Good morning from my back deck. It is both lovely and sort of freezing. When I woke up this morning everything was sprinkled with a sugar coating of snow. But as the sun started to make its appearance so did spring and I couldn’t help myself but to absorb as much of it as I could.
Any other day I would be at school teaching kids. However, my schedule is weird due to standardized testing, so I ended up getting the morning off. The first thing I decided to do was take my neglected dog for a walk.
“I can’t wait! I think I need to run around the yard ten times. Wait… I SEE A BUNNY!”
Initially this was going to be a run and I’m one of those people who can’t workout without music. But when I stepped outside and heard the early morning sounds of spring I decided to go for a walk instead and just marinate in the moment.
It was beautiful…
Even the weeds in that trashy neighbor’s lawn were beautiful with the morning sun hitting the dandelions just the right way. (I would probably have a different perspective if they didn’t live five blocks away.)
It’s so nice to have a breather every now and then…
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about slimming down for the summer and I’ve decided to go about it the happy way. I keep trying to pressure myself into getting into hardcore shape up mode for summer. But when I do that it kind of defeats the point. The whole reason I want to live a healthy lifestyle is so that I feel good. If I’m so busy stressing out about numbers on a scale or counting calories or pinching my fat then I’m not really enjoying myself am I?
Where’s the happy in that?
Every summer I naturally tend to lose weight because I’m busy playing outside and plucking fresh foods out of my garden. It just sort of happens. Before I know it my legs are toned, my arms are tan and I’ve gotta permagrin on my face. So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to carve out time for myself during my hectic life to simply eat fresh food, play outside and celebrate the beauty of the mundane.
In spirit of this I’m not going to weigh myself again until school lets out and just wait and see what happens. As of today I weighed in at 197.8 pounds. My next weigh in will be on June 1st just to measure where I am because ultimately it doesn’t really matter. I’m going to be flaunting what I’ve got regardless. (If you happen to run into me at the pool… well, bless your little heart.)
In the mean time, here are a few recipes I’ve run into lately that I’m excited about trying…
Sesame Almond Butter Zucchini Noodle Bowls
Rainbow Power Salad with Roasted Chickpeas
14 Smoothies for an Instant Mood Boost
Have a great day! If you get a chance get outside and play!
Nina in the Now 
So, my first thought was, “Wait, SNOW?!” Once I got over the shock (it’s practically summer here already), I was able to enjoy the photos from your walk. Glad you got to enjoy the day! I love the thought of not worrying incessantly about weight, and just enjoying life.