Friday Roundup

 Live in rooms full of light
Avoid heavy food
Be moderate in the drinking of wine
Take massage, baths, exercise, and gymnastics
Fight insomnia with gentle rocking or the sound of running water
Change surroundings and take long journeys
Strictly avoid frightening ideas
Indulge in cheerful conversation and amusements
Listen to music.

A. Cornelius Celsus

Good morning, everyone.  Another weekend has ended, and what a week it was.  I end this week feeling good about myself...which is always a good way to start the weekend.  I am making some positive changes in my life.

To begin with, I have become a bit disillusioned with the senior center I have been attending.  Their current activity list is next to nothing, and I am tired of playing bingo for an hour every morning and then sitting around chatting for the next hour.  The woman's group has become so boring that I no longer want to attend.  The food, once delicious, is now bland and is either served overcooked or undercooked.  It has been busy this month, but that is because lunch has been a quarter.  Next week, when prices go up, many faces will be noticeably missing.

One of the interns did start an art group on Wednesday.  Actually, the center didn't invest anything in it.  The intern purchased all of the colored pencils and stencils to color in.  I really enjoyed this group.

And the regulars there have gotten so used to the place that they don't realizes that there is something better out there.  Whenever I mention that I wish they'd have more activities, they respond. "Oh, we have more to do here than anyplace else."  And someone like me, newly retired, believes them...until someone comes along and opens up my eyes that there is so much more out there.  So, after attending my first Weight Watcher's meeting, I walked over to the senior center located nearby and found myself immediately enamored and anxious to attend.

A typical Monday at the center I attend is bingo, playing cards, or dancing in the morning. At 11 it is either a boring group, playing cards, dancing, or watching 'The Price is Right'.  Such exciting activities.  I never stay in the afternoon because it is the same thing every day...dancing or playing cards. A Monday schedule in the new place includes strength and flexibility, arthritis exercises, and art class...which includes 'beginning acrylic painting'.  On other days they offer wellness group, jewelry making, board games, health presentations, etc.  And the food?  How does stir fry beef or jerk chicken sound to you?

In all fairness to the center, a lot of the lack of activities has to do with the people who attend.  They'd rather play cards or dance all day.  On the few times they brought in an outside nutritionist to teach us about eating for high blood pressure, they played cards and chatted away while she was trying to teach.  Only a small handful of us, and I mean small, paid attention to what she was saying.  The others were so totally rude.  

Speaking of food, I absolutely LOVED Weight Watchers and cannot wait for the next meeting.  I realized once the meeting began that I cannot do this alone.  Food has definitely become an addiction for me.  In fact, I couldn't stop the tears when I got on the scale.  223 pounds. No wonder I lose my breath and have problems putting my socks on.

This was dinner last night.  I made some chicken in a low sodium red sauce  and filled my plate with salad.  I'll have to let the rice and beans go until I get some of this weight off.

So, there you have it.  I'd say this was a good week for me, and when I raised my hand in the meeting and said, "Hi, my name is Mary and this is my first time here. I came because it is time to take control of my life," followed by the applause, I knew I had made some right decisions.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.  See you on Monday.