We've Got This!

So, I might be a total Scrooge, but I am not fond of this time of year at all.  Firstly, I am not Christian, though I have nothing against the faith, but I don't, in my immediate family, celebrate the holiday.  Our extended family does, and we do go to the celebrations out of love and respect but we don't do the whole putting up of a tree and getting gifts for people.  That in itself is a little awkward because people insist on getting us gifts even though we have pleaded with them not to, but we don't give back.  To me, the spending time together is more meaningful.  There are so many people out there who have basic needs not getting met, and it seems silly to be spending money to get someone something they may or may not enjoy.  And being an optician, my work is usually pretty stressful this time of year as people wait until the end of the year to try and spend their remaining flex dollars, and glasses are one of the best ways to spend it.  The rush and stress of the holiday season wears on me, and I am usually so happy to see it go.  Bah humbug, I know!  I just don't typically see the holidays as being calm and peaceful, which is what I feel like it should be.  The holidays burn me out and I don't technically even celebrate.  So, I am happy that the new year is right around the corner.  The days will be getting noticeably longer, the hustle and bustle of the holidays will be past and we can focus on goals for a fresh year.  Can you believe how fast this year went?  Sheesh!
I made it through "food week" OK.  We had our work pot-luck luncheon on Wednesday, and there were lots of yummy things like taco dip, beer dip, potato veggie soup (SO GOOD), and of course chips, candies and dessert bars.  When I saw the sign up list, and noticed almost everything on the list was salty I decided to try a new recipe and brought this:

From Pinterest

They were a big hit.  Fresh and cream-cheesy with a slight ranch flavor.  I ate a good deal of them and so did my kids.  I had a sample of most of the things, and allowed myself 2 sweet treats.  I am happy it didn't trigger any cravings, but it did make me feel a little ick.  Now that I know my blood sugars are a little on the high side, it is one more thing to make me want sugars less.  I think I'm ready to take this to the next level, which for me means bringing more fruits and veggies back into my diet, lowering the grains slightly and getting a variety of strength, flexibility and cardio exercise into my day.  My kids are off school all next week, so I will have more time in the mornings to get some of that stuff done, and after that I will switch to getting up earlier to get some sort of activity done.  I'm thinking, when summer comes around, with my kids off school, I will have time to get the dog out for a good morning walk.  I was supposed to do that last summer and somehow never found the motivation. 
The temperatures have gone up considerably, if only temporarily, and it sure does make winter a smidge more tolerable, and when I let nostalgia visit, remembering being a kid and playing in the snow for hours or ice skating or sledding...OK, I can appreciate the snow a little bit.  I will never be a snow-lover but I think I can reach some level of tolerance.  Although, we have some slippery stuff coming the next couple days, with mixed freezing rain and snow etc.  I'll see how I feel after all that!  It's a big deal for me to get even to the point of tolerance, and helps me let go, even just the tiniest bit, of my disappointment over not moving to Sacramento.  It's progress.  It will still take some time, but I'm grateful for every bit of forward momentum I can get.
Someone on Facebook shared a silly quiz type thing to tell you what 2017 will bring for you, the type where words flash on the screen and you take a screen shot to see what your answer is.  Most of my friends got silly things like "tacos" or "a new bae" but my answer was "deep healing".  Even though it was a meaningless quiz on Facebook, I just shook my head affirmatively and said to myself, yeah, that's right; I will have deep healing in 2017.  I'm already starting!  And today, because more friends were sharing I tried again and my answer was "Strength".  So, silly though it may be, I think both of those answers will be true because I am finally ready to make it happen.  Who else is ready to put 2016 behind them and start the fresh new year with renewed enthusiasm and strength?  I say, let's do it!  We so totally have this!