Halloween season is here and I have worn this costume twice this weekend. And no Miss Piggy is ever complete without her beloved Kermit the Frog. So Dreamy… We got to dress up once, to my school for the carnival, last night, and tonight we got to wear our costumes again for a Halloween party at a friend’s house. Halloween parties have been thin throughout my lifetime, and suddenly we are attending and hosting them with alarming regularity! It’s been really nice. We’ve been seeking community and friends for a long time and I’m starting to feel a sense of belonging right here, in my own neighborhood. It feels so very good. Isn’t it funny how just knowing one another’s names, exchanging the rare pleasantly and having a meet up once or twice a year among neighbors can shift that sense of self that comes from belonging to something greater than just your immediate family? 🙂
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I read an article recently that freaked me out about artificial sweeteners. Essentially, eating the fake sugars can lead to horrible diseases. Once again, it all comes down to consuming food in moderation, in this case, sugar.
I started my diet coke habit back when I started dieting years and years ago. My thinking was that a soda pop crutch was ok. I needed a treat, and at that time, I was in love with diet root beer. I could drink a root beer at night and feel like I was getting a real treat; thus was born my soda habit. I vacillated between a once a day drinker to a person who drank nothing but diet soda- If it didn’t come in a bottle or can, I didn’t drink it. I dialed that way back two years ago when I got horrified at my consumption and the environmental impact of driving my soda all over the country and went to the soda stream, then, last year, I went back to drinking soda just once a day. Three weeks ago I decided to wean myself off of diet sugars altogether, with the exception of one packet of truvia in my iced tea every day. The first few days were mildly challenging, but I was surprised at how quickly I got used to it and started drinking tea, water, and I have even had a few beers. I am surprised that, again, I was lead by my own unfounded fear of how I would react to giving up artificial sweeteners, especially soda pop, as opposed to how difficult it hasn’t been. For sweetness now, I’ve gotten really into grapes. They are amazing right now: crisp, sweet and juicy! I’ve been downing them like crazy, poor Bradley is amazed at how many he’s buying! We both agree, however, if grapes do the trick and keep me away from the artificial sweeteners, they are well worth the extra trip to the store.