Friday, October 26, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
How it Feels to be Free
Long ago I decided to become fat.
I was 14 years old and, overnight, I went from being a flat-chested swimmer who was mistaken for a boy by my sister's friends, to a lovely and voluptuous teenaged beauty.
It scared me. Well, the boys scared me. Never having a father or brothers, I didn't understand the hungry male attention I was getting from every direction. The scariest moment was when a man walked up to me in the grocery store and put his hand on my ass. I was 16 and I smacked him for all I was worth. Fortunately for me, I was born clever. I noticed that boys didn't want anything to do with fat chicks. That's when I made my choice and I have been hiding, more or less, ever since.
But in January I turned 50 and it occurred to me I have outgrown the need to be fat anymore.
So look what I did!!
I am very excited about this day. I still have a bit to go to reach my goal of size 8 by my daughter's graduation from Yale at the end of May, but I feel better than I have in forever.
And look at this CUTE outfit I wore to an event last night. I am so proud of this because when I bought both this skirt and top, neither of them fit me. The skirt stopped at mid-thigh and the top absolutely refused to budge over my chest. But I held onto them in hopes that I would make it, that I could one day wear them.
And last night I did:
It feels good to be free. It feels good to feel beautiful, just like I wish I had when I was 14.
Ooooo, I love this girl so much!!
Another very good thing happened the other day. I got back in the ocean for the first time in 5 months! I think that might be a record. There was a time when I swam just about every day, year round, no matter how cold or wild the water was. But cold winter water does not help one lose fat, in fact it makes the body greedily store it. So I stayed out. Then a couple days ago it was such a lovely day, I took the plunge. The water was about 55 degrees. Ouch. But it was worth it (it always is!). I made a little video so you can join me, in virtual sea water:
(note: excuse the squiggles when the camera faces the direct sunlight. My camera needs a tune up...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJh9JN91HoE&feature=youtu.be
I hope you enjoyed that and I'll post again real soon.
I was 14 years old and, overnight, I went from being a flat-chested swimmer who was mistaken for a boy by my sister's friends, to a lovely and voluptuous teenaged beauty.
It scared me. Well, the boys scared me. Never having a father or brothers, I didn't understand the hungry male attention I was getting from every direction. The scariest moment was when a man walked up to me in the grocery store and put his hand on my ass. I was 16 and I smacked him for all I was worth. Fortunately for me, I was born clever. I noticed that boys didn't want anything to do with fat chicks. That's when I made my choice and I have been hiding, more or less, ever since.
But in January I turned 50 and it occurred to me I have outgrown the need to be fat anymore.
So look what I did!!
 | ||
| January 1 |
 |
| January 31 |
 |
| TODAY! |
 | |
| January 1 |
 |
| January 31 |
 | |||
| TODAY!!!!! |
And look at this CUTE outfit I wore to an event last night. I am so proud of this because when I bought both this skirt and top, neither of them fit me. The skirt stopped at mid-thigh and the top absolutely refused to budge over my chest. But I held onto them in hopes that I would make it, that I could one day wear them.
And last night I did:
It feels good to be free. It feels good to feel beautiful, just like I wish I had when I was 14.
Ooooo, I love this girl so much!!
Another very good thing happened the other day. I got back in the ocean for the first time in 5 months! I think that might be a record. There was a time when I swam just about every day, year round, no matter how cold or wild the water was. But cold winter water does not help one lose fat, in fact it makes the body greedily store it. So I stayed out. Then a couple days ago it was such a lovely day, I took the plunge. The water was about 55 degrees. Ouch. But it was worth it (it always is!). I made a little video so you can join me, in virtual sea water:
(note: excuse the squiggles when the camera faces the direct sunlight. My camera needs a tune up...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJh9JN91HoE&feature=youtu.be
I hope you enjoyed that and I'll post again real soon.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Primarily Primavera
Dear Blog Readers (aka best friends and family),
This is a day to be very excited about, a day I have been looking forward to for months. Primarily, because it is the first day of Spring, which in Spanish is Primavera. The whole wide world needs an outpouring of Springtime right about now. Even those of us who live in mild mild mild La Jolla need it. Especially this little flower! But I gotta confess that the real reason I was so excited about this day, March 20th, is because it is the day that my dear and dynamite friend Esperanza Spalding's new record "Radio Music Society" was FINALLY released.
And I get to listen to all the songs and dance around my sunny house all day!!
When I was a kid in the 70's, we used to wait and wait and wait and wait for our favorite band's next record to come out. Then we'd go stand in line at Tower Records and spend the next two weeks listening to it non stop. Haven't felt that way for a few decades until JUST NOW.
Yes, this is a day to celebrate. Esperanza, which in Spanish is Hope - and the whole wide world needs an outpouring of Hope right about now. And that is what this female force of sonic beauty is spreading on this day. As I am typing this, I am listening to the whole record for the first time.
LaLaLaLaLaaaaa........
Not only was Esperanza featured in the New York Times on Sunday:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/arts/music/esperanza-spalding-on-a-year-in-the-spotlight.html
She gave such an outstanding interview on NPR this weekend, I suggest that you listen to it to bring plenty of hope, springtime and excitement into your life and heart.
http://www.npr.org/2012/03/18/148617293/esperanza-spalding-jazz-as-radio-music?sc=emaf
PLUS, if you want to listen to the whole album before you purchase it, here's a way to do that:
http://www.npr.org/2012/03/11/147979893/first-listen-esperanza-spalding-radio-music-society
HOWEVER, if you want your mind to be blown, watch this video, performed at last year's Grammy pre-show, a couple hours before she was awarded Best New Artist:
(hold onto your hats)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=fvwp&v=17lpfvyWhhM
And FINALLY, take 7ish minutes out of your first day of Spring (you can do it tomorrow, or the day after....) and take a peek at this video. As it happens, my daring Chelsea and I are in the audience. I am fairly easy to spot. (UNDERSTATEMENT of the year) And Chelsea is pretty easy to spot, too. This is what she looked like on that great day, see if you can find her in the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nppb01xhfe0
Please forgive all the links. They look so official at first glance, but they will light you on fire if you open them. Esperanza is a gift to the world. Her devotion to music and innovation and smiling has already brightened the world.
I will share with you one more lovely thing about this day. I made one of my huge and epic salads and celebrated this Burst of Spring with the squirrels and seagulls down at CB (Christie's Beach, of course) and was met by my beautiful neighbors Tia and Karl as I walked back home.
So, my dear readers, I will let you go so we can all enjoy Springtime, wherever you are.
Sending lots of love,
Christie
This is a day to be very excited about, a day I have been looking forward to for months. Primarily, because it is the first day of Spring, which in Spanish is Primavera. The whole wide world needs an outpouring of Springtime right about now. Even those of us who live in mild mild mild La Jolla need it. Especially this little flower! But I gotta confess that the real reason I was so excited about this day, March 20th, is because it is the day that my dear and dynamite friend Esperanza Spalding's new record "Radio Music Society" was FINALLY released.
And I get to listen to all the songs and dance around my sunny house all day!!
When I was a kid in the 70's, we used to wait and wait and wait and wait for our favorite band's next record to come out. Then we'd go stand in line at Tower Records and spend the next two weeks listening to it non stop. Haven't felt that way for a few decades until JUST NOW.
Yes, this is a day to celebrate. Esperanza, which in Spanish is Hope - and the whole wide world needs an outpouring of Hope right about now. And that is what this female force of sonic beauty is spreading on this day. As I am typing this, I am listening to the whole record for the first time.
LaLaLaLaLaaaaa........
Not only was Esperanza featured in the New York Times on Sunday:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/arts/music/esperanza-spalding-on-a-year-in-the-spotlight.html
She gave such an outstanding interview on NPR this weekend, I suggest that you listen to it to bring plenty of hope, springtime and excitement into your life and heart.
http://www.npr.org/2012/03/18/148617293/esperanza-spalding-jazz-as-radio-music?sc=emaf
PLUS, if you want to listen to the whole album before you purchase it, here's a way to do that:
http://www.npr.org/2012/03/11/147979893/first-listen-esperanza-spalding-radio-music-society
HOWEVER, if you want your mind to be blown, watch this video, performed at last year's Grammy pre-show, a couple hours before she was awarded Best New Artist:
(hold onto your hats)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=fvwp&v=17lpfvyWhhM
And FINALLY, take 7ish minutes out of your first day of Spring (you can do it tomorrow, or the day after....) and take a peek at this video. As it happens, my daring Chelsea and I are in the audience. I am fairly easy to spot. (UNDERSTATEMENT of the year) And Chelsea is pretty easy to spot, too. This is what she looked like on that great day, see if you can find her in the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nppb01xhfe0
Please forgive all the links. They look so official at first glance, but they will light you on fire if you open them. Esperanza is a gift to the world. Her devotion to music and innovation and smiling has already brightened the world.
I will share with you one more lovely thing about this day. I made one of my huge and epic salads and celebrated this Burst of Spring with the squirrels and seagulls down at CB (Christie's Beach, of course) and was met by my beautiful neighbors Tia and Karl as I walked back home.
So, my dear readers, I will let you go so we can all enjoy Springtime, wherever you are.
Sending lots of love,
Christie
Sunday, March 18, 2012
404 Days Later...
Hello!
In February 2011, I created this blog and posted my first teeny post (you can see it in the 2011 archive), ready to unleash my mind and heart in the form of a blog. I sent it to one person, my loyal daughter Chelsea, and had high hopes for many posts ahead. But the next day I started house repairs that lasted 7 weeks (even made videos of the whole process for my blog, but they still live only in my iPhoto library), one thing led to another, namely a very hectic year, and here I am, 404 days later, and today IS the day that this blog has been born.
Why today? On my walk this morning, I realized that I was afraid of doing this blog because I didn't want the whole wide world to go along for the ride while I figured out how exactly to blog. HOWEVER, a nice thought came to me. How about just starting really really small. Just do this post, send it only to those who love me unconditionally, and keep it at that for a while. So, that's what I'm going to do. You love me, that I know, and I would like to invite you on this little journey of mine.
Why I am doing this blog is very simple: I need someone to talk to. Sad (kinda darling actually) but true. I live in this lovely big house by the sea, have a couple people I see on a daily basis, but I spend 99% of my time by myself. Which bothers me. But it's not yet time to do anything about that, so I hope this little place "I Am So Excited About This Day" will be a place where I can simply share my life, and you can share back.
About a year and a half ago, I was dealt a blow in my personal life that I am glad to say was my rock bottom. I had dug myself into a pretty unhappy state and I knew I had to either come up from the trough or .... or .... well, there was no 'or'. Rock bottom is rock bottom. There's only one direction to take at that point, and that's what I decided to do. I remember that night very well. I sent a very cryptic email to my sister, daughter and a friend, saying basically that I needed to disconnect from everyone and I would see them all in the spring. Something like that. Then I wrote myself a big note and put it on my wall:
I woke up the next day and it was like waking up into a different world. In upcoming posts I will share with you some of the things that had been blocking my excitement for life - I don't need to cover all the bases in this first (well second) post. But the idea is this: look for things that are life-giving. Look for beauty. Be excited for the day I am in and tell people about it. Even terrible things, there is always something to share about life, the good and the bad.
So, that's it for now. Oh wait. Let me share one amazing thing that happened. I took my walk a little later than usual today - a huge storm blew through over the weekend and the ocean was just raging all night and the wind was enormous. So I snuggled in my comfy bed till around 8 (almost unheard of for me) and I'm glad I did. By the time I made it to the Cove, it was around 9:30 and the ocean was like a wild Irish Sea. PERFECT for St. Patty's Day weekend, but not perfect for swimming. Once at the cove, I spotted some of my swimming buddies and they told me that a few of our friends were out in the water. Get this, the FIFTY THREE DEGREES water, with huge, wild rollers blowing through, white caps out to the horizon. In former times (and hopefully again in my future) I loved swimming on days like these. But to stand on the shore and watch it was a new thing for me and I was astonished but the audacity of my pals. I snapped a couple shots of them in the water and once they landed safely back to the shore. Here's my very first share! (click on the photos to enlarge them)
This was the view of the wild ocean from my living room:
See if you can spot my friends' little heads to the bottom left of the photo:
Here's a zoomed-in shot:
Here's the group reaching the shore:
Christie
In February 2011, I created this blog and posted my first teeny post (you can see it in the 2011 archive), ready to unleash my mind and heart in the form of a blog. I sent it to one person, my loyal daughter Chelsea, and had high hopes for many posts ahead. But the next day I started house repairs that lasted 7 weeks (even made videos of the whole process for my blog, but they still live only in my iPhoto library), one thing led to another, namely a very hectic year, and here I am, 404 days later, and today IS the day that this blog has been born.
Why today? On my walk this morning, I realized that I was afraid of doing this blog because I didn't want the whole wide world to go along for the ride while I figured out how exactly to blog. HOWEVER, a nice thought came to me. How about just starting really really small. Just do this post, send it only to those who love me unconditionally, and keep it at that for a while. So, that's what I'm going to do. You love me, that I know, and I would like to invite you on this little journey of mine.
Why I am doing this blog is very simple: I need someone to talk to. Sad (kinda darling actually) but true. I live in this lovely big house by the sea, have a couple people I see on a daily basis, but I spend 99% of my time by myself. Which bothers me. But it's not yet time to do anything about that, so I hope this little place "I Am So Excited About This Day" will be a place where I can simply share my life, and you can share back.
About a year and a half ago, I was dealt a blow in my personal life that I am glad to say was my rock bottom. I had dug myself into a pretty unhappy state and I knew I had to either come up from the trough or .... or .... well, there was no 'or'. Rock bottom is rock bottom. There's only one direction to take at that point, and that's what I decided to do. I remember that night very well. I sent a very cryptic email to my sister, daughter and a friend, saying basically that I needed to disconnect from everyone and I would see them all in the spring. Something like that. Then I wrote myself a big note and put it on my wall:
I woke up the next day and it was like waking up into a different world. In upcoming posts I will share with you some of the things that had been blocking my excitement for life - I don't need to cover all the bases in this first (well second) post. But the idea is this: look for things that are life-giving. Look for beauty. Be excited for the day I am in and tell people about it. Even terrible things, there is always something to share about life, the good and the bad.
So, that's it for now. Oh wait. Let me share one amazing thing that happened. I took my walk a little later than usual today - a huge storm blew through over the weekend and the ocean was just raging all night and the wind was enormous. So I snuggled in my comfy bed till around 8 (almost unheard of for me) and I'm glad I did. By the time I made it to the Cove, it was around 9:30 and the ocean was like a wild Irish Sea. PERFECT for St. Patty's Day weekend, but not perfect for swimming. Once at the cove, I spotted some of my swimming buddies and they told me that a few of our friends were out in the water. Get this, the FIFTY THREE DEGREES water, with huge, wild rollers blowing through, white caps out to the horizon. In former times (and hopefully again in my future) I loved swimming on days like these. But to stand on the shore and watch it was a new thing for me and I was astonished but the audacity of my pals. I snapped a couple shots of them in the water and once they landed safely back to the shore. Here's my very first share! (click on the photos to enlarge them)
This was the view of the wild ocean from my living room:
See if you can spot my friends' little heads to the bottom left of the photo:
Here's a zoomed-in shot:
Here's the group reaching the shore:
My good friend Tom, who will swim through anything, without even a cap to keep his head warm:
It was a real treat to see these brave (crazy) friends of mine. I need to get back in the water. It's been toooooo long.
This day turned out to be a big day for me. By getting out of my head, by accepting the fact that I don't know how to blog, but can certainly figure it out if I just jump right in, I have begun something that I hope will bring a fresh impulse of creativity and vitality into my lovely life.
And then to top things off, a darling young woman I had the pleasure to work with this year, and who has become a dear friend, came by to drop off a necklace she made from a shell she picked up on our walk through Torrey Pines State Park a couple days ago. Her name is Sarah, she is 100% all things good, funny, human and beautiful, and she was so stunning in the setting sunlight, I had to snatch this shot, plus a shot of the necklace:
So, to end this post, I will use the same words I wrote at the end of that first day, a year and a half ago. I remember it so well. I went for a walk on the beach, it was night, and I could feel my heart opening up again. It was nice. I came home and looked at the sign I had written the night before, and added, in green oil pastel, "TURNED OUT TO BE BEST DAY EVER".
Thank you for reading. Please post any and all comments. Let's have this be an exchange!
Sending love....
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Hello, world!!
Dear you,
Sometimes it happens like this. You open your eyes in the morning, and something says, "Today's the Day." That's what happened to me this morning; as I woke up, I knew that today I would start my blog. So, before I think about it too much, let me put out this very first post, sent out into the world to share my life with people I might never ever meet. I like it!
My daughter, Chelsea Joy, told me I should start a blog, so I send this out to you, Chels, while you wrap up your two weeks in Hong Kong and head for your semester in Beijing. Thank you for telling me to do this. I miss you.
The first piece of my life I will share is a photo of a piece of paper that turned my life around. The story (...it's a good one...) of how it came to be will follow soon. For now, just the picture:
With that, I will sign off from this first post. Thank you for coming here.
With Love,
Christie Sunshine
Sometimes it happens like this. You open your eyes in the morning, and something says, "Today's the Day." That's what happened to me this morning; as I woke up, I knew that today I would start my blog. So, before I think about it too much, let me put out this very first post, sent out into the world to share my life with people I might never ever meet. I like it!
My daughter, Chelsea Joy, told me I should start a blog, so I send this out to you, Chels, while you wrap up your two weeks in Hong Kong and head for your semester in Beijing. Thank you for telling me to do this. I miss you.
The first piece of my life I will share is a photo of a piece of paper that turned my life around. The story (...it's a good one...) of how it came to be will follow soon. For now, just the picture:
With that, I will sign off from this first post. Thank you for coming here.
With Love,
Christie Sunshine
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