Self Help books, BE GONE!

Finally, the decision to move is here. Finally, I am packing for real! Today was the first day of serious up to my neck in packing stuff day. I re-packed a lot of stuff that I packed six months ago. The most fun thing to do was to go through a box labeled "self help books" Sick, isn't it? A whole box of self help books. I'm sure you have one too. It's part of the disease. We never feel like we are good enough and are continually trying to find the perfect system to make ourselves conform to what society believes we should be functioning at. I laughed in the face of conformity today. Good-bye Stephen Covey. Good-Bye Marla Cilley. Good-Bye Julia Morgenstein. The funny thing is, the Julia Morgenstein book I had was a second copy. The first copy I sold in my yard sale last November. The book was titled "Organizing from the Inside Out." Please tell me this is somewhat amusing. I couldn't find my first copy, so ordered a second. Ummm....yah. An organizing book. I lost an organizing book.

The other books I decided appropriate for the yard sale were diet books. This is an inheritance from my mother. She loves a good diet book. My earliest memories of her bedside bookcase were all of diet books and self help books. I decided I've read enough about nutrition and health over the years that really, it all boils down to one thing: eat your vegies, eat them fresh and quit taking the third brownie. Oh, and don't forget to be active. That last part I don't have too much trouble with these days. Playing with the kids is actually getting kind of fun, when I'm not huge pregnant. Good bye diet books! I have my own way of living!

It all comes down to this realization that I can be who I want to be. I don't need a book to help me feel better, I can choose to feel better by asserting my needs and living the way I feel is best. I don't need a book to tell me some strange rules to eat my food. I am at a point where I know what makes my body feel good, and that is what I need to eat. Notice I did not say I know what tastes yummy, because if that were the case, I'd be living off chocolate soft serve smothered in chocolate jimmies (sprinkles for those of you who don't speak New England-ease) all summer and steak and cheesecake all winter. (Can we say constipation for $200 Alex?) No, I'm not stupid. I know how to eat. No, I'm not stupid for letting my house get to be a wreak. It just happened, and even though it was overwhelming at first, as I practiced giving things away and throwing things away, I have gotten much better about it. It's not so overwhelming anymore. Actually, the thought of everything I have to go through AGAIN is starting to overwhelm me. I packed my sewing stuff 3 times since January. So much for thinking I wouldn't have time to sew. And so much for thinking I had gotten rid of everything I didn't need. Would you believe I got rid of MORE stuff? My priorities have shifted, finally. I am living the life I want to live. Hopefully this can continue as I start my new life living in a place that just might drive me to the brink of insanity. We'll leave that for another post, another night.

Do yourself a favor, help yourself and ditch the self help books. You are wonderful just the way you are.