Content vs Content

• Content (n.)  - published information. 

• Content (adj.) - a state of being.

I have chosen to call this blog "My Healthy Content" and I would like to take a moment to explain. My life has not always been easy. In fact, it has mostly been uneasy. Uneasy as the middle child in a large home. Uneasy as the little girl whose father left his family for a younger woman. Uneasy as the awkward child who never felt like she fit in. Uneasy as the young woman who spent far too much time attempting to please everyone. Uneasy as the unhappy wife in an empty marriage that dragged on for 10 years. Uneasy as the defeated puppet that was expected to be whatever he demanded, while he was off living a double life. Amongst the uneasy, there HAS been easy. Easy to do the right thing. Easy to be honest. Easy to put them first. Easy to go unnoticed...

Then there are the things that come natural to us, but aren't always easy. The smile. It is an automatic response. When it happens naturally, it is unstoppable and no contemplation is necessary. I adore the way a smile has the ability to catch us off guard. It is a moment of sheer, unpolluted happiness. On the contrary, to smile in the midst of pain just magnifies what it is we are smiling in spite of. Love. Love is supposed to come naturally, but it is not always easy. Perhaps easier TO love than to BE loved. Loving someone has very little to do with the emotions you feel. Loving someone is having the desire for their absolute best interests and happiness....and then fiercely putting into action the dedication necessary to ensuring those interests are nurtured and protected. Allowing yourself to be loved can make you feel uneasy. Why we grow up with notion that we have to earn the love, or that there are things we need to do in order to deserve the love is beyond me. The grandest of destinations in this life is when we arrive at a place where we open up and allow ourselves to be loved. Nothing trumps love. 

So we are now on this journey together (I guess). You are here, I am here. Maybe you have had experiences similar to mine. Perhaps you can relate to "uneasy".  (I actually hope that you can.) What I want to show you is that you really can make significant changes in your life by choosing to look at yourself, and your life, differently. I desire for you to feel healthy, strong, confident and loved. I want to reassure you that no matter what your past habits look like, today is always the best day to start over. Sometimes it just takes a tiny leap of faith to cause something magnificent to unfold. The majority of the time it is the things that have made us so uneasy that drive us towards that leap. My past is what drives me to seek a state of being content and I use healthy choices to get there. Whether it is making wise meal choices to fuel my body or by using exercise to relieve stress and let go of what I cannot control. For some of you, exercise and diet may be as painful & unnatural as a forced smile (probably worse) and that is ok. My advice? Hang in there. Nothing worth having has a short-cut and it certainly cannot be obtained overnight.
I believe that if we want to reach our destination together, it is going to require two things of us (and this is where the content vs. content will come in). There is no denying that we need content (n.). My desire is to share with you useful information that I am willing to stand behind. I will do my best to encourage and support you using experiences that I have found to be helpful. Now think about the word content (adj.). This is where it gets tricky. If you think about it, I'm sure you have a goal. I know people who are discontent until they reach that goal. I do not believe in that. I passionately believe that we are called to be content in all things, at all times. You do not have to lose 20 lbs. before you qualify. Do you want to lose 20 pounds? Great! Start today by portioning your dinner and taking a walk outside after the meal is over. Then close your eyes, be thankful for the opportunity at a new beginning, and be content. 

I sit here now, taking a deep breath, and taking a leap of faith that this will be a place you can come to find your healthy content (n.), as well as your healthy content (adj.). It's a good place to be (and this is a great place to start). 

This week I will begin posting (fingers crossed) on a daily basis. I'm new to this blogging thing, but am brainstorming daily themes and ideas. Be patient and stay tuned. (Oh, and....welcome.)

xoxo

kara