Oh, The Games We Play
I was sitting in my office mid-December, preparing to meet with a client. At one point, I just sat back in my desk chair and looked around. It’s an old filling station from 1925 and it sits on Route 66 in my hometown.
I love my office! Let me show you around.
There are 3 different areas in my space.
The place where I meet with clients is a bit like a Living Room: a couch, 2 chairs, a table, a bookshelf and 2 huge windows. There is also an old sideboard, painted a green-blue (super cool) where I store things. A little alcove holds my desk and chair.
Beyond a massive door is my classroom where, pre-Covid, I taught classes and held groups (women are more inclined to attend Zoom classes now). And beyond this space is a semi-private area for my fridge, microwave and storage.
Meeting with women in this charming spot makes me so happy. But the charm isn’t its best feature in winter. What I like best is that it’s warm! Let me explain. For years my husband and I have tried to be the last holdouts to turn our heat on. For many years I competed with my youngest sister to see who would turn it on first. Even if my husband wanted it on, like everyone else in our lives, I would beg him not to. “Put a sweater on,” as my mom used to say. “Get a blanket. You’ll be fine.” To be fair (he’s not a wimp), we live in Illinois. It gets COLD. What a good guy. He humors me in these sorts of things. (But I know he’s rolling his eyes at the same time.) One year it was probably the 2nd week of December, and I was freezing. “Hey hon, think we can turn the heat on?” His reply, “I thought we (meaning “you”) were competing.” Oops, I forgot to tell him we won….like…a couple of weeks earlier.
Even when the competition is over, we tend to keep the heat set around 65, except when the kids come home. The poor dears probably think we’re struggling financially, so to allay any fears, we turn it up. Besides, if we kept it at 65, they wouldn’t stay long!
OK, back to my office. If I get a chill and just can’t warm up at home, I sneak over to “my space,” put on a little coffee and warm up. Shhh….that’s our secret.
As a kid, I was always cold. When I went through menopause, I was always hot. While I’m long beyond that stage, I still run warm. Even with the heat at 65 degrees, I sleep with a box fan blowing on me. We are ever changing creatures, aren’t we? When I was younger, I used to get caught up in the “what ifs.” Today I’m more inclined to go with the flow. I believe women probably make the most trouble for themselves in their own heads, struggling with things like-
Self-doubt
Age-old insecurities
Irritability
Stubbornness
Fear
Catastrophic thinking
Superiority
Inferiority
A controlling nature
A critical nature
Living with “what if…”
Wallowing in the habit of being grumpy
Thinking you know what others are thinking
Worry….
Here’s my best Coach advice: Stop it! (Have you ever watched the old Bob Newhart bit on this? It’s called STOP IT! Look it up! Some may find it a bit irreverent, but I think it’s hilarious!) You gotta love Bob Newhart.
(And you old timers to this publication know that this fits my sense of humor).
Ok maybe “stop it” is a bit too simplistic. How about this:
My dear, and I say this from deep within me, you are uniquely you. There are things in you and about you that only you bring to this world. You are far more lovely than you think you are. For too long you have underestimated your value. What are you hiding from? What are hiding within? The world is waiting for you to step into it with both feet. We won’t be the same without you. Today, won’t you smile more, laugh more and cry if you must?
Will you let go of the anger and judgement, the insecurity and control, the superiority and self-doubt, the what ifs and the worry? Would today be the day you lay down this form of you that you have presented to the world and take up the amazing woman you are? Because we can’t wait to meet you!
I am here for you if you would like to explore some of these things. There’s so much more to losing weight than just losing weight.
Head over to my website and fill out the contact form. If you haven’t done it before, you have a FREE one-hour assessment! Take advantage of it.
Let’s talk soon.
And take good care of you!
Renee