Progress is Good!

On a more positive note this morning ... I am noticably losing weight! Hooray! I haven't gotten a scale, yet ... not really willing to part with $40 for something that I am going to end up hating ... but there have been some very encouraging clues (ones I remember from the last time I dropped a significant amount of weight).

First, my bras are starting to fit properly again! So, yay! No having to go and restock for a larger size (which at this point would be E or DDD ... thanks, but DD is expensive enough).

Next, my pants are growing longer ... this was the major one for me when I was young and first living out on my own (mostly) ... my pants kept getting longer and longer (before the waistband got too big and I just had to buy new pants altogether).

Also, I have to actually wear my belt with my pants now, or they will fall down ... and, I have started wearing one hole smaller on my belt!

Yay, me!

--Phae

Divorced Life

In reading a thread in NFP today (This One if you're interested), I was struck by the number of people who chimed in with some varient of 'My religion/being Pagan doesn't influence my charity work/political views/views on community/etc'. I seem to remember reading a thread about this not too long ago (damned if I can remember where, tho).

It makes me wonder how common a view that is. Is it something inherant in Pagans to have their spirituality divorced from the rest of their lives? Do your beliefs not influence or impact your life outside the altar room?

For myself, I hold the spiritual beliefs I do because they are a part of who I am as a secular person. My religion isn't really something that I can think of as 'seperate' from my day to day life. There are some disconnects ... there are some situations where I don't feel comfortable being 'the real me', but I strive to integrate those times, and they are a lot less than they were.

I am me. Religious me ... Secular me ... it is all me. Thoughts?

--Phae

I will prolly X-post this to a couple of places.

Snagged Memeage ...

... from openhands

LJ Interests meme results

1. crafts:
   Being as I am a butterfly, I just *have* to try my hand at almost every craft and artistic discipline out there. I sew, crochet, knit, cross stitch, scrapbook, make candles, make jewelry, paint, sketch, build candle holders, make wreaths, etc etc etc ... too many interests, not enough time ~_^
2. faeries:
   Well, I guess that faeries are more a part of my cultural heritage than anything else. They are interwoven with my religious beliefs as much as just about anything else that comes from the old country. I don't really even know if it was a conscious choice to have an interest in them, they are the keepers of the Otherworld ... I guess I figured it would be rude to ignore their contribution to the spiritual realms.
3. folklore:
   I have found that there are more grains of truth in common folklore and superstition than in a lot of myths and legends. These are things that have been handed down through family and community lines from way way back. Folklore, I have found is where to look for traces of old time witchcraft.
4. hockey:
   Every true Canadian is interested in hockey. It's funny, because for the longest time, I really didn't care. I wanted my team to win, of course, but I didn't really watch it. We kept it in the background when we were reading or working on the computer (during hockey season there is little else to watch), and it just sort of grew on me. I learned the rules of the game from just listening, and now I find myself glued to the screen when the Canucks take the ice ~_^
5. magic:
   Magic is a part of my life. It is the way that I celebrate my faith. It is something that permeats everything that I do, from cleaning my house to going for a walk to cooking my (and my family's) meals.
6. occult:
   I have a passing interest in occult studies. It is more intellectual than anything else. Every once in a while I come across something that is relevant to my own path, but mostly, I just like to know things (and then there is the whole 'forbidden knowledge' aspect of it ~_^)
7. philosophy:
   While I usually prefer to spend my time worrying about practical everyday matters, I have often found myself waxing philosophic about society and humanity and life and death ... all that jazz. Thinking about human nature usually helps me come to terms with the vast difference in the ways that humans tend to behave. There is a saying that I think describes my views pretty accurately: "I love humanity, but I hate humans" :oP
8. sewing:
   When I was young, I was fairly poor. This meant that I couldn't afford to buy the sorts of clothes that I wanted. My mom was an accomplished seamstress (with youthful ambitions of becoming a fashion designer), so I naturally learned to make my own clothes. To this day, I cannot pass a fabric store without a peak inside at the new fabrics and patterns and notions ... and if there is a nickel in my pocket, you can bet that I will end up coming out with something ~_^
9. walking:
   This is my main method of locomotion (as I assume it is for most people). It is also my favorite method of exercise. I love going for walks, and just enjoying my neighborhood. I love looking at houses and yards, old buildings, window shopping at local businesses, or wandering through our lovely city parks. I often get teased that I walk too slowly, but I feel that it is more enjoyable to stroll through life than it is to rush to get somewhere ~_^
10. yoga:
    This is my second favorite form of exercise. I have tried others, but for some reason, I keep coming back to yoga. I am sure that I would stick with it if I had someone to do it with (my fiance was doing it with me for a while ... and I really enjoyed our yoga time together). There is something very beautiful about the flow of movement and breath.

Enter your LJ user name, and 10 interests will be selected from your interest list.