Beginnings....

So, I guess I should begin by explaining a little about how this blog idea came together and then share a little about my desires for the outcome of this endeavor!  It all began about 4 months ago when I decided it was time for me to take a long look at the person I was and the life I was living.  As a successful educator, 12 years on the job, I have spent countless hours mentoring and encouraging young people to overcome their issues and problems by seeking productive alternatives to such reactions as anger, frustration, guilt and fear.  Unfortunately, for most of my adult life, I personally allowed many of those exact emotions to control the person I was.  After a very emotionally charged day at work, I decided I did not want to spend another day of my life feeling drained and weakened by my own inability to control the emotions inside of me. I chose to take action and with the help of a dear friend and the support of my amazing wife I began seeing an incredible therapist. Now, for those of you reading this that know me and are currently gasping at the previous revelation, BREATHE...everything is OK! Choosing to seek help from someone who is not only clinically qualified, but who is also an incredible person is the best thing I have done for myself in a long time.  Thoreau once said that, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation," now while he may not have been referring to me personally, the life I was living was chock full of quiet desperation. Through therapy I have found a voice of reason within myself to handle the day-to-day grind that is LIFE! I am learning that "NO" is a great word and should be used liberally! I now have skills that assist me in coping with issues I can't control and ones that drive me to the brink of INSANITY! (Poor choice of words for someone in therapy...but you get the idea!) In recent conversations, my therapist and I have been tossing around strategies to assist in taking care of two issues that continue to frustrate me....

#1) MY WEIGHT: Yes, the 300 pound elephant in the room actually turned out to be ME! For the majority of my life I have struggled with weight issues and positive feelings about my physicality. I have yo-yo'd with the best diets on the market and have completed 3 applications for THE BIGGEST LOSER before ultimately trashing them and moving on to yet another love affair with some form of highly sweetened goodness! (Chocolate covered Peanut Butter is my true weakness. Seriously, you cover a rotting piece of carrion with PB & C and this guy will scarf it down like a buzzard who has given up road kill for Lent!) Finding a way to finally take charge and win the battle with my own personal "FAT PHANTOM" now ranks as Priority #1 on my most wanted list.

#2) MY NEED FOR PERSONAL ENLIGHTENMENT: Now, don't get me wrong, I love what I do for a living and I have truly been blessed with wonderful young people who have immeasurably made my life exponentially better, however, there comes a time when you begin to question if you are pushing yourself to the highest possible plane of existence.  I love what I do and I am good at it (said with humility and confidence), yet it seems that lately I have had moments when I feel like I need to challenge myself to do more and push myself to achieve even greater things!  Writing is something that I have always enjoyed doing and something that has both challenged and enlightened me throughout my life.  There have been many occasions that I have started the next "Great American Novel" only to watch it fade to black as quickly as it began.  Ideas have never been my problem, follow through and completion are the real enemies of my success.

....so in a stroke of true enlightened genius, I am speaking of my therapist of course, she thought it would be a great idea to combine the two issues and make my attack a full frontal assault.  Thus, the blog was born. My main desire in this blog is to maintain a written journal of my journey to recovery as a lifetime overeater.  I hope that by mixing a large dose of honesty with a smidgen of humor I will find the healing answer I need to eradicate from my life these two issues that can no longer rob me of my joy.  By creating a blog that is open to the public, I hope I will find many, who like me, walk this path of "quiet desperation" and will create a bond of kinship and support to see this journey to fruition.  I realize that along the way I may run into some detractors who will not choose to understand the journey I am taking and to them I simply say...STAY OFF THE BLOG...it is my life and I can do what I want!  

Well, that about sums up the introduction phase of this campaign. If you read this and find it intriguing, then become a follower and lets get down to business....I really will need as much help, support and accountability as I can get! One final thing before I christen this vessel and make this journey official....THIS IS ME, BUT NOT FOR LONG!

VULNERABILITY: The first step to recovery!

HONESTY: That which will set you free!

HUMILITY: The building block of success!