Thursday, May 13, 2010

Coming to the end; starting at the beginning...

This most recent group of blog posts were begun to help me both document and cope with this recent flare-up and its treatment. Since that particular aspect is coming to close, I thought that I might reflect a bit on what's happened.

The timing of those posts also coincided with a decision on my part to to make use of the many resources available on SparkPeople.com and to involve myself more in the community there, which is definitely a major resource.

As I wrote about my own experiences and responded to comments, I clarified and expanded my own thinking and perception.

As I read other members' blogs and pages and wrote comments, reaching out in recognition and support; reflecting upon the thoughts they expressed; I was able to see our common concerns and struggles and put my experiences (and those of others) in perspective in yet another way. I was frequently touched.

So, while I was blogging about an MS exacerbation, medication and side effects and attempting to avoid having my weight management efforts derailed by those things, I was also letting myself be known and sharing my perspectives on my life. Other members' expressions of support validated my experience and concerns and gave me further issues to ponder. I was able to get back to exercise as soon as I could (probably sooner than I might have if I hadn't been using the site).

I'm now trying to figure a way to make sure that I continue what I began once the urgency of this particular set of circumstances is ended. I'd like to expand on what I've begun.

One of my tendencies in the past has been to get caught up in the everyday, and then,before I know it, it's weeks or months between posts...

On the subject of food, I've been devouring a package of arugula for the past couple of days, as salad and sandwich ingredient. Tonight there was some left and I wanted to use it, as well as some parsley and basil, before it was past its prime; so I made pesto and served it with whole wheat pasta. Most of the time I only make it with a single green ingredient, basil or arugula. I was quite pleased with the "multiversion".

I also made a relatively low calorie bread puddings, with 1% milk that came out very well. We had it for dessert tonight and it will be available for a couple of more days.

Below is a photo of a couple similar bread pudding from times past:



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