Tuesday, April 26, 2011

A Recruitment Letter of Sorts

Hi.

I need your help. Let me rephrase that, I desperately require your assistance. I am in the need of your aid.

I have found myself alone, powerless, lost and literally swallowed whole by my excess weight. I don't feel like myself. I feel depressed. I feel humiliated. I am scrapping the bottom of my willpower barrel. I may go so far as to say that I have no willpower left, I am most definitely in a slump. A slump that I like to refer to as "my twenties." Now, those of you who know me well know that I've been through a lot since I first turned 20 years old, and I'm sure more of that will be examined here through the next several months, but what I want to make absolutely clear here is that I refuse, flat out refuse to waste another decade of my life, year of my life, month of my life, day of my life in this state of unhappiness. I am in the process of un-slumping myself. And as my friend Dr. Seuss likes to say, "when you're in a a Slump, you're not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done."

Short of joining Overeaters Anonymous (I almost did) or paying for a support system through Weight Watchers (which I also almost did) I decided to customize my own program and utilize the support system I already have in place, you my family and friends. This means coming clean, exposing myself in a way that is both excruciatingly embarrassing and at the same time extremely liberating. I am terrified. I'm scared that no one will read this, I'm scared that everyone will read it. I'm afraid that when you read it you might just roll your eyes or make fun of me. I'm terrified that even once exposing myself that I'll still feel alone, powerless and lost. I fear that no one will celebrate with me or help keep me accountable. Make no mistake, this is a weightloss blog, if that just ain't your cup of tea, I get it. Please only continue to read this if you can join me in my weightloss journey and help me in positive, productive loving ways. I have enough negativity to combat already, I don't need more. My hope is that this space will be a place for me to come say what I need to say - lay out my goals and my plans to achieve them, document my progress, learn from what I do and what I leave undone. My hope is that this will also be a place that you will come to check in on me. I hope that you will share with me - your thoughts, words of encouragement and stories of your own.

I have a hope that I am not nearly as alone, powerless and as lost as I feel.

If my letter of recruitment has moved you (meaning my propaganda was effective, ah ha!) please join as a follower of my blog. Doing so is easy, simply click on the FOLLOW tab to the right and follow the instructions. Let me know if you have difficulties, I'll try to help. I'm not sure how often I plan to post on here, my minimum is once a week, maybe more. We'll see. I am just so thankful for your help.

"And will you succeed?
Yes! You will indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!


So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So... get on your way!"

- Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss

6 comments:

  1. what an amazing and beautiful lady you are! so proud of you that you are taking charge. glad to be on the journey with you. i actually read an article a few weeks ago about a lady who also made a "dieting blog" or of that sort and was totally successful. i am behind you 110%! wish you lived closer so i could be there to help you get out of the slump on those bad days. luv you! xx judy
    btw, love the photo collage.... so cute!

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  2. Danielle I am totally here for you!! What a great idea-I am so impressed! Anytime we feel powerless over something in our lives the only way out of that is through leaning on God and the support of our families and friends. I feel honored to go on this journey with you! xo

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  3. Sissy, you are the best! I'm in awe of your bravery. I feel blessed to have you in my life and have you as a sister. Thank you for including me in your journey, you inspire me. =) Love you

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  4. Elley,

    I have given names to all the pictures on your logo. They are as follows:

    (l to r, starting with top row)
    1) Sad Elley
    2) Paranoid Elley
    3) "There's a new episode of Parenthood on tonight!" Elley
    4) Happy Elley
    5) "I'm doing NASA training in a human centrifuge" Elley
    6) Amorous Elley
    7) "Adam, you're wearing black socks with brown pants" Elley
    8) "Feminine Mystique" Elley (incidentally, my favorite)

    I'm so proud of you! The bravest thing I've done today is venture out in 405 traffic this morning. In my defense, I made several valiant lane changes. Love you -- see you in three hours!

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  5. Danielle,
    You're such an amazing woman! I would, also, be honored to be part of this journey with you. Being part of a loving, supportive community is vital to our mental, emotional and spiritual health. We can't go it alone. I want you to know you have that. We are here for you. Thank you for your honest sharing and don't be afraid to reach out when you need a hand!

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    ReplyDelete