Day 173: Compassion

"We are all brave eternal souls, commonly living a challenging earthly existence. No matter what one's lot in life is we must not see them as lesser beings. Everyone deserves to be given respect, kindness and compassion.    ~Randi G. Fine~

Compassion came to mind today because in 3 days people I've worked with for most of my career (some since day one !) will be leaving our office forever. I've never had to deal with something like this but I offer comfort wherever I can and I avoid talking about what is ahead for me. My problems are nothing compared to what these folks are facing. Some people seem to be tone deaf to what is happening and act like it's just business as usual. The people who should care don't bother to ask how anyone is doing. Sure, I will still have a job but it's not all about the job. We're talking about people's lives here. Most are middle aged and age discrimination is still alive and well in this country. I can't just ignore what is happening, even though I can't change it. It's like there is this gigantic elephant in the room that people steer clear of. I can't do that. How can you pretend it's not happening ? Every day I ask people how they're doing. I've handed out plenty of tissues, hugs and encouragement. Sometimes just listening is all they need. I've been pleasantly surprised by people who have expressed concern for my future, when theirs is so uncertain. Right now I'm working to just get through these next few days and then I will have 9 days away to recharge and get ready for whatever challenges lie ahead, whether it's related to my weight loss goals or my professional goals !

Breakfast was a 2.1 ounce 160 calorie cherry cheese roll with Kahlua coffee. Second cup was toasted marshmallow mocha. Morning snack was a 155 calorie chocolate shake with peanut butter powder. Lunch was a 4 ounce 220 calorie thai style chicken melt with raw carrots. Afternoon snack was 1/2 cup cottage cheese (80 calories) and a snack cup of mixed fruit (80 calories). This left me 515 calories for dinner and an evening snack. Dinner was a 250 calorie chicken and vegetable stir fry. I added my leftover riced cauliflower to it. Evening snack was a 3.5 ounce 130 calorie ice cream sandwich. Total calories for the day are 1065 and I got all 64 ounces of water in !

My workout didn't seem quite so hard tonight, maybe because I wasn't quite so tired. The trainer is very engaging and the scenery is different so the time passes pretty quickly. When I first started to use a treadmill back in the late summer of 2017 I struggled with boredom because I started out just listening to music while I walked. When I switched to watching tv it made the time pass but it still wasn't very engaging. Ifit has really made the difference for me so I'm glad I gave it a try and subscribed. I'm seeing scenery from places I know I'll never visit and hearing a little bit of their history. Ifit also has structure and structure works best for me. I think I'm successful with Nutrisystem because it too has structure. That being said, both also have flexibility. I have plenty of workouts to choose from on Ifit so I tailor it to what I feel I can manage. With Nutrisystem I have the freedom to choose what foods I receive every month. I probably change my selections 10 times a month and I love that !

Weather was rainy as predicted this morning but the dark clouds were replaced with some big puffy white clouds and periods of sun. It warmed up into the 80's too so it ended up being a great day ! I slept so much better last night with the air conditioning on, so I'll be cranking that up again tonight. First up is a shower and then I'm going to sink into my bed for some tv or a game or two !