Jewish Musings, Sunday 10/9

[louise]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:

Angelika
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

[louise]

I’m continuing along in the vein Lee did so well last week – tis the season and I feel a few of us are struggling. Reframing, re-starting. re-directing. I have a major baking marathon ahead of me. Have assembled a group of 6 bakers and we are baking the desserts for our rabbi’s daughter’s bat mitzvah. Figuring 300 people; planning for 1000 pieces of dessert. Counting this weekend, I have 4 weekends. I know I need a plan. Friday Nov. 4 I have another group to do the plating with me.

I have talked about my fortress of fat and fortress of clutter – they go together for me. Wish I knew what I was protecting myself from in there. I need to get in control, but echoing Frieda recently – and others of you at different times – It seems I always fail at these things. Would like to get to Holly’s I “used to” fail at these things. I feel it’s time to dig myself out. I have a big kitchen but there is so much stuff around I need to clear a space just to put a bowl down on the counter.

I decided that tomorrow (Sunday) I’m going to clean up the kitchen – it’s mostly layers and layers of mail, papers I don’t know what to do with. I think I will allow myself one box or bag to put things into but everything else has to go. I want to defuse the situation. I’m just going to create a place that’s more conducive to baking. I like to bake so why have the handicap? I want to look at it as something nice I’m doing for myself.

Do you ever trip yourself up with a plan that’s more than you can actually do? Are you able to plan all kinds of other things but not your own WLJ? I’m a production director for living. I break big projects down into their parts and figure out what needs to be done and the sequence to proceed in. I kind of do the same thing in the synagogue for the HHD. But have a place at my kitchen table big enough to eat on? Can’t seem to do that.

I invite you to share things that trip you up, even when you have the skills, but something keeps you from it. Is it that there’s some payoff to keeping things the way they are?

[peachymom1]

Good morning! The payoff to keeping things the way they are, for me, is that I don't have to take action, I don't have to admit something needs changing, and I don't have to admit that I've been ignoring something I should have fixed already. Once I do shift gears and decide to take it on, though, there is a transition time when I feel vulnerable and uncertain, and that is the worst part of all. If I can get past that, I get to the part where I get busy with what needs doing and then feel a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. Even when I have the skills, though, what usually trips me up is fear, or lack of cooperation or support from someone else, which just breaks down my resolve and leaves me frustrated and angry for being weak. Ugh!

So Louise, I am going to float some positive thoughts your way about clearing off that table. It sounds like you have a good plan. With getting rid of paperwork, what works for me is the "OHIO principle" -- Only Handle It Once. Pick up that piece of mail and either pay the bill, shred the pre-approved credit card application, or toss that flyer into the recycling pile. Once you're all done, keep your table clear by following the same rule -- instead of putting something down on the table, put it away instead, or go right to your filing cabinet (or trash can or whatever) and put it away. This works for me. I wish I could get DH to do this, but alas...

The only thing that has really helped me as far as planning my WLJ is humility. I had to admit and accept that I was overweight and had to do something about it, since the situation was apparently not going to solve itself. And more recently, I have had to admit and accept that I got arrogant and gained back some weight because I had my head stuck in denial and refused to admit I was eating poorly and not taking of my body.

So I wish everyone strength and resolve in everything they're planning to do this year, whether small or large projects. And the courage to take charge and get going. Good luck!

[louise]

Peachy - how very well and thoughtfully said!
So what pile to paycheck stubs go in? Do I really need them?

[louise]

Kind of funny that I just heard a radio interview about messiness and creativity. Uh huh. Anyway, I didn't get where I had hoped to but I did throw out a ton of paper and there is a big improvement. I'm in the process of making choc mandel bread with wh choc chips and there is enough room on the counter to do this!. Thinking if they come out okay will drizzle the tops with the left over white choc (can't deal with an open bag of chips!)

[gazelle18]

Hi all,

Sorry I am here so late. I am preparing for a break fast on Wednesday. We have about 35 coming. Lots of work,but I do love hosting this annually.

Brings me to the subject of the day. I find it close to impossible for me to stay OP when I am baking, or prepping any sort of food I love. And I love Jewish soul food. We have blintzes (made from scratch,kugel, lots of desserts, and many many other goodies. Best I can do is resolve to put all of this behind me on Thursday, and to make sure I get rid of all leftovers ASAP!

I am definitely struggling right now in my WLJ. As Peachy mentioned, I am in denial that I need to make some changes right now!

[lee058]

Hi everybody. It's been a very busy day for me; lots of laundry, lots of dishes and pots and pans, phone calls, etc. I want to watch the "town hall" meeting between Hillary and Trump if I can stay awake long enough.

I had to laugh when I read about the messy table. Mine is half full of papers and half used for eating and food prep. I haven't tackled completely clearing off the excess papers for months. I've managed to get some of the unneeded stuff into the trash several times, but I haven't seen a completely clear table for a long time.

What keeps me from doing this and many other activities? I just always seem to have so much to do, especially now that DS is working again. I could do more if I organized my time better, though, I'm sure.

I'll check back before bed. Have a peaceful night, Lee

[hollygail]

Small steps. Sometimes infinitesimally small... But eventually, I get there. And by "eventually" I really do mean "eventually," not tomorrow, not next week, maybe it'll take a few years... One example: I decided more than 25 years ago that I wanted to learn how to chant Torah. Mind you, I could barely read Hebrew at the time. I can't tell you exactly how many years later one former student called me to ask if I'd read an aliyah at his bar mitzvah (his family had changed synagogues). I had to tell him I didn't know how. He said his mother could get me a tape recording of it from their cantor (yes, back in the days of cassette tapes). It worked. That was the first time I chanted Torah. A few years later, that same cantor offered a class for adults to learn how to chant Torah; I took her class (I also took one private lesson with her; we became friends later). And now, not only do I know how to chant Torah, but I am paid (currently by three different synagogues in three different movements) to teach other people how...