Odds and Ends

Okay it IS odds and ends day and I have my note card here to remind me of the week's thoughts, but I have to say, I am reading a fascinating article from the online mag, Financial Times, regarding the creation of statin medications and especially the "wonder drug" Lipitor. I hope to write about that tomorrow.

The Impact of Pictures: My family is busy these days so maybe this blog post will escape their attention. I always think about that because they know me in ways that the general reader does not. It is good that my readers do not know everything but today I will tell you a little something. It is not so earth shattering. I have said before that I was once, for a significant period of time (5 plus years), quite overweight, even my family has forgotten how much overweight I was. Over the holiday I got my hands on some old photos and well.. ouch. And it isn't that I have forgotten, because I never will, but seeing the pictures breathes life into the fears I have of being that girl again. It was not a happy time and in that I can tell you, "food does not make you happy." Unfortunately (?), the fear of the past makes me extremely disciplined and that upsets people, like my Mum, much more than it upsets me. I would rather skip all the extras (food wise) and be comfortable in my own skin. It keeps me content. That being said, my rigidity is mine, I own it and I do NOT encourage it. At the same time, it is worth emphasizing that my extremism does not excuse you from doing your own due diligence. We have to do what works for us, and being overweight is not going to "work" for anyone.

Excesses: In America, we have just finished the Thanksgiving Holiday. People make a whole lot of food to celebrate a time we do not remember. What we are really doing is giving thanks for blessings and abundance, which, in my personal sphere, is possible. I hope that everyone enjoyed the day and then moved on - back to the routine of moderation. There are some who have difficulty moderating. A friend told me today that she quickly clears the home of all the extras - pies, stuffings, heavily sweetened or buttered casseroles and such. I think that is a good idea, of course, she does her best not to make too much to begin with, but in the end, it is better to toss it then to wear it.

Toys v Candy: This story is true. This story only got more interesting as it went along. This is something I observed today and as it was happening, my blogster mind was at work. I was in line at the grocery store, where I must say, I am most often aghast. Today I was behind what appeared to be a three generation trio of women. The youngest of these was approx. two years old. The grandma, not old at all, possibly 50, gave the child a plastic "magic" cell phone that was on a rack near the register. I noticed her reaching for the phone, I saw the price on the shelf, about three dollars, and I thought WHOA that is too much money, BUT it is so much better than giving the kid candy which is what so many others do. That little girl, she was so happy! She chatted and laughed and her eyes were all lit up. I had to smile myself. And when they were all paid up and about to leave, I thought I heard the woman I assume to be the grandma, say "I'll get you another one." But she didn't, she TOOK IT AWAY and put it back where she had gotten it from - they left the store with the previously happy and content toddler squalling at the top of her lungs. Oh MY, I was just stunned - cruel I thought it was, but that is a harsh word. A few hours later though, I thought OMG - they put that phone BACK on the shelf!!!! What if your kid puts it next to his or her MOUTH next.... ? SIGH... I really need to stop shopping, it causes me stress.

WLS: I wouldn't even know that acronym if it weren't for my dear dear friend who had Weight Loss Surgery. She knows, and regular readers know, I OPPOSE it, it seems crazy and reckless and extreme and scary and well, I have run out of words, but I don't like it. At the same time, I want my friend and others who suffer with severe obesity to lose weight and regain their health, so I support her and those like her, 100%. Today, however, I heard a commercial on the radio that got my dander up. First a woman spoke, she spoke about being very much overweight and thinking every day when she woke up that she wouldn't eat (mistake) or she would eat less, but at the end of every day, she had failed. Then the man says that he is so big his son has asked him to stop taking him to school. Now I have to say, the man sounded like an actor and the woman sounded a little more legit. Then the commercial went on to promote weight loss surgery and it irked me. If a person truly needs this type of extreme, invasive, risky intervention, then let the person's primary care physician make that call... it isn't like the person is choosing a household product, it is a life changing, extreme medical intervention...

and that is the end of the odds and ends..... remember - you cannot indulge every day without paying the consequences - so Thanksgiving is OVER people... :)