The Land of Beginning Again*

Not many individuals are privileged as much as I to be allowed the opportunity to "Begin Again". et here I am, back home in Olathe with Betsy and her dog Lexi, trying to relive my life and finding that the new me has wonderful changes and new challenges to face. New challenges that are arising from all of this journey include…insomnia, budgeting what clothes do I really need for teaching and various adventures for the next month, a body that wants desperately to get back to the gym…but a bum knee and extreme heat making the journey very difficult. One of the new changes that I have is shopping for new clothes! Yes! And yet at the same time…NO!!! This will be about the 7^th or 8^th entire wardrobe overhaul that I have done in the past 5 years…while I do adore getting new items, new items come with a cost. In spite of that, I am loving the new me! I do not have a massive overhang of skin on my belly anymore, and my arms do not wave at people after I ceased the action. Praise the Lord for the lovely ladies at Dillard's, Mary and Carol who helped me get the new compression items I need…yes, I am currently sleeping in compression bras and spanx in 103 degree weather…and to clearance sales around the city that I am hitting up to jump start the journey.

With starting anew, one thing that I have been focusing on after doing some reading during recovery is not to mindlessly eat. When I did Weight Watchers, I "tracked" my points each day and ate even when I was not necessarily hungry because I had the points to do it. Betsy was wise enough to point this out to my one day. She noted that I might be eating even though I was not hungry simply because I could, not because I was truly hungry. This paired with the books, Made to Crave, Mindless Eating in addition to the Omnivore'sDilemma as well as In Defense of Food has caused me to do some serious reflection (which I am an expert at) on the new Erin Meyer and the eating habits and actions to face while I am unable to exercise and ease my body back into a routine. (I have a tendency to really push myself too much.) One of the focuses for the new self is to eat when I am truly hungry and stop when I am satisfied or full, not going to seconds unless I was at a buffet and did a "tasting" round before, and making sure to eat more organically as well as local farm products. Below is my Aunt Margie's Super Skinny South Beach Salad…amazing stuff!

I would love to admit that I am a master at health and know all there is on the topic, but I do not. So to further improve my knowledge for the health of my body, budget and local community I am making an effort to stop at the roadside farm stand and spend the $3 lb. on some produce even when I know it is cheaper at the Hy-Vee. Why? That is wasteful one my ask…that depends on your view of wasteful and unwise. In the long run, I am making more of an impact by helping our local economy through local farmer who is working to sustain the environment by growing and selling his own foods. Not that I am cutting out going to the store. I still love Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Hy-Vee's health market. I am just trying to support the local community through local farms in my neighborhood. It is a little thing, may cost me more, but I know that I am making a difference. The KC community has done the same with me…buying cookbooks from a local girl rather than going online and printing something or heading to the nearest Border's Books store liquidation sales event. I am deeply touched with the turnout at Hy-Vee on July 16 and am very excited to go to Prairie Life in Overland Park on August 4 from 5-8 PM for the Shoppin' for Joplin event!

Another area of beginning again is my attendance at Lenexa Baptist Church. I went there last summer and again at the start of this past summer and very much was challenged by the sermon an d left excited for the week ahead in my faith. I hate to admit that for a woman who went to parochial school my entire life, that getting me fired up can take a great deal, but some days it seems like 13 years of Christian school coupled with chapel services once a week, youth groups, vacation Bible school, Jesus camps, etc…that getting my passion back for what should have never waned in the first place does take some cultivation. Yet, here I am excited to leave the sanctuary on Sunday and go and start up my journey again in the challenge of refining my being as more for Christ. My brother Sam was very instrumental in helping my find what I was looking for in a church, asking thoughtful questions to get to the root cause of what was making me skittish. Once that root was identified, he helped me replant and cultivate what I should really be searching for rather than keeping something I liked at arm's length because I was uncomfortable with a piece of it. Amazing how I do this, keep things at bay that make me nervous.

In keeping with beginning again, the school year will be starting in less than a week for me as an educator. Hard to believe that the journey with a new group of students is rapidly approaching with them coming in two weeks time; I am not over missing my last flock of sheep, and another fold is being shepherded into my classroom in a mere thirteen days. How time quickly leaves its mark and then dashes away.

Additions to the Meyer family are also coming along in the next two weeks, my tenderhearted cousin Steven his getting ready to marry his best friend, Tiffany Lynn. I am very excited to welcome Tiffany into the family; she is getting a pretty sweet deal if I do say so myself…I think the Meyer Clan is a bunch of fun. Below are some of the photos from the bachelorette party.

Aunt Margie's Super Model Skinny South Beach Salad

This salad gets better the longer it sits in the dressing. Make the night before and let the herbs in the dressing work their natural magic in the fresh vegetables. My Aunt Margie makes this great salad at every Graham family party. It is a family favorite….as Tevya from Fiddler on the Roof would say…Tradition! Tradition!

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of broccoli - cut into bite size florets


• 1 head of cauliflower – cut into bite size florets


• 1 can of black olives – drained and rinsed


• ½ bag of carrots – cut into bite sizes


• 1 bunch of scallions – chopped fine

Dressing

• 1 package of Good Seasons Dry Italian or Zesty Italian Dressing


• 1 bottle of Italian Dressing – Margie uses the Kraft South Beach due to the high olive oil content, feel free to use any light or fat free kind.

Procedure

• In a very large bowl with a lid, combine all of the rinsed and chopped vegetables.


• Sprinkle the Good Seasons dry dressing over the vegetables and toss.


• Pour the bottle of light Italian dressing over the salad.


• Gently toss the vegetables and let chill for at least 8 hours.

Whole white mushrooms or baby bellas quartered would also be a fun addition.

*There is a poem by Lolita Hiroshi by this very title in case you're interested in reading it.