Free stuff + meditation seminar + self-acceptance+ french fries= a good day

So I had a pretty good day today. I started off the day by scoring five free packets of Quaker Weight Control Instant Oatmeal in two different flavors- Maple Brown Sugar and Banana Bread (my fave!) from a coworker. I haven't tried the Quaker Weight Control Instant Oatmeal yet, so I was pretty excited. I also procured this month's latest issue of Women's Health magazine. This is the perk of working in the same building as the Advertising Department- they get their names put on a bunch of subscriptions and they get a ton of free magazines, and they never want any of them, so they put them out in the mailroom for people to take. The magazines are normally very, very, very boring- they're usually all investment or finance magazines, but once in a while, a fun one trickles in, like Women's Health. Which I love. Woo-hoo!

And then today at work I went to a meditation seminar. This is another cool perk for working for a big corporation- they want to keep their employees healthy, so they do a lot of health and wellness stuff- fairs, seminars, a weekly e-newsletter, etc., covering all sorts of different topics from nutrition to disease prevention to mental wellness to fitness tips. I try to go to as many of these events as I can, because this stuff is right up my alley! And I figured that any event called "Meditation: How to Relax by Calming Your Mind" certainly couldn't hurt to attend.

It was pretty cool! We learned about breathing, posture, daily affirmations, chanting, visualization, we did a "walking meditation" exercise where we walked around the room and just focused on each step, being present in each step, stuff like that. That was pretty interesting, and I got really into it.

The presenter also talked a lot about incorporating meditating and being "in the moment" with food, and eating. She gave each of us a clementine, and we used all of our senses to really engage in the act of peeling the clementine, feeling it, eating it, savoring it, smelling it, etc. She talked about this for a while- about how so many people just inhale their food, or eat on the go, and they don't take the time to savor their food, and enjoy it, and appreciate it. I thought it was interesting that she spent so much time on this subject, because I am a very healthy and conscientious eater, and I really try to apply this principle and method of eating into all of my meals- to really take the time to sit down and savor my meal, and eat slowly, and really enjoy it. I HATE eating fast, eating on the go, eating in a hurry, etc. I don't feel satisfied mentally or physically after eating a meal that way. By eating slowly and being "in the moment", I find this pleasurable and enjoyable- and it makes me feel full not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. I don't know... there's just something about taking the time to really sit down and enjoy a meal that brings me satiety on many levels. Not too many people understand this- in fact, I've been faulted and critiqued for this recently by someone. Which is why I found it really interesting that it was touched on so thoroughly today. That made me realize something about myself and about others. I realized that everyone is different, has a different way of doing everything, different interests, different ways of finding joy and happiness in their everyday lives, and that's awesome, but that people who try to make you feel bad about something, anything, that brings you simple joy and happiness- whether it's savoring a meal, or reading, or doing a specific hobby or sport that you love that others might not be into, or anything that brings you happiness by your own terms- even if someone else doesn't understand it, they should still respect it, and if they don't, or they can't, or they fault you for it, and they try to compromise your happiness or make you feel bad about it, then these are not people worth having in your life. I'm not even talking about anyone specific here... just people in my life who have come and gone, or people in general, really. And I'm not specifically talking about eating here- I'm talking about anything, and everything! Do what makes YOU happy in life, no matter WHAT it is. If someone else doesn't understand it or doesn't appreciate it, that's their problem, not yours! And anyone who tries to make you feel bad about what you enjoy or what brings you happiness in your life is not worth a minute of your time. And that's what I'm going to do- live my life, on my terms, and do what makes me happy, and I refuse to apologize for who I am or change who I am or what makes me happy for anyone. Anyone who has a problem with that can kiss my fine booty! (Speaking of which, I finally got a turn on the booty weight machine today! Hurray! I had an awesome workout today- hard b/c I did a lot of cardio and weights, but I felt great afterwards, and I'm hoping that the intense workout will help me pass out later on tonight so I can get a good night's sleep, LOL! Anyway, totally off-subject there- sorry!)

I left the seminar feeling really relaxed, happy, good about myself and who I am, and smelling like a clementine (I might have to buy some the next time I go to the grocery store!). On my way back to my building, I passed by the cafeteria, which was in full swing because it was lunchtime, and they had just made a new batch of french fries, which smelled downright amazing, which brought on a massive french fry craving. Right away, I knew that whatever I made for dinner tonight, french fries would need to be included on the menu.

Luckily, I have these bad boys in the freezer for such emergencies:

In my mind, sweet potatoes might just be the best vegetable ever. So you can imagine how I feel about sweet potato fries.

So I threw a Trader Joe's frozen boneless skinless chicken breast on my little George Foreman grill, steamed up a few broccoli florets, threw together a side salad w/light balsamic vinaigrette on the side, and finished the meal up with the last of my raspberries (because they were on their last leg). Along with some TJ's All-Natural Barbecue Sauce for the chicken and organic ketchup for the fries (I always put sauces and stuff on the side because I'm a "dipper"- I love to dip!):

Ta-da!

I was a very happy girl after eating this. And I took the time to savor, enjoy, and appreciate every single bite. Because I can.  :-)

Now I feel satisfied on many levels (but not too satisfied or full to enjoy some ice cream later before bed, obviously!) Now I'm going to hop in the shower, surf the web, watch TV, and read.

Hope you all had a great Wednesday!!!!