Friday I had errands to run (my power cord died on my laptop and this had to be remedied immediately!).  I ran down to the local discount electronic store to pick up a new one and was pleased to be greeted with a helpful and chipper salesman.  We chatted about power cords and the picture I chose for my debit card and other random things.  I felt bouncy going in the store and I felt bouncy leaving the store.  I pretty much bounced through all my errands that day feeling svelte (although no one else can see the difference yet) and full of smiles.  It makes me realize how much attitude on my part plays into how others perceive me.  Going up the scale at this weight I was probably not the most approachable person but now that I've hit the same number coming down from an even higher number it gives me a certain oomph I haven't had for a very long time.  It gives me great hope that I will become once again that outgoing fun to be around person I was when I was young and very thin regardless of where my weight settles.

We hope to move into a new rental place when our lease runs out here.  Whether that's possible or not remains to be seen.  Regardless, I fully intend to purge my home of the useless things holding us down and keeping me from entertaining.  I've started small but fully intend by the end of the year to have the entire house be stripped of unnecessary clutter.  I alphabetized our VHS tapes and made a list of ones we want on DVD.  As we replace them, those will be sorted off to Half-Price Books for someone else to enjoy.  I've also made a small stack of VHS home videos that I will take out to be converted to DVD so that we can enjoy them for years to come.

Today, I took a more personal look at clutter and went through my closet.  Officially, I haven't lost enough to really clean out my closet but I felt it was an important step for me to begin anyway.  I pulled out stained, ugly, bought just because it was "my size" clothes and will either throw them away or donate them.  I also pulled a few winter shirts that were clearly starting to look baggy now and I knew by the time winter arrived would definitely be too big and added them to the eliminated pile.  The stack isn't huge, but the going through it all was!  I've never had clothes get too big before NEVER!  Also kind of amused to note that what I found perfectly acceptable as I gained weight to wear (looser being better of course) isn't the way I'm looking at it now.  Now I don't care that you can see my bulges and flab because it's smaller bulges and flab.  I think that goes back with that confidence I was talking about earlier.  I'm happy to say "why yes, that IS my jelly roll you see. Isn't it great?!"  I also find myself waving my arms in the mirror checking my bat  wing progression.  What I once thought I'd fear, I'm now embracing because the bigger the wing, the more the loss!

Today I am down 34 pounds in fat and up 34 times in outlook.  I'm still stunned this has all taken place in 6 short weeks.