Monday This and That

Sweet souls around us watch us still, press nearer to our side; into our thoughts, into our prayers, with gentle helpings glide.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Good morning, everyone.  Hope you all had a great weekend.  I know with the holiday right around the corner most of you were probably busy.  Did a little shopping myself on Friday.    Bought the following ornaments for the tree

My newest Christmas Angel.

And this Betty Boop for hubby.  Just couldn't resist either one of them.

Spent a lot of time reading.  Actually I am reading two books, one fiction, one non-fiction.  I've been reading "The Red Tent".  The book is great.  Although there are a few changes, from what I've read so far follows pretty much along the lines of the mini series...only in far more detail.  The non-fiction book I am reading, or should I say re-reading, is called "Eating by the Light of the Moon" by Dr. Anita Johnson.  The book itself teaches women free themselves of disordered eating habits with the use of folk stories/bedtime stories. Love all the wisdom that is found in this book.

From the back cover....

Weaving a rich tapestry of multicultural myths, ancient legends, and simple folktales, Anita Johnston teaches women how to free themselves from disordered eating by discovering the metaphors that are hidden in their own life stories.

"Storytellers speak in the language of myth and metaphor," Johnston explains. "They tell us a truth that is not literal, but symbolic. If we hear the stories with only the outer ear, they can seem absurd and untrue, but when listened to with the inner ear, they convey a truth that can be understood and absorbed on a deeply personal level. In this way, stories help us connect with our inner world, to the natural rhythms and cycles of the earth, and to the power of our intuitive wisdom."

In addition to being immensely enjoyable reading, Eating in the Light of the Moon is filled with practical exercises and profound insights. Twenty chapters explore different themes of self-discovery and empowerment on core issues such as:

Intuition: The Inner Seeing, Hearing, Knowing
Symbolism: Hunger as a Metaphor
Feelings: Gifts from the Heart
Moontime: Reclaiming the Body's Wisdom
Dreamtime: The Journey Within
Sexuality: Embracing the Feminine
Recovery: Out of the Labyrinth

I am not bulimic nor anorexic. but I do have a problem with compulsive eating.  It took me awhile to admit it to myself, but all the telltale signs are there.  If left to my own devices I'll eat even if I am not hungry.  Food is always on my mind.  I often said it was stopping smoking that did it, but the extra 83 pounds I gained in a matter of only a few years tells me it goes deeper than that.  

In fact, when I look back on it, I've always had a thing for food.  Even as a little girl, I'd find myself eating two or three peanut butter sandwiches only a few short hours after dinner.  When hubby got sick years ago, I found comfort in eating huge ice cream sundaes every night.  But I never put on weight.  Guess until recent years I had good metabolism. 

I know now that having an overactive thyroid makes one hungry so perhaps that's what is hitting me now.  I can't get enough to eat.  I fight it, of course, but it's no fun being hungry all the time especially when you know that you are eating enough.  My thyroid levels were normal during my last blood test so my endo took me off the methimazole to see if I remained in remission.  I had my blood drawn on Wednesday and see her this morning.  I sure hope I am still in remission.  The next step would be the radioactive pill to kill my thyroid and then medication for the rest of my life.  Please keep your fingers crossed for me.

Well, that's about it folks.  I've a long bus ride ahead of me so I'd best be getting a move on.  Talk to you all tomorrow.