Nibble, Nibble like a mouse, who's that nibbling on my house? This weekend I had a strange dream. I was in the middle of the forest and I was mindlessly nibbling on a house made of candy and gingerbread. And while this dream's underlining meaning was not lost upon me, it got me thinking about the fact that in every society there are stories, tales, and legends that are passed down from generation to generation. For me and for my children, and for many of the families we know, we have all been told numerous fairy tales and nursery rhymes. But did you ever realize how morbid and sadistic so many of these stories we tell actually are? Take the rhyme "Ring Around the Rosie"...this rhyme actually has a historical connection to the Bubonic Plague. The plague came with a rosy, ring-shaped rash and the "ashes, ashes" line in the poem refers to the fact that they cremated the plague victims--and we sing this rhyme with kids who can often only watch G-rated movies. Ring Around the Rosy
And what about the juvenile delinquent known as Goldilocks. Didn't her parents ever teach her not to enter a house without permission? What was she thinking when she decided to eat their food, break their furniture, and then take a nap in a stranger's house. How safe is that? And don't get me started on the maligning of the poor stepmothers in our society through the retelling of these fairy tales. I remember feeling very sorry for any of my friends who had the misfortune of acquiring a new mother. It was certain in my mind that they would be forced into indentured servitude by their stepmothers, or like in the case of my Hansel and Gretel in my dream, that their new mom would somehow convince their fathers to drop them in the middle of a forest to fend for themselves. The Disturbing Origins of 10 Famous Fairy Tales
I think that dreams are a way for our minds to make sense or to work out our problems while we rest. My thoughts are that by having me nibble on a tasty gingerbread house in my sleep, my subconscious was trying to remind me or make me aware that I am still not where I need to be with my nutritional choices. While I am not mindlessly eating candy, I am putting things into my mouth without even thinking about the fact that I am eating when I am not even hungry. I feel a bit like poor Hansel in a cage with the witch trying to fatten him up so he can be eaten...only I am the witch fattening myself up. I must confess that I am still not getting this food thing under control. Add to that an inconsistent workout routine over the last month and a lack of tracking what I am eating and it is a recipe for "nibbling on candy house" dreams and tighter pants as a result.
While I know that this whole weight thing is not the end of the world, I do need to find a way to put on the brakes and reverse the direction I am headed. I find that I do best when I have official races on my calendar so I have added the San Diego Holiday Half Marathon on December 28 and I am hoping to add an Olympic or longer length triathlon to next year's schedule as well. In the meantime I am just trying to stay positive and find inspiration where I can. I love this article Kay shared recently. In this article entitled 30 Things to Start Doing for Yourself the author, March Chernoff, shares a to-do list of ideas for being kind to yourself. I found #7 Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you to be one that I can use to grow. Chernoff shares, "If you’re not failing from time to time, you’re not trying hard enough and you’re not learning. Take risks, stumble, fall, and then get up and try again. Appreciate that you are pushing yourself, learning, growing and improving. Significant achievements are almost invariably realized at the end of a long road of failures."
I am definitely falling right now, but I am working hard to learn from my current mistakes. I will get back up and control my nibbling so I can continue on my road to fabulous.
And what about the juvenile delinquent known as Goldilocks. Didn't her parents ever teach her not to enter a house without permission? What was she thinking when she decided to eat their food, break their furniture, and then take a nap in a stranger's house. How safe is that? And don't get me started on the maligning of the poor stepmothers in our society through the retelling of these fairy tales. I remember feeling very sorry for any of my friends who had the misfortune of acquiring a new mother. It was certain in my mind that they would be forced into indentured servitude by their stepmothers, or like in the case of my Hansel and Gretel in my dream, that their new mom would somehow convince their fathers to drop them in the middle of a forest to fend for themselves. The Disturbing Origins of 10 Famous Fairy Tales
I think that dreams are a way for our minds to make sense or to work out our problems while we rest. My thoughts are that by having me nibble on a tasty gingerbread house in my sleep, my subconscious was trying to remind me or make me aware that I am still not where I need to be with my nutritional choices. While I am not mindlessly eating candy, I am putting things into my mouth without even thinking about the fact that I am eating when I am not even hungry. I feel a bit like poor Hansel in a cage with the witch trying to fatten him up so he can be eaten...only I am the witch fattening myself up. I must confess that I am still not getting this food thing under control. Add to that an inconsistent workout routine over the last month and a lack of tracking what I am eating and it is a recipe for "nibbling on candy house" dreams and tighter pants as a result.
While I know that this whole weight thing is not the end of the world, I do need to find a way to put on the brakes and reverse the direction I am headed. I find that I do best when I have official races on my calendar so I have added the San Diego Holiday Half Marathon on December 28 and I am hoping to add an Olympic or longer length triathlon to next year's schedule as well. In the meantime I am just trying to stay positive and find inspiration where I can. I love this article Kay shared recently. In this article entitled 30 Things to Start Doing for Yourself the author, March Chernoff, shares a to-do list of ideas for being kind to yourself. I found #7 Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you to be one that I can use to grow. Chernoff shares, "If you’re not failing from time to time, you’re not trying hard enough and you’re not learning. Take risks, stumble, fall, and then get up and try again. Appreciate that you are pushing yourself, learning, growing and improving. Significant achievements are almost invariably realized at the end of a long road of failures."
I am definitely falling right now, but I am working hard to learn from my current mistakes. I will get back up and control my nibbling so I can continue on my road to fabulous.
My running buddies and I got out and did a 5 mile turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning.
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