The On/Off Switch

I have a friend who often cautioned me about believing things were done.  He would say, it's not like an of/off switch where it's either done or undone.  It was a careful comment about recognizing that things are never really "done".  I can't help but think of that as I'm on this journey to wellness.  I often reflect on my friend's words, especially now that I have lost the weight I was going for.  Clearly, this is still my journey.  It would be easy to believe I have arrived at my goal.  I remember his saying that so often people achieve a goal, they congratulate themselves, and then they throw it all away.  Just because I have lost 72 lbs doesn't mean I'm incapable of gaining back 72 lbs, and more besides.  I'm sure we can all think of people who have successfully lost weight in the past and then put it on again.  I was one of the people and if I don't stay true to who I am, I could be that person again.  That's not what I want for my life.  Today, I gave a lunch seminar on my career as a designer.  What I focused on was being authentic to who I am in the matter of my career and in the matter of my life.  I spoke of my weight-loss journey and I proudly stood in front of the group in my new suit, the one I bragged about last Saturday.  I then went to Costco and I went there on an empty stomach (note to self to watch that behavior).  It was so easy to put a few extra things in the cart, things that would not ordinarily find their way to my pantry.  I just burst into two of those things--a bag of skinny sticks and a box of biscotti from which I helped myself to one piece and now I'm tempted to help myself to another.  All I can do in this moment is reflect on my friend's words and I'm so careful to not throw it all away.  Tomorrow, those treats will be given away to a friend that's coming by to share a storm day by helping me reorganize my craft room.  That's the thing, I have to be consciously aware of all decisions like that, decisions like putting things like that in my cart and then later decisions to pop that in my mouth.  My friend was right, this is still my journey.  Rather than thinking I have arrived, I will consider that I'm still on that journey and that I'm still learning.  Goodbye skinny sticks and goodbye biscotti.  Lesson learned.