Category Archives: Health

Weight Watchers – (Day 18)

March 10, 2016 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

My assignment for today was to turn to the person next to me and ask what I should write about. That just so happens to be my husband David. He suggested writing about my disappointment with my body lately via my Weight Watchers program. Those weren’t his exact words, but that was the general gist.

So earlier he asked how my program was going. That is just opening a whole can of worms. Not only have I not been following my program, but tomorrow is weigh in day and I don’t even want to go. I didn’t go last week because I was sick. I had been doing well up until I got sick. Then I couldn’t find anything that would sit well on my stomach for days afterwards. I basically ate whatever tasted good and as much of that as I wanted.

Anyway, that was the beginning of a downward spiral as far as portion control, healthy eating, and tracking what I eat. I have had over a week of eating everything in sight until I actually felt full. Sigh…

I was doing really well for six weeks. I lost seven pounds, was moving around a bit more, and felt like I was making better choices over all. Honestly, though, I was still hungry often and not really satisfied. I felt like I was always on guard, writing down every single thing that went into my mouth, belaboring how many points everything was, and debating the merits of each and every bite. It felt a little neurotic, but at least I wasn’t gaining any more weight.

I am fairly certain that if I go to Weight Watchers tomorrow, I will have gained weight. It will confirm that my natural state of feeling satisfied by food means getting fatter and fatter. So I am sad and discouraged and have basically given up…

Health, Writing

Excite/Drain – (Day 12)

March 1, 2016 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

Today’s assignment is to make a list of things that excite me and things that drain me:

Excites Me: Writing things I want to write, reading books, spending time with my husband, artist’s dates, lunches/tea with friends one-on-one, watching shows I like, going to the movies, teaching, creating lessons that excite teenagers, dancing Salsa, eating good food, getting to see my granddaughter Charlotte, going to WriteHers’ Group at coffee shops, naps, early bedtimes, great quotes, positive stories, peace, listening to my records and music of my choosing, planning/listing/scheduling stuff

I should do more of these things.

Drains Me: Grading papers, spending time with groups of people, meetings of any kind, my children, cleaning, exercising, cooking, David’s dog, paying bills, working my part-time job on weekends, taking care of my granddaughter Charlotte, shopping, playing games, parties, social gathering of any kind pretty much, Facebook, ethical relativism, conflict, music I don’t like, loud tv, video games, worrying

I should do less of these things.

Health, Writing

Tea Stains – (Day 11)

February 29, 2016 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

http://austinkleon.com/tag/tea-drawings/

I found this interesting artistic blog by Austin Kleon that shows drawings made from tea stains. People create such interesting things.

tea bag

My assignment today was to attempt just such an artistic endeavor, though that is not my forte.

Instead, I’ll write about the cup of tea I actually drank earlier, without making any art from the tea bag.

One of the most comforting moments in my day is the brewing of a cup of tea. I usually boil a pot of water in an electric kettle, place a P.G. Tips triangle shaped tea bag imported from England into a cup, pour the water over the teabag and only let it brew for a minute. I don’t like it too strong. The final touch to my tea is Coffeemate’s Italian Sweet Cream creamer. It is the quick equivalent of cream and sugar and just makes it creamy delicious.

I grew up drinking sweet creamy tea thanks to my grandmother – Mema. She also shared that gift with my children because she babysat them prior to their school years. I am assuming she will continue to pass forward the gift to my grandchild since they spend so much time together.

Once I have a perfect cup of tea ready to sip on, I usually write, read, or engage in something creative. So I guess I have come to connect hot tea with both comfort and productivity/creativity. Maybe it’s the little boost of caffeine that gets me motivated. Whatever the case, hot tea is a staple for me and a lovely part of my day.

Health, Writing

Win Some, Lose Some – (Day 8)

February 24, 2016 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

Today’s exercise is to list some recent victories and some recent losses.

Victories: Signed up for James Patterson’s Master Class that teaches writing; made my second to last payment on my college school loan – I graduated 20 years ago; found a fabulous candle that I love the smell of – Febreeze willow blossom; have lost 7 pounds on Weight Watchers so far; snagged a hottie husband four months ago; got my grades turned in on time (I’m a high school teacher); found an awesome favorite pen (thanks to my husband buying one for me); shared modern-day heroes for Black History Month with my high school students

Losses: lost partial control of my high school girls’ neurologically impaired class…while being observed by my principal…kids suck sometimes…; let my ex-husband get my goat from afar; ate food just because I was craving it this week instead of making better choices; got a ticket for not stopping correctly at a stop sign

I think the Victories outweigh the Losses.

Health, Writing

Map My Week – (Day 7)

February 24, 2016 rebekahjmarshall 2 Comments

For today’s assignment, I’m supposed to map out my week to see where most of my time is spent. Um…I think I already know that my time goes to work and sleep for the most part…not very exciting.

Monday – 9 hours work, 9 hours sleep, 1 hour hygiene, 1 hour food prep, 3.5 hours David time (husband), .5 cleaning

Tuesday – 9 hours work, 9 hours sleep, 1 hour hygiene, 1 hour food prep, 4 hours Charlotte time (granddaughter)

Wednesday – 9 hours work, 9 hours sleep, 1 hour hygiene, 1 hour food prep, 3.5 hours David time (husband)/ writing some, .5 cleaning

Thursday – 9 hours work, 9 hours sleep, 1 hour hygiene, 1 hour food prep, 1 hour driving, 1 hour Weight Watchers, 2 hours WriteHers’ Group

Friday – 9 hours work, 9 hours sleep, 1 hour hygiene, 1 hour food prep, 3.5 hours David time (husband), .5 cleaning

Saturday – 8.5 hours work, 9 hours sleep, 1 hour hygiene, 1 hour food prep, 4 hours friends and family time, .5 cleaning

Sunday – 8.5 hours work, 9 hours sleep, 1 hour hygiene, 1 hour food prep, 4 hours David time (husband)/ writing some, .5 cleaning

Totals – 62 hours work, 63 hours sleep, 7 hours hygiene, 7 hours food prep, 2.5 hours cleaning, 18.5 hours David time/writing some, 2 hours WriteHers’ Group, 4 hours friend and family time, 1 hour Weight Watchers, 1 hour driving

Yep…just as I thought. I work too much and have no alone time.

Health, Writing

Receipt Memories – (Day 5)

February 20, 2016 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

For today’s assignment, I was supposed to find a receipt and say what I can remember about the day I made the purchase.

My husband and I got in around 1 in the morning after driving home from his martial arts class 3 /12 hours away in Houston. We were exhausted and probably fell asleep by 1:30 or 2:00am. Suddenly, I was awakened by David fiddling with my phone around 3:45am. Because my ringer was silenced, I didn’t know my daughter had been calling and texting for 30 minutes straight. David woke up somehow and alerted me.

She was at the emergency room with heart palpitations brought on by unknown causes. A friend of hers got her to the hospital and my grandmother kept the baby. I sat in the room with her and her friend for a few hours talking, reassuring, and asking the doctors questions they couldn’t answer.

When it became apparent that it was going to be a few more hours before she would be released, the doctors were declaring all the major systems working fine, and her friend was planning to stay with her, I headed home to sleep some more. I was exhausted and running on fumes.

My alarm was set for 9:30am because I had a 10:00am appointment to get my Depo shot. From there I headed to my grandmother’s to check on my daughter and granddaughter. On the way, my Mema asked if I could stop by Walgreens and pick up Lydia’s prescription for an anxiety med. The doctors ruled her episode a panic attack brought on by anxiety. Who knows if that is the real diagnosis. My grandbaby Charlotte was in a great mood, running all over and entertaining everyone. My sister and brother-in-law were there, too. It was good fun.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing with my husband watching episodes of Community and Friends. We made salmon for dinner and enjoyed a day off on a weekday. It was President’s Day and my school was closed. David’s company was shut down, too. We had a lovely relaxing evening. He painted. I wrote. Life was good. It started scary and rough, but ended well.

I think one of my favorite moments was at 3 something am when my sweet husband offered to accompany me to the hospital. He was even more tired than me after hours of martial arts, but offered to come with me. I am a lucky, lucky woman.

Health, Writing

Thanks to… (Day 2)

February 15, 2016 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

Today’s assignment is to appreciate things people have taught me in life.

Thanks to Charlotte who taught me what it feels like to be a grandmother.

Thanks to Boaz who taught me how to let go.

Thanks to Lydia who taught me to love unconditionally.

Thanks to Tony who taught me to endure difficulty and remain compassionate.

Thanks to David who taught me how to relax and love again.

Health, Writing

30-Day Challenge: Day 1 – Write a Fan Letter

February 14, 2016 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

Today’s assignment is to commit to 30 days of doing something without breaking the chain. After 30 days I get a prize of my choosing. I am going to commit to actually doing these exercises and blogging them daily for 30 days. As for my prize…I’ll have to think about that. I can pick anything!!!

Today’s assignment is to Write a Fan Letter.

Dear Dr. Martha Beck,

Thank you for all the help and guidance you have given to me in my life. I have read every one of your books and every article written in O the Oprah magazine. At night before I go to sleep, I read a few pages of Finding Your Way in a Wild New World. I call you my guru when quoting you to others.

Part of my connection to your writing is the religious element. I read your book Leaving The Saints about your strict religious background that you broke away from to create the life you have now. Only someone who has survived such an experience can understand. Knowing you have come from that place makes me trust your advice all the more and makes it more relevant to my own experience.

I have become more open to the spiritual element in my life thanks to meditation exercises, written exercises, and insightful quotes that you have shared in your books. I’ve begun writing as a future career path thanks to reading Finding Your Own North Star. And the monthly articles in O give great, useful, life advice that I have shared with many a friend in crisis. I hope someday I can afford to hire you as a Life Coach or attend a retreat, but in the meantime I’ll garner all the wisdom I can from your writing.

The fact that you love and quote Mary Oliver is the icing on the cake. You spur me to heroic adventures that “break my heart, by which I mean only that it break open and never close again to the rest of the world.”

Thank you for your loving help through your heartfelt writing,

Rebekah Marshall

Health, Writing

Celebrating Success

January 24, 2016 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

Ready to celebrate some successes! I finished my creativity course, got married, wrote a novel in the month of November for NanoWrimo, and feel back on track with writing daily.

Today I bought a new journal called The Steal Like An Artist Journal – A Notebook For Creative Kleptomaniacs by Austin Kleon. He opens the book with a quote by Mary Oliver – “I think we’re creative all day long. We have to have an appointment to have that work out on the page. Because the creative part of us gets tired of waiting, or just gets tired.” This sums up my new writing plans perfectly. I am attempting to set aside time daily to work out my creativity on the page. I plan to start sharing some of that experimentation here.

Activity #1 in the journal is Ten Things I Want To Learn:

…Spanish
…how to publish an ebook
…how to format my poetry so it can be published as an ebook
…everything necessary to get a Master’s Degree
…everything necessary to get a Doctorate (just because I want to be Dr. Marshall)
…to Waltz
…to live a healthy lifestyle so I can maintain an ideal weight, shape, health for me
…how to exercise without hurting my body
…how to play 40K without David constantly reminding me of the rules
…how to make a living as a writer

Health, Writing

4 Vacation Days Left

August 8, 2015 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

I have thoroughly enjoyed this vacation. I have filled it a bit too full at times, but I made up for that yesterday with two long naps! My creativity course is proceeding splendidly. I am in week 2 and have done all of my writing exercises each and every day. I’m learning a little bit about my own habits and weaknesses that tend to interfere with my time for writing. I am also learning a plethora about my own creative potential and how much untapped awesomeness is contained in this universe. I don’t have to believe that every ounce resides in me, but simply that I can be a channel to get it on paper. I have to develop the willingness to let all that energy and beauty flow through me. Part of the willingness is simply showing up to the page and taking the steps to do the work. I do a ton more daydreaming about writing than actually writing. 🙂

Also, I am very excited to report that my sweet fiance has a three day weekend, which he will be spending with me when he wakes up. He was up during the night with a sick dog. I was no help. I was conked out. The dog and I are fine this morning, but my poor man is exhausted and needs to sleep the morning away.

Super amazing news – I have reached my summertime swimming goal of 60 laps. I’m not resting on my laurels, though. Now I’ve decided to set a new goal of 66 laps because my grandfather figured out that 66 (considering all the measurements of his pool) would equal half a mile. I just like the sound of swimming a nice round half mile.

This has been one of my best vacations ever. I have Salsa’d, written, read, sipped tons of tea, played with my granddaughter, attended support groups, worked on my creativity course, cleaned house making my environment more livable, swam, had outings with friends, gone to the movies, taken myself out to eat, roamed bookstores, and napped to my heart’s content. This is the way to live.