I had a friend whose family had dinner together. The mother would tuck you in at night and make breakfast in the morning. They even had a spare bike for a friend. It just seemed so amazing to me. ~ Moon Unit Zappa

Greetings Tushkateers!!!

Happy Post-Thanksgiving!!! BIG Sighs, Claps and Cartwheels for having made it through the biggest food holiday of the year, no matter!!!  That’s right – if you are alive and you sort of have to be alive, or at least partially alive, to be reading Our Lady of Weight Loss’s e-newzletter – the famed and fabulous KITT Club – then there is cause to Clap! Clap! Clap!

For those who are lying there impaired and crying, “HELP!  I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” be sure to watch my Kick-Tush Video and read my Beliefnet Blog post of last week:  How to GET BACK on the WAGON FAST!!!     After you watch it and ‘get it,’ please be sure to pass it forward to a friend in need!

For those of us who are experiencing something more akin to the holiday emotional roller coaster, I’d like to share an email from Bets (short for Betsy, short for Elizabeth) from New Jersey, as well as my return e-mail to her!

Let’s … Chew the FAT!

Dear OLofWL and Janice ~  My two closest friends keep telling me how ‘fabulous’ their Thanksgiving was and how they get along with their families in such a way that I simply don’t believe them.  They are either in denial, or they have fully accepted their flawed family and are enlightened beings, or they are out n’ out liars.  What do you think?

Because, well …. my family isn’t soooo bad, but they’re not that great either!  My buttons were pushed during Thanksgiving day, and I’m still sorting through it all.   I fear that the emotional toll from Thanksgiving combined with Christmas just a few short weeks away – will send me running to the buffet table, never to return again! ~ Bets

Dear Bets ~ Are there “Norman Rockwell” families out there?   Or were your friends able to ‘manage their expectations’ and practice loving kindness in the face of family?  Having not met them or spoken to them, I couldn’t say.

But I do understand that – for many of us – the holiday season presents all kinds of emotional minefields.

What to do?  I don’t know if I can fully explain this in an email, but I’m going to give it a shot!

The simple answer is … ‘be the cat.’  (Even if you don’t like cats, keep reading.)  Cats tend to observe.  They have the ability to sit and watch.  In the midst of craziness, they steer clear of the drama.   YOU be the cat.  You have the power, the innate ability, to watch them all twirling and spinning and emoting nonsense, while you stay strong, steady and centered.   You do NOT have to get pulled into or be a part of the drama.  You have a choice.

You may find that the words and actions of others have ‘hooked’ you, but you can – through awareness and observation – say to yourself,  “Wow, I feel like I’ve been emotionally sucker punched.”  As soon as you ‘see’ it/observe it, you can create a little space around the ‘hurt,’ and that is where the magic lies.  In the space.  Giving yourself space is the best tool/gift you could give yourself, because it gives you the ability to move past, above and beyond it all.

You create space so that you can practice Response-Ability.   Responsibility is about your Ability to Respond.  Or not respond! 🙂  If we were in a ‘session,’ we could have a juicy conversation about the specifics and how to you could utilize ‘it all’ to learn and grow – instead of eating your way through it.

I’d like to offer you (and anyone who is reading) a CYBER-TUESDAY SPECIAL!!!  If you want to set up a time to talk; one special Holiday Coaching Session, let me know.  One 45-minute holiday session.  You choose the price:  $120, $90, $60 (or anything in between).  Sliding scale available!   Write me for appointment!  Be sure to put: Cyber Tuesday Coaching in the subject line, lest it gets lost in the sauce.  Offer good from now through the end of the year!  janice [at] ourladyofweightloss [dot] com

It’s always a challenge to respond to emails, because there’s always so much more I want to know about you and so much more to say.  I hope this helps!  ~ OLofWL (and Janice)

Spread the word … NOT the egg nog!
Janice
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