Thoughts from the Happy Fat Guy

Another year has come and gone. 2009 will soon be in the past and 2010 is a fresh, new thought that is upon us. As such, I believe it is time for this blogger to come up with a list of resolutions for the year 2010. Now, if you believe the current Hollywood trend, this is an exercise in futility since in only two more years the world is going to end anyway. But for the sake of argument, let’s just assume the Mayan calendar was mistaken.

1. The first and most important resolution, I will make no more resolutions! Resolutions are crap, plan and simple. If this change was important enough for a resolution, it was important enough to start today, not only on the first of the year. As many of us have realized, resolutions are just countdowns to failure. So, no more resolutions.
2. As much as I may disagree with the political climate of our country right now, there are two things our Commander in Chief has said that I agree with. Now is a time for change, and Yes We Can! Each of us has change that we must face in the upcoming year and it’s about time that we had the courage to face this needed change with the fight and resolve needed to conquer it.
3. One change that can have a huge affect on us is stopping the restaurants, take-out, and drive-thrus. Understand that the value meal is the enemy! How many healthy options can there really be on a menu that could not exist without grease, and a lot of it? How many of you ever have leftover's when you hit the drive-thru?
4. That leads directly to this point, cook at home! I know all the excuses, I don’t have time, I have to get the kids to soccer (not sure why those words should ever be uttered anyway), I get home from work too late. I have used all of these excuses, except the soccer one. Here are the facts though. It costs less to cook a meal at home. It does not have to take three hours to do it. There are cook books and magazines that specialize in recipes that taste good, are healthy, use fewer than five ingredients, and take less than a half an hour to prepare. I know this for a fact because I have spent the last year putting together two 3-inch binders full of just these types of recipes. The added bonus to cooking at home is leftovers. After this surgery, I still cook many of the same meals as before. The difference is that after we are done, I am able to make a plate for me and Mary for the next day at work. Now, I don’t have to worry about making a lunch, I know it’s healthy, and I know it wasn’t served in a bag.
5. Make a choice to move. No matter how much or how little, just begin to move. Start simple; take the stairs at work, not the elevator. Walk around the block. Wrestle with your kids. Just do something, because doing nothing is what got us where we are now.
6. Lastly, ask for help. I know that one of the easiest things to do is keep all of this stuff inside. Suffer in silence and put on a happy face for everyone. That approach does not work. You may not believe it from this blog, but I am an extremely introverted person. I find reaching out to others very trying and stressful. But as I have begun to do so, I am finding strength in places I never had before. Find someone to talk to, to share your experience and struggles with. If you aren’t sure where to start, might I suggest starting with me? I am no professional and I certainly don’t have all the answers. But I do have a good ear and I am intimately familiar with the struggles many of you are going through. I do not work for the hospital, so I can say that whatever is shared with me will stay with me.

2010 can be a new and exciting year. Full of change and new experiences. Or it can simply be a repeat of the many years before. If you continue down the same road, if you make resolutions that end within a month or two of beginning, guess what the result will be at the end of 2010, same old you. It was once said that, “foolishness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”. This last year I have been blessed to experience many things I never thought I would again. Buying clothes from a “normal” store. Taking my children on rides and roller coasters. Running over a mile and not stopping. Exercising self-control at the Golden Corral. Losing 125lbs. There have been many great experiences for me. There have also been some tremendous stumbling blocks. I have screwed up about as much as you can in some ways. I have had the crap scared out of me at the hospital. But here I am still standing. And most importantly, fighting back and not giving up. Whatever you do in 2010, do NOT give up.

We call this the season of giving. That’s the traditional line. Yet, the only thing I see on “Black Friday” is people giving mean looks and  black eyes. A lot. The season of giving seems to lose its meaning among so many things that are going on this time of year. I truly believe that most of us have the best of intentions, but it’s hard not to get caught up in everything else.

Think of it this way, what is your earliest memory of Christmas? For most of us it would be a first trip to see Santa Claus. Now, I have nothing against this man, quite the contrary. I admire his dedication and steadfastness. But to this day, his first question to all children has remained the same. “So little {fill in the name}, what would YOU like for Christmas this year? Yet, if this is the primary focus we teach our children from the earliest of ages, shouldn’t this be called, “The Season of Wanting”?

At the Breakfast with Santa I attended today, I saw plenty of examples of children beaming with their wishes to Santa, my own included. But one child stood out among all. She didn’t have the prettiest dress (although it was quite beautiful), she didn’t have the most perfect smile, (although it sure was pretty to see), but she had the most pure heart I saw. How could I see this you may ask? She was the child that approached Santa and his helper not with a wish, but with a present, for them. She took the time to make a wonderful bracelet that she gave to Santa’s helper.

This was not just any child either. This was very young child who over the last few years has experienced pain and loss that most of us can’t even imagine. A child who has displayed the heart and fight in the face of great adversity that we can all be proud of. Facing the battles that she does on a daily basis, it would be easy for her to walk up to Santa and ask for any number of things, not the least of which could be her health. It would be even easier for her to loose faith completely and ask Santa for nothing assuming that he does not respond to her wishes anyway.

Instead, she thought of giving. She took it upon herself to create a special present for someone who spends their time giving presents to others. This may be the most special bracelet I have ever seen given to another. In one single action, this little girl showed all of us that this truly is the Season of Giving.

A Child was given to all of us many years ago as the Ultimate Gift. He came bearing the gift of grace, forgiveness, and, most importantly, relationship with the One who created us. This child was born with one simple goal in mind. To one day fulfill a promise made to each us. There is a reason this is known as the Season of Giving.

The question is what do we do now? Simple, we follow this little girl’s example and give. Maybe it’s just giving at the red buckets we see. It could be giving your time at a nursing home. Spend some time at Children’s Hospital this year; there is always a need for volunteers, especially this time of year. Another wonderful cause I have stumbled upon is to help provide gifts to the families of our serving military. Go to:

http://www.klove.com/Ministry/FeaturedPartner.aspx

for additional information on the Be Brave This Christmas cause. It’s simple to do and will change the lives of many. But if this interests you, be quick about it. The program only runs from December 12 – 18, 2009. There are so many other wonderful ways to give this Christmas. Of our time, of our money, of ourselves. Let’s all make a commitment to let the spirit of this child’s giving spirit flow through us not only this Christmas, but if we are fortunate, every day.