Staying Connected to The Weight Management Center - April 21, 2009
April 21, 2009 – 7:51 am
As part of my son’s homeschooling curriculum, we are studying Romeo and Juliet. After watching Italian director, Franco Zeffirelli’s version of the play last night, I’m feeling connected to the impetuous teen alive in me. Do you ever feel him or her come to life in you? You know, that part of us that wants what we want-so much so that we would be willing to drink poison from a vial in order to get it? Or how about the feeling where we just want what we want because it feels good in that moment? We abandon all care for the consequences of our actions; in fact, we can’t see the big picture at all-only this moment-and we act on it.
Inevitably, the next morning, we wake up, heavily weighted with regret, remorse, or guilt, residue of the previous night’s actions. Throughout Romeo and Juliet there are many such morning after moments. Lucky for us though, we’ve made it through such overwhelming feelings before, without drinking hemlock, and we can do it again. That’s the beauty of growing up. We slow down a little and pause. We take time to reflect on what’s working and what is not.
And then, we have an opportunity to start over again. We can pull out a low-fat cook book and plan interesting meals for the rest of the week or make arrangements to walk tonight after dinner instead of turning on the tv. That’s the carrot I’m holding out there today. It’s the lesson that I was reminded of by watching the timeless story of young love. I can either let the adolescent in me run things and end up feeling awful, after the fact, a good deal of the time. Or, with little patience and forethought, I can temper my desires with some awareness of their impermanent nature and indulge myself some of the time and move on.
We hope to see you in class soon!
Stefanie C. Barthmare, M.Ed., LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor, Supervisor
Weight Management Center
The Methodist Hospital
6501 Fannin, NB1-001
Houston, TX 77030
713-441-4944
Email: sbarthmare@tmhs.org
http://weightloss.mymethodistblog.com
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