I’m not going to write about all the reasons I am so thankful this holiday season because…………………
……………..Oh. Excuse me. I fell asleep just thinking about writing that.
Honestly, I’m feeling a lot more “Boo Hoo” than “Boo Yeah” about Thanksgiving.
Two word: Family Drama. My heart hurts.
I’m not going to write about that either. I am beyond words, and the situation is beyond my control.
Which explains my palpable urge to (cliché in 3,2,1) Control the one thing I Can Control. (I warned you).
That’s not an option for me in recovery.
So I decided to reflect on the many things in life I can and cannot control BESIDES eating, food & weight.
#1
I have no control over how I’m greeted upon arriving at work.
I do have control over my reaction.
“What. Ever. Passive Aggressive Notes. Pshhh. Over it.”
Then I can resolve to be timely because, let’s face it, the dog does not eat my alarm clock.
#2
I have complete control over my computer screen savers.
(Need a screen saver…go here<——and thank me later.)
I have control over my words, and how I choose to treat people.
#3
I have no control over my Food Baby.
I can, however post about it on the internet in a ridiculous manner <———
(I know, I know, no one can see it but me.)
I can decide to develop a love affair with it (<—-read this!)
And post that on the internet, too.
I can’t help being weirded out, freaked out, and doubting my sanity while taking pictures of myself and food baby in the mirror. But that’s healthy.
#4
I can’t control the sunshine.
But I can catch a bit of it….
…and hold it in my hand…
…and savor it while sitting in traffic.
Which I cannot control.
#5
I can’t control the temperature of the pool.
Brrrr! I’m never eager to jump in.
I can control my mindset by thinking,
“Seriously? If this is the hardest thing you do today or worry about, you are one blessed individual.”
*This works in many trials, by the way. Steal it. Use it often.
Then I jump right in.
(That was me, by the way)
#6
I don’t control the motions of a candle’s flame. I like that!
I love that so much I light them every night.
#7
I can’t control the weather.
But I never doubt that the sun will come out again, or think it will rain forever unless I do something about it. Witness 20 minutes in South FL this morning:
#8
I cannot control my dog, Zoe. (Seriously. Call the dog whisperer)
Exhibit A: 3D sculptures of chewed up carpeting i found yesterday. “Look what I made for you, Mommy!”
Exhibit B: Click Here <——
But I still love her most of the time.
(But, Zoe? Maybe something I can hang on the fridge would be nice. )
#9
I am completely in charge of my magnet collection.
I can even make my own magnets —–>Like These<—–
#9
I control how I choose to ADORN my body.
Hence sparkly nail polish…
…Symbolic rings…
…temporary butterfly tattoos…
…commemorative anklets and bracelets…
…and shoelaces. (yay!)
I control how I FEED my mind
by what I read:
(currently reading these…)
what I listen to:
(my ‘cheer-missy-up’ playlist)
Though I have difficulty deciding.
Can I get a witness? 10,003 items in my iTunes. Almost 30 days worth.
I control what I watch on the tee-vee…
…and always make responsible choices most of the time.
#10
I can control the time I spend nurturing my relationship with God, and growing in my walk of Faith.
#11
I can’t control the wind, but I can
#12
I can’t Control the sunset
And I don’t want to.
I’ll never be the artist that God is.
He’s got it under control.
Hmmm….
Let Go. Let God.
I feel better already.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Anybody else facing their control issues lately?
- Do the Holidays inspire a lot of “need to control” moments?




















I have that same copy of The Message! I am such a sucker for an outdoorsy look.
Also, my dietician mentioned the “I can’t. God can. I’ll let him.” thing to me today in our session. Coincidence?
(Doubtful.)
Praying for you about Thanksgiving. E-mail if you need to vent!!
xoxo
Missy,
This was another absolutely beautiful post! Control issues are at the core of my ed and the hardest for me to face. This Thanksgiving I keep going back and forth about whether I’m going to eat my own food or the food my family eats. Eating my family’s food would make me feel entirely out of control…I’ll be eating things I didn’t cook, at a time I can’t control, and sitting with other people while I eat. Scaaary!!
I’ll be thinking of you this Thanksgiving my dear. You’re not alone in being scared!
Sarah
This is wonderful – yet again! I love that you focus on so many of the positive things that you DO have control over. Such an important lesson in life. My friend Kristina reminds me not to give any energy to things I don’t have control over.
And I LOVE that quote – it’s one that my mom would always reiterate when I was younger and it’s definitely gotten me through some tough times.
I, too, have the same copy of The Message. Love it.
I hope that you’ve had a great Thanksgiving – at least as stress-free as possible as far as holidays go.
Thinking about you!
Dorry
This is absolutely beautiful. girl, you GET IT. you CAN control your health , take advantage of that! and you are def right about nobody seeing your food baby but you, haha. Keep up the road towards health my love, i KNOW you can do it. we can do ANYTHING with Gods strength behind us!
WOW WOW WOW, wasent expecting such a full in depth post! my gosh life has been serving a lot to you on ur plate lately! The whole subject of control is really fun to talk about because its such an issue whether people are aware of it or not. normally like many, the first time i heard about control was through eating disorders..but its amazing how everyone faces the elusive need for control in order to feel like they have some sort of stability and direction in their life. control control control..as if we are all God..huh? lol. but tis true, giving up control or the attainment of it means that we are vulnerable..this puts us in such a predicament. over time when we learn how to stop trying to control our lives, we allow beauty to honestly and thoughtfully seep into our lives <3
this post is beautiful missy.
I’m so sorry that thanksgiving is hard for you, and family can be a pain in the freaking butt and you have no control over that but you are right- there are so many other thigns in life to focus on- we don’t ahve to focus on controlling food! as tempting as that may be sometimes…it ain’t gonna work.
and who the hell wrote you that note at work? Tell them to put the apostrophe in the right place next time they’re gonna nag you about being late- it would be “you’re” late not “your’e” late. JEEZ.
I LOVE this post! This is such a great thing to do. We can’t really control everythingg by not eating. Well actually, we can only control one thing with it, our weight. That’s about it. We can’t control how well we’ll do on a test by not eating & like you said, we can’t control the weather.
Thanks for posting this(: We’ll get through this, who needs Ed? i’m starting not to need him anymore(:
Ahhh…but see…”we” can’t even control our own weight anymore because, since we met ED any inch we give “he” takes a mile and we lose all control.
Seriously! Enough. We deserve more than that crap-o-la.
[...] My sister is a strong, capable woman. I know she is in good hands. I’m learning —> I can’t. God can. I’ll let him. I gave [...]
you are such a blessing…i love this!! and that you posted food baby pics. haha. you’re right…i don’t see it tohugh
xo.
[...] (even though I’m taking photos of myself in the mirror again?) [...]
Wow! I am so in awe of this post! I am going to steal this idea of what I am able to control instead of focusing on what I can’t and then trying to control food! Until I read this, I really wasn’t focused on all the things I do control in my life that have nothing to do with what I put IN my body. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
Yay!
It’s weird how we are a-ok with not being in control of some things, too. Like the weather.
[...] I waste SO much time ruminating about food, my body, my issues…these are all moments when I could be fixating on God. [...]
This post is gorgeous. I love it so much. Its nice to read these kinds of things to give you some sort of snap back to reality when all you seek for in life is control over one thing or another. I HATE CONTROL. lol
[...] I’m taking pictures of myself in the bathroom mirror again. [...]