Amanda's Musings

(Originally published 16 August 2021)  I had to write one last blog. It's bittersweet to be saying good-bye. This site has been a huge part of my life for 11 years, and the very best part of that has been the community of support and encouragement. Checking in daily with the teams I led, the mutual support and celebrating with Spark Friends, sending and receiving goodies—that's what I knew I would miss the most. So soon after we got the news back in June, my GG co-leader and I decided Discord would be the best place to move A Gathering of Goddesses and my beloved Babysteps Brigade. Our new home doesn't have all the bells and whistles SP did, but we post on different threads, check in, and get to play with a large number of emojis and GIFs! If you want to check it out, set up a free account on  discord.com/  and send me a message: Blessed Being#5304, And I am so thankful that SP gave us more than two months' notice before closing down. It gave us a chance to save wh...

(Originally published 2 February 2012)  The Babysteps Brigade is one year old today! My sweet little team, dedicated to slow, steady progress has been thriving in our little corner of the Sparkverse. We may be small (just under 50), but we have a core of active & supportive members who like to share their successes and cheer each other on. I have babystepped my way to a weight loss of more than 55 pounds over the last 16 or 17 months. I'm less than 10 pounds from my initial goal of 150!  When I reach that goal, I will set my sights on another 10 pounds to reach a healthy BMI. The weight's coming down pretty slowly now, since I'm sort of in a maintenance mode, but I am confident I will reach these goals — and stay there lifelong. You see, that's the cool thing about babysteps and the gradual approach. My exercise and eating are far from "perfect," but who cares? I like what I'm doing, and have no desire to stop when I hit 140. I will definitely be t...

(Originally published 6 February 2011) Actually, my last few blogs, while not "officially" part of the CCC series, have touched on my campaign--which took an unexpected turn when I decided to create a new team: the Babysteps Brigade, which launched 2/2/11. Now that the structure is set up, and I'm getting back into the fray, I can report that I've liberated new territory. In fact I've doubled the area of my Clutter-Free Zones this weekend. I started with small limited spaces that didn't take long to clear and have been easy to guard against invasion by the clutter which has heretofore had the habit of creeping back (rather like the Weasleys' garden gnomes after each eviction). Then yesterday I freed several square feet of bedroom floor space to add to the surfaces and countertops already taken back. You may notice that my terminology in this series tends to be somewhat militaristic. Which is sort of odd for a proponent of peace, who won't watch cr...

  (Originally published 2 February 2011) I did it! The Babysteps Brigade launched this morning. (I'm taking my personal holiday off from work.) So far I'm the only member, but I joined all 5 team goals. I had planned for 6, but there's a limit, so I created an extra challenge and encourage others to track it on their Other Goals page. And it really doesn't matter how many others do or don't decide to join. Using these tools is the way I'm working my program to create the home and life I deserve and desire. I had fun looking through free photos for pictures of babies taking steps or learning to walk. I chose our team image for several reasons. She's smiling — getting where we want to go can be fun and exciting, it doesn't need to be frightening or hard. There are helping hands ready to assist her--but she's not clinging to them, in fact she's only holding one, but she knows the other one is there if she needs it. She's not just standing ...

  (Originally published 29 January 2011) When I saw my therapist yesterday, I spent almost the entire time talking about Spark People! She was delighted by my animation and excitement, my progress, and how this is meeting my need to lessen isolation and connect more with others. I was laughing about being involved with Spark Teams for all of 3 weeks, and already contemplating starting my own (as mentioned in my first CCC blog entry). I'm nervous about it, because I don't want to get overwhelmed. But I have a sense that, just as working with teams has increased my motivation and consistency, taking on some leadership will ramp up my commitment. It will also engage my creative talents and my desire to serve. Still I don't want to take on too much. Nor do I want the administrative aspects of being a team leader to interfere with working my program. Of course I have no idea how many people will even join! And that's OK, because not everyone is at the babystep level. ...