It only takes a word

For anyone new to Sparkpeople.com, it' one of the most amazing sites I've joined. It's a free community for those in need of help, support and encouragement on the road to weight loss. Each week, Sparkpeople highlight's a members blog entry for it's inspirational quality and sends it to all members. Today's email touched me to tears.

Slump-be-Gone
So, I'm yet to be the runner I aspire to be BUT I'm a better runner than I've ever been.
I don't have a flat tummy BUT I've discovered my collar bones.
I don't always order the healthiest thing on the menu BUT I no longer make my choices blind.
I'm not going to be on the cover of a magazine BUT I'm starting to think that maybe I look good in certain clothes.
I don't always roll out of bed and throw on my sneakers BUT my sneakers are not collecting dust.
I haven't developed an ego BUT I am proud! (From MCANIRLINH's Blog)

Her words, short and simple, speaks volumes to the kind of positive outlook I want to maintain as I continue forward. I think having a positive attitude is half the battle.

Thank you.

Awakened

Friday was July 4th – Independence Day. Growing up, I never called it Independence Day. It was simply the Fourth of July, a day I’d spend in the park with family and friends, playing, eating barbecue and celebrating a day off from school.

July 4th has never been about freedom or patriotism in my book. Instead, in some twisted way, if I allowed myself to think about the day’s meaning for too long, I’d only be reminded of how little independence I felt. Imagine that; I’ve lived in the land of opportunity, the land of the "free" all of my life, yet have felt much like a caged bird.

In so many ways, the day dedicated to commemorating America’s independence from Great Britain is symbolic of America's bondage — emotional, spiritual and psychological. Somewhere over the course of 200 plus years of “independence,” what little humanity we possessed, crumbled under the weight of materialism and the preoccupation with and consumption of things.

As I celebrated my Fourth of July at a music festival in Milwaukee, I wanted to be saddened by the pervasive lack of humility and self respect I witnessed, but then I remembered Alice Walker’s words. The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. Armed with these words and newfound conviction, I decided to claim the freedom that is rightfully mine. So this weekend, I celebrated Independence – my own.

I celebrated independence from the fear that my difference renders me small among the privileged.
I celebrated independence from the hurt that often leaves me silent in the face of adversity.
I celebrated my God, for being awesome, loving and forgiving at the height of my selfishness.
I looked around me at the faces of the unknown and I celebrated peace of mind because I no longer feel compelled to belong.

Freedom is mine this Independence Day