Happy and Anniversary
This weekend was my wedding anniversary, and there was a bunch of other stuff going on, as there often is this time of year. My son went on an overnight field trip for an archery tournament, my husband had a couple Masonic events, and I got my car in for an estimate on the clunky, sticking, jerky stuff. Somehow, my husband and I managed to get away for half a day on Saturday to celebrate our anniversary.
We went to our favorite place, a peninsula about a half hour drive away. One side is graced by a peaceful bay and the other, a great lake. They are two very different 'water personalities'. We like them both.
The temperature was measly 30-some degrees and there was a bitter wind. Not the best weather to be out sightseeing on cliffs and near the water, but we still had a lot of fun.
We stopped off to get some drinks and lunch first. We had some awesome turkey avocado sandwiches with cheese and bacon and some huge steak fries. What doesn't taste good with cheese and bacon?
After lunch we strolled around the neighborhood to explore the few quaint shops that were open. Even though we didn't find anything we needed to have, it was fun to window shop. The little tourist towns on the peninsula have become so saturated when it is on-season that we don't want anything to do with them, so it was nice to visit before that busy chaos begins.
Next stop is a state park on the water. Honestly, the beauty is so remarkable that I could have snapped photos at any point we were there and it would be breathtaking. I was so so very cold out there but I didn't complain. We paused for a selfie on the panorama in the park. It is on the Niagra escarpment, a wall of rock that runs from Wisconsin to Niagra falls and is 450 million years old. The view is spectacular!
We took a little time to warm up as we drove to the opposite side of the peninsula to the Lake Michigan. There, the water was wild from the wind, and chunks of ice crashed with the waves on the sand, then returned for another ride on the next wild wave.
We were pretty cold to the bone at that point so we stopped into a local brewery and taproom to try some beer. It was such a warm, inviting atmosphere, and a really nice end to our day.
On the way home, my husband brought up overhearing an interview that I was playing earlier in the week, he said he'd overheard her talking about enchantment and how we all need to find the way to reenchant ourselves so that thoughts about food and shortcomings and everything shallow just melt away. OK, that was a major paraphrase because I don't have that great of a memory but that was the gist of it. I was a little surprised to hear him say that it really spoke to him because he has typically been a very black and white person, very regimented and disciplined. We talked about food and how it can be such a horrible burden on people because it really does make people happy, so when we restrict it is like we are making the decision to give up that happiness for the hopes that looking different will be an even greater happiness, but really, in the end, it seems counter-intuitive to try to force something to make you happy that doesn't already, inately make you happy in exchange for something that truly does make you happy. There is so much more to that story, because having poor health can interfere and not being able to do the things you want to can be crippling for the spirit, but to some extent, at least where happiness and contentment are concerned, giving up on chasing all the ideals around becomes so liberating that seeking 'food-happy' happens less. I think that's the pocket I'm in right now. I don't find myself obsessing over what and when I am eating next. I don't premeditate or fixate on the granola bars in the pantry or the mac and cheese in the cupboard. I am finding it much easier to wait to eat until I am physically hungry. That has been a huge calorie savings. I am not grazing on stuff just because it's there. If I know I'm going to be having a heavier meal (like when we were going out to lunch for our anniversary) I have a lighter snack instead of a meal beforehand, so I know I'll be hungry by the time we get to the special event. I am finding it easier to stop when I am satisfied, and finding myself 'full enough' sooner because I am trying to pay more attention to the signals. But most of all, I feel like I'm enjoying myself more. I don't feel like I'm just rushing to the end of meals just to have the fullness without having tasted anything. I'm enjoying the company, or the quiet, or whatever it may be that I am experiencing while I'm eating. In some ways, food is taking a bit of a backseat and it feels great! It feels strange to say out loud that I do not follow a diet, I am not dieting, and knowing that I am at very least, maintaining where I was at the end of my last failed diet (I think I have lost a little, but I am anti-scale). I don't feel hung-up on any of that old nagging stuff right now. I actually feel happy. That feels amazing to say, and I plan to keep saying it for a long time!
We went to our favorite place, a peninsula about a half hour drive away. One side is graced by a peaceful bay and the other, a great lake. They are two very different 'water personalities'. We like them both.
The temperature was measly 30-some degrees and there was a bitter wind. Not the best weather to be out sightseeing on cliffs and near the water, but we still had a lot of fun.
We stopped off to get some drinks and lunch first. We had some awesome turkey avocado sandwiches with cheese and bacon and some huge steak fries. What doesn't taste good with cheese and bacon?
After lunch we strolled around the neighborhood to explore the few quaint shops that were open. Even though we didn't find anything we needed to have, it was fun to window shop. The little tourist towns on the peninsula have become so saturated when it is on-season that we don't want anything to do with them, so it was nice to visit before that busy chaos begins.
Next stop is a state park on the water. Honestly, the beauty is so remarkable that I could have snapped photos at any point we were there and it would be breathtaking. I was so so very cold out there but I didn't complain. We paused for a selfie on the panorama in the park. It is on the Niagra escarpment, a wall of rock that runs from Wisconsin to Niagra falls and is 450 million years old. The view is spectacular!
 |
| Anniversary Selfie, bay-side BRRR! |
 |
| Bay of Green Bay covered in ice |
We took a little time to warm up as we drove to the opposite side of the peninsula to the Lake Michigan. There, the water was wild from the wind, and chunks of ice crashed with the waves on the sand, then returned for another ride on the next wild wave.
 |
| Lake Michigan at Bailey's Harbor |
On the way home, my husband brought up overhearing an interview that I was playing earlier in the week, he said he'd overheard her talking about enchantment and how we all need to find the way to reenchant ourselves so that thoughts about food and shortcomings and everything shallow just melt away. OK, that was a major paraphrase because I don't have that great of a memory but that was the gist of it. I was a little surprised to hear him say that it really spoke to him because he has typically been a very black and white person, very regimented and disciplined. We talked about food and how it can be such a horrible burden on people because it really does make people happy, so when we restrict it is like we are making the decision to give up that happiness for the hopes that looking different will be an even greater happiness, but really, in the end, it seems counter-intuitive to try to force something to make you happy that doesn't already, inately make you happy in exchange for something that truly does make you happy. There is so much more to that story, because having poor health can interfere and not being able to do the things you want to can be crippling for the spirit, but to some extent, at least where happiness and contentment are concerned, giving up on chasing all the ideals around becomes so liberating that seeking 'food-happy' happens less. I think that's the pocket I'm in right now. I don't find myself obsessing over what and when I am eating next. I don't premeditate or fixate on the granola bars in the pantry or the mac and cheese in the cupboard. I am finding it much easier to wait to eat until I am physically hungry. That has been a huge calorie savings. I am not grazing on stuff just because it's there. If I know I'm going to be having a heavier meal (like when we were going out to lunch for our anniversary) I have a lighter snack instead of a meal beforehand, so I know I'll be hungry by the time we get to the special event. I am finding it easier to stop when I am satisfied, and finding myself 'full enough' sooner because I am trying to pay more attention to the signals. But most of all, I feel like I'm enjoying myself more. I don't feel like I'm just rushing to the end of meals just to have the fullness without having tasted anything. I'm enjoying the company, or the quiet, or whatever it may be that I am experiencing while I'm eating. In some ways, food is taking a bit of a backseat and it feels great! It feels strange to say out loud that I do not follow a diet, I am not dieting, and knowing that I am at very least, maintaining where I was at the end of my last failed diet (I think I have lost a little, but I am anti-scale). I don't feel hung-up on any of that old nagging stuff right now. I actually feel happy. That feels amazing to say, and I plan to keep saying it for a long time!
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