were there to help pick me up, dust me off and apply the bandages. I don’t know what I would have done without them.

I, however, am also the girl thats grown up as the tomboy, meaning that I have a certain ease and comfort with men that has meant that some of my best friends are also guys.  The guys were there too.  They hugged me, listened to me, and handed me the hard liquor, but I couldn’t really talk to them about what was going on.  They’d just get mad and seemed somewhat irrationally overprotective of me.  It was nice to know that I was loved, but didn’t go so well with me talking it through and I tend to have a habit of processing aloud.

At any rate, as I have returned to a more zenful state of being thanks to my friends (both male and female), family, Jennifer Priest and the most loving little cat, I’ve had a bit more of a chance to reflect, and have started to recognize why the men in my life were so mad and it went far deeper then just simply their feelings of love and protectiveness towards me, and here I simply chalked it up to them being irrationally overprotective initially.  I also started realizing how deeply they really understood me, seeing far below the surface.

Perhaps the two that this rang deepest with were my Dad and one of my oldest buddies.  Dad’s been trying to tell me to slow down and take a holiday for weeks in a subtle manner and I didn’t  realize just how badly I needed it until I burst into tears when he said it more directly on the phone the other day.  Thinking maybe I should have listened to him a bit sooner.  And then there was my old buddy, who kept telling me I needed to start writing even if I didn’t publish what I wrote.  I didn’t want to as when I’m feeling raw, I am most honest with myself, vulnerable and reflective when I’m writing and I wasn’t sure I could handle that, was scared of what I  might discover and of the emotions that might come with it.

Well, I had to start writing Thursday  in my coaching prep form for @JenniferPriest and I was amazed in the session that followed at the realizations that came out.  Feeling a whole lot stronger now and ready to start cautiously writing again.  Also going to start doing a little more listening to what the men in my life are saying.  They are far more insightful and deeper then I think I gave them credit for.

All That Glitters is not Gold

Got into a bit of a tif this last week with ‘the boy’, as he told me that he didn’t enjoy reading me online and that he wouldn’t date my online ‘voice’.

You can imagine, I took that a little personally, but once I calmed down, it got me thinking.  There are times when I don’t like my online voice, when I find that it gets a little shallow.  You know what I’m talking about – all glitz, glam, sparkle and shine.  That’s not me, but it is easy to write and provides a simple standby when my life gets too busy.

Whys it been busy?  Because I’ve got a new fellow in my life that I’m spending the time that normally goes into writing with.  A little ironic really.  He starts reading, as he starts to date me, and I neglect my voice in lieu of spending time with him.  No wonder he doesn’t like my online voice.  ‘She’ hasn’t been me this past little bit, but rather a shallow substitute filling in for me in my absence.  I plan on rectifying that.  My sincerest apologies.

Kisses,

Emme xoxo

PS Thanks Jennifer! Talking this through in this past weeks coaching session, really helped me to process this, think about it rationally and reflect on myself.  Meant when I talked to him about it, I could talk calmly and rationally and hear what he was saying.

Griswold Family Vacations with Teddy

Meet Teddy – one of my grandest friends in the world!  He’s the most lovable, huggable Canadian Toon Town bear that there ever was.  He and his cat, Beams, are two of Fuzzywiggle Furrypants and my best friends.  Fuzzy’s and I generally make a point of stopping in for a Toon Town visit once or twice a year.

So how did I meet Teddy?  In the most glamorous of fashions, of course.  Hobnobbing at the Banff Television Festival.  Guessing most of you are picturing us dressed up all fancy at some well to do function (I’m calling it a ‘function’ as thats more hoity toity than a ‘party’) in the Rockies – you know, him in a top hat and tails with an eye monocle, of course, and me looking like I just walked off a runway in Paris.  The reality?  I think it included (although I must note here that it is a little fuzzy – altitude you know) late night, drunken revelry at the St James Gate with my favourite Canadian film folk, the Saskatchewan boys (and girl).

At any rate, somehow dear Teddy won his way into my heart despite frequent ploys to get me in my swimsuit and lounging  in the hot springs (my downfall in this was the words ‘hot springs’ – clearly another weakness of mine along with Teddy’s hugs).  And so the downwards spiral begins with regular Toon Town visits and adventures with Teddy that can only be described as our very own Griswold Family Vacations.

A few highlights from the latest Griswold Family Vacation:

• Teddy announcing to me that, “It’s a good thing were not a couple, as our sex life would suck.”

I would like to note here to all future suitors:  This is not because I suck in bed (or in Teddy’s defense that he sucks in bed).  We’ve never really taken our relationship into the bedroom (we’ll thats a lie cause we have – okay, now I sound like a tramp. To clarify here:  our relationship has gone into the bedroom, but fully clothed – okay I was wearing the towel the one time – wow this sounds bad to my virtue.  OK heres how it is, our relationship has gone into the bedroom in a bath towel, but in the most platonic of fashions – we were doing a photo shoot – and NO not those kind of photos, I’m not that girl. IE TEDDDY AND I HAVE NEVER HAD SEX).  So to make a long story short, we don’t know how each other is in bed.  Teddy just has a habit of being sick whenever I visit and I always seem to have my period when I visit.

• Our first ever hotel room together with a view of (no joke) the indoor children’s water amusement park.

Darn good thing the two of us weren’t looking for a little ‘rendezvous’.  The sounds of children screaming might have broken the mood.

• Teddy loosing all hearing to a head cold and shouting everywhere we went.

My favourite was his conversation with his Mom into his cell phone at the top of his lungs in public about diarrhea.  It was a very proud moment for me to be on his arm.

• Teddy telling his dear Mom that he was thinking of moving in with me in Van City.

No wonder she thinks were dating. TEDDY!!!!!

• Teddy’s response to the suggestion that a personal coach might help him follow a healthier lifestyle, “Oh I’ll see a personal coach if she’s hot and cute.  Better yet, you could be my personal coach.”  Once again, he did this in front of his 78 year old mother!!!

Teddy – take note, a proper personal coach needs to be accredited. Me giving you advice whilst wearing a skimpy towel generally isn’t as effective.  Please see my conversation with @cognoscento Try Jennifer Priest.  She’s hot, cute and a professional.

• The incorrigible Teddy at his Mom’s and my discussion on how he needed to eat healthier and get more exercise, “Bed wrestling is a good full body workout and not at all stressful on the joints.”

Honestly!!!!  And he told me that I’d have to be the one to break it to his parents that we aren’t dating!  I wonder where they ever got that idea!?!

Love you Teddy! (and you too Beams)

Emme xoxo

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