Author: Belinda O

It’s January 1st. Am I supposed to make resolutions?

I think I’ve failed every year when I’ve done this, but there are a few things I’d like to accomplish, so here goes:

Lose 10 pounds. I put this weight on about 3 or 4 years ago, and I’ve been vowing to lose it ever since. It hasn’t happened. But now I’m motivated. Will this motivation last? Probably not. But I’m going to lose the weight anyway.

Vacuum every Sunday. You laugh, but I have the hardest time doing this. It’s not that I don’t like vacuuming–I don’t mind it at all–it’s that it scares my cats so much, and I feel terrible about that. But it has to be done.

Write more. I have a novel I’ve been working on, and I have great resources for making it a decent read. In the last year I’ve had some back problems that make it difficult to sit for any length of time,  but those are pretty much resolved. I have a writer’s group that includes several published authors, and I have the means to take that writing class I’ve always wanted to take. So time to dive in.

There are plenty of other things I’d like to accomplish, but this is enough commitment for now. So here goes–2022. It sounds so new. Let’s hope this year we’re healthy, wealthy (relatively, anyway) and wise.

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Image Credits: Happy New Year© cienpies design–stock.adobe.com; Scale ©roberaten–stock.adobe.com, Vacuuming–©studiostoks–stock.adobe.com, Writer©retroclipart–stock.adobe.com

Merry Christmas to you and yours! Walter, Mimi and I all hope you’re having a blessed day.

Today is more than just the Christmas holiday for me. It marks seven years that I’ve been blogging. I’ve learned a lot about myself in these past seven years through this blog and the more than 500 posts I’ve written. While I used to be much more consistent about writing regularly–two or three times a week, generally–I’m still growing with the help of my pen and ink (okay, computer).

Many of you have been blogging buddies for years and I appreciate your friendship. Some of you are more recent followers and I’m grateful for you, as well–make new friends and keep the old, right? Blogging is a gift for all of us.

If you’re alone this Christmas day, take heart. So am I and so are millions of others. If you’re with family, I hope your time together is gracious and kind, as well as just plain fun. If this is the first Christmas you’re spending without a loved one, God bless you. I hope unexpected blessings fill your heart.

Wherever you are, whoever you’re with, Merry Christmas!

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Image credit: © Pasko Maksim–stock.adobe.com

I didn’t plan to celebrate all of these national observances, but this one caught my eye and I feel compelled to honor it. Whether it’s milk chocolate or dark you prefer, today is a day to just smile and give in.  Okay, I don’t want anyone to break their diet on my say-so. But for the rest of you chocolate lovers, go for it.

I’m celebrating a couple of other things as well. I saw my neurosurgeon today and found out that all of those compression fractures that put me in a brace have healed and there are no new fractures to report.

On Monday I start a new job, one that won’t require any lifting, which was what got me in trouble with my back to start with. I’m excited and nervous about this new job, which is natural, I suppose.

So I’m going down to that fancy chocolate shop today to get myself a small something and say, “things are looking up.”

 

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Image Credit: Box of chocolates © Nitr–stock.adobe.com

I feel I should add some balance to my post about Chocolate Cupcake Day of a few days ago. Today is National Apple Day, and I say for every cupcake we eat, we should chow down two apples. Actually, a healthy diet would probably have us eating an apple a day and a cupcake no more than once a week, but I know myself better than that.

Still, I’d like to eat a healthier diet. It’s difficult when you’re cooking for one, or even two, because few recipes cater to the single eater and you end up with a lot of leftovers. And no appetite for the food by the time you finish eating all of it. I’ve bought a pound of ground beef before and thrown out half of it because two burgers in a row is enough for me.

That’s a distinct waste of food and I’ve sworn I won’t do it again, but right now I’ve got a pound of chicken breasts in my freezer with no plan for how to prepare them. I originally planned to separate them all before freezing and pull them out one by one, but I forgot to do that and now they’re all frozen together.

It’s too easy to rely on frozen pizza or other frozen meals, but those stop tasting good after awhile. Today I ate totally unhealthy food all day long and now I’m paying for it. My stomach aches and my head just feels icky. Yet at the grocery stores in my area, there aren’t any deli options, such as salad or (really wishful thinking here) soup. In fact, there aren’t any delis that I know of in the area.

Yes, there are some restaurants that have relatively healthy food, but they’re some distance from my apartment and expensive to boot. I have a limited budget and eating out is a luxury.

So, sorry about griping. I truly do want to eat healthier food (without denying myself the occasional cupcake), but I struggle with finding such food that fits into my lifestyle.

It’s a dilemma many single people face, this inability to cook for one. If you have any suggestions, I’m open to ideas. In the meantime, let’s all enjoy the single-serving apple!

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Image credits: Basket of apples © voren1–stock.adobe.com, Row of apples © cooperr–stock.adobe.com

Today is National Chocolate Cupcake Day. This is an easy day to celebrate, and as far as I’m concerned, a belated celebration is also legit! So in case you’re reading this post past the actual holiday, I give you permission to eat a chocolate cupcake. Or two, if they’re of the mini-cupcake variety (if you’re like me it’s hard to stop with just two of those, so I’m going to be good and go to the bakery to get just one regular-sized cupcake).

We all need things to celebrate, and today I was looking for a holiday I could easily support. We have a great bakery nearby, and what do you know? They had a special on chocolate cupcakes. So I’m satisfied.

Image credits: Spider cupcakes (below) © azurita–stock.adobe.com, Regular cupcakes (above) © olyina–stock.adobe.com