Holiday Regrets?

Well, it's July 5th, so that can only mean one thing.... post-holiday regret.  Right?  The day after a holiday is always full of guilt from eating too much, indulging in food that shouldn't be eaten, and loathing oneself after throwing all the rules to the wind because it was a holiday - and the rules just don't apply on holidays.

But, I'm very happy to report that none of the above applies to me.  All that much.

I didn't wake up feeling guilty or remorseful or anything negative.

I woke up feeling refreshed, happy, and not the slightest bit regretful for anything I did or didn't do yesterday.

OK, so I'm not going to sit here and say that I ate nothing but salad all day... but I didn't super over indulge, either. I ate a hamburger.  I ate a hotdog.  I ate a piece of chicken.  I ate a couple of tiny ribs.  And that's it.  Spread out over the course of the day.... not all at one sitting.

And I'm sure someone is sitting behind their computer thinking "Holy Cow that woman ate a lot!".  But, compared to my usual holiday feasts?  I didn't do that bad.

I probably shouldn't have skipped breakfast, but I did.  And the food was cooked later in the afternoon, so I didn't actually start eating until then... going the entire day with no food in my stomach.  Stupid, I know, but when I've got so much going on and trying to make sure everything goes smoothly... my stomach becomes the last of my worries.

There wasn't much time for exercise between getting out of bed and my large family arriving.  I did sweep the floors and mop the kitchen floor.  I did some other pottering around cleaning stuff here and there, making sure there were enough clean towels and bedding before everyone arrived... and by the time I was done with that, I was actually dripping sweat.

I did get in to the pool a couple of times and swim as much as I could when there were so many people in the pool with me... but a little was better than nothing.

Besides, there was one rule I was going to break...to not worry about what rules I was breaking.  My plan wasn't about letting caution fly in the wind, but I wasn't going to stress over how much exercise I was getting or stressing over eating a hotdog AND a hamburger.  I knew what trouble I was getting myself in to if I ate way too much, so I just kept the thought dangling in my head... but I refused to put myself in to a situation where I'd wake up this morning beating myself up.

The day was all about having a good time and enjoying the company of my family... and that's exactly what it was.  OK, so I might have to do a few extra laps around the park to work off some of the food, but whatever.  I will do what I gotta do.

This morning, I found this picture that my sister had snapped of me...

I absolutely LOVE this photo.  It has that genuine look of happiness on my face that is very rarely captured in a photo.  The look on my face says it all... I was so happy to be in that very moment.  Plus, I don't think I look that bad, either.  Another rarity for recent photos of myself.

All in all, it was an absolutely fantastic day....and I enjoyed every single minute of it.  No regrets.  No guilt.  No remorse.

I know I probably have a long way to go to realizing that the attitude I have about yesterday isn't healthy... but my happiness is healthy.  I know I ate too much.  I know I didn't exercise enough.  I know I have a lot of work to do to undo the damage I did.  But, it's work that I'm willing to do.

Going to do.

Because I deserve that look on my face each and every day.  The look of pure happiness and content.  That's what it's all about.  I have had that look on my face a lot, lately.  After I finish yard work.  After I finish a long walk.  After I have played a game of Frisbee football or kickball.  I'm happier... I'm discovering new healthier things about myself... and one day of not playing by the rules won't disrupt any of that.

So, now the holiday is over... I can move on and get back to what I was doing.  Starting right now, actually.

Till next time!!