A few more words about Oprah

On December 18 I wrote about Oprah and her very public battle with weight maintenance. Since then I’ve had the benefit of reading January 2009 O Magazine to glean more of the story than was captured by TV Guide. On page 190 in her regular column, “what I know for sure” Oprah reveals herself to be not so different from the rest of us. She writes,

“My personal philosophy and the philosophy of this magazine is all about living well, filling your own cup so you always have bounty to share with others. And the price I’ve paid for losing sight of that is more weight. No balance. Less joy. Everything I know for sure about maintaining a sense of balance and well being, I allowed to be pushed aside to make room for whatever was masquerading as a priority. I took myself off my to-do list; whatever time was left over is what I gave myself.”

If you are nodding your head yes saying to yourself, “I understand” you are not alone. If someone like Oprah with gobs of money and a highly devoted team engaged in working for her purpose can, as she says “fall off the wagon” by way of self-neglect, then how can we ordinary folks expect to walk the fine path of balanced living at all times?

With typical Oprah resiliency she has faced the public and shared her pain of weight gain, thyroid imbalance and simple self-neglect. As public as my life is in the WLS community I still don’t know if I have the same courage as Oprah to live life in full view. I applaud her.

Her plan for 2009 is basic. She says, “My focus this year will be on how to achieve optimum health, deepen my spiritual connection – and have some fun.” I think that about says it all.

Be sure and visit us in the Neighborhood for an insightful look at this fascinating topic. Oprah’s Ups and Downs