Rumours of Chocolate

It was bedtime and the word had got around that there was chocolate in the house. Chocolate had been banned for a while after several weeks of birthday cakes, party treats and Easter, so when a person who shall remain nameless, brought the groceries home and there was a delicious slab of sinfully indulgent dark chocolate amongst the wholemeal tortillas and rice crackers, the atmosphere amped up to just below a frenzy! I however, was calm.

Part of what I do, is motivate and support women in good decision-making and healthy lifestyle choices so when the choc-o-meter skyrocketed in our household, I knew it was time to rein it in before parts of me could not be reined in anymore!

Plan to Change

So, armed with my Big Salad and my food and exercise plan for the week, I was well on the way to not only staying on track but implementing healthy habits for the long term. Therefore, when the word, 'chocolate' was shouted around the house on the night in question, I was ready for it. Did I calmly say, "No thank you, I'm not eating any," like a 'normal' person? Unlikely. Instead I yelled, "Noooo. Get that stuff outta here!"

The two older children bolted into the room to see what atrocity had just occurred, at precisely the same time as I hurled the offensive object towards the door. For the record, no one was hurt but my actions did leave some bewildered looks on their faces as if to say, "What's your problem? It's only chocolate." But to me, it wasn't just chocolate - it was a distraction from my goal.

Get Some Gumption

The reality is; no one is going to force you to live a happy life. Change is confrontational. Have you noticed when change in coming, there's a prickly kind of feeling on the inside? That's because something is about to be different and we don't know if we're going to like 'different'. Rather than thinking about the negative and unsure things, focus on the positive. Imagine how good it could be. What if the change ends up being one of the highlights of your life?

Make the Right Choice - Not Just an Easy One

It takes a series of good choices to over-write the habit of bad choices but it's entirely possible to overhaul your life and make your end even better than your beginning. After all, life is not a spectator sport - be a participant! Experience the thrill. You be the one others gather around to hear your story.

It'll take every ounce of courage, determination and a good, workable plan, but if its really important to you, you'll find a way to make it happen - if not you'll find an excuse! When your mind is made up and your focus is set, nothing will deter you. Not rainy weather, not a busy schedule, not grisly, unco-operative kids and especially not even rumours of chocolate.

(Revised and re-posted from Oct '09)

copyright 2010 Philippa Vette

NB. My appologies for the line spacing towards the end. Despite numerous attempts, it doesn't seem to want to co-operate! Hope it doesn't distract you either!! PV.

A Surprise in Store

The good thing about travelling with a friend is the company. Sharing memorable moments with someone else definitely makes the trip more enjoyable. However, travelling with someone for the first time, may slip into the category of "Prepare to be Surprised," as I discovered a few days ago.

Airport security is there for a reason. We're all getting used to the heightened measures we must endure if we want to fly anywhere. A security officers job is to decipher those who may pose a threat, to the rest of us. But for a brief moment, my travel buddy (TB) and I stepped over into that other category and all I could think was... 'If this turns out well, this is going to make a great blog, if not, please check visiting hours at the local prison!'

My TB is a young, organised and articulate woman, so it came as a surprise when she was challenged at the airport luggage x-ray about aerosol cans. She'd been asked if she had any aerosols and she even checked and thought she must have left them at home, until the x-ray machine confirmed they were in her luggage. I just smiled, thinking it was quite amusing that just like a women's handbag, a carry-on suitcase was just as impossible to find anything and perhaps even more so because it was bigger.

When she walked through the metal detector her underwire bra set off the alarm! I giggled. It was so entertaining. The aerosols were located and her bag was put back through the x-ray machine once more for good measure. I was still giggling because she looked so surprised and so incredibly innocent. It was all fun and games (though trying to be composed and mature about the seriousness of the situation. Ahem!), until I got selected for a 'random' explosive test while I was waiting for her. Not giggling now. I didn't say a word. I knew it was just routine so there wasn't really a problem but we were still stuck at security and our plane was due to board any minute.

So the test was all good but TB was still being questioned at the x-ray machine. Apparently they'd found a pair of scissors too! Who was this person travelling with me? After seeing the movie, "Are We There Yet?" I'd been so careful to double check my hand luggage in case my toddler had slipped a shiny, metallic object inside so Mummy had something pretty to 'play' with on the plane. "Oh great," I chuckled, "I'm travelling with Angela Scissorhands!" The Underwire Lady strikes again.

As soon as the scissors were located and disposed of 'responsibly' we were on our way to the plane... or so we thought. Enter, centre stage, yet another explosive testing security officer, who approached us and flashed her laminated A4 notice at ME.... not Scissor Lady. I promptly informed her I'd already been 'randomly' tested but she didn't believe me and thrust out her hand in the 'stop' position. Hrmph! After a quick check with the other officer we were given permission to proceed. Given the "all clear" we were now able to laugh about it all the way to our gate, until we discovered our plane had been delayed for an hour. No more laughing.

And so the moral of the story is: carefully choose who you travel through life with. While good companions strengthen us, give support and help us flourish, the wrong associations could lead us along an entirely different path, that may involve surgical gloves and some cold lubricating gel! Seriously though, it may cause regret, limit your options and make you want to give up on your dreams.

All in all, we had a good laugh and no one was arrested. It was amusing for others too. My husband sent me a text message which read: ENJOY THE STRIP SEARCH. Hilarious. But next time I fly with TB, I'm checking her luggage myself!

copyright 2010 Philippa Vette