I'm feeling a bit envious...

I’m watching people post their pictures in Paris from Instagram. I love Paris in the Fall. I want to wander the streets on crisp, sunny days and sip wine at dusk by lamplight. Which brings me to my next announcement. I am planning a trip to Paris next fall. I invite you to come stay with me. Here is the posting from the website, Paris 2024 : Spying Beauty, and there is a little fee of $1.00 for you to respond to me with your contact information after you read the description and it’s right for you. If you have any questions at all pay the $1.00 so that I have your contact information and we can have a little chat.

Now that is out of the way, I can discuss why I am not in Paris right now. I have too many pans on the fire! And fire it is. The cottage is in a shambles as I flit from one project to the next with the agility of an ill donkey. My thinking is a bit befuddled as I tick things off the ever growing list and still stuck on a couple of important things that keep getting pushed down. Why OH why do humans not do the thing they want to do the most because they don’t pay attention to what is important? I override my scheduled time and ambush my productivity by saying YES ! I’ll do that for you right away! When easily I could say, “Why YES! I’ll do that tomorrow as I’m working on a deadline, thank you very much!”. This is an age old lament of mine and I’m an old goat and still learning.

In the meantime, I’ve been immersing myself in the arts and paying attention to my creativity. I never tire of the inspiration of others and the soul is fed by being moved by a performance, a passage in a book, a movie soundtrack, the taste of food. Food. Now there’s a subject. I have struggled with my weight for decades and lived with a very deep seated shame. This is not good for one’s self esteem and I’ve struggled. One reason for my weight is that I do have Hashimoto disease which is an autoimmune thing and a thyroid thing. But I’m not convinced it’s just that even though a doctor once told me that I would always be FAT. Having beautiful, thin, friends is a constant reminder that I do not ‘tuck’ as in tuck in my shirt. All of my pants are elastic waists and my blouses are oversized. It’s kind of my signature look. I’ve resigned myself to being the resident chubba wubba but it seems as if the shame and horror at my reflection in the mirror are a constant reminder that I am ‘less than’. I know I’m not alone. I know that I’m sounding a bit wallowy but there is a point to all of this I promise. I’m starting to give myself hugs. I am being gentle with myself as well as paying attention to my body and what it needs. I’m not treating food as a fuel or a diet. I am treating food as a celebration. I want everything that I eat to be delicious. That means that I do not eat all day. I do not eat just anything. I’ve been fasting for 17 - 20 hours a day (sleep included) and I feel marvelous. It’s a bit of a game but at the same time the benefits have been the elimination of brain fog (huge since the big M) and the inflammation that seemed to have taken over my body is nearly eliminated. I feel as though I am doing something right and I’m sticking to it! The doctor’s say that fasting like this can eliminate the belly fat that accumulated since the big M and I’m still waiting for that miracle. I am not sure this is the most glamorous or interesting topic but it’s been a big part of my routine the last couple of months. PS I did not start with 17 hours right out of the gate….10-12 is normal intermittent fasting and the longer you acclimate your body the longer you can fast for greater benefits. Here is a link to all the info: Intermittent Fasting I listened to a podcast that explained it so clearly and I was fasting for 10-12 hours already so I decided to give it a go. Here is the podcast: Mel Robbins Podcast

Whew…that was a ramble. Let’s talk about other fun things. This is a time when we are running around doing errands and walking to the library and hauling groceries, meeting friends, doing business….planning a trip to Paris…..This may be the time to grab your Baby Buddha Studio essential striped bag! If you order one this month you will find a treasure or two tucked inside!

Until next time, a bientot!

Toni