halfway review － part 2.

Christie Brinkley is amazing . . . what she looks like is how I want to feel at 54. Wow.

Anyway, here are my answers to the final five questions from Cheryl Richardson's "Week 26 Life Review" . . .

6. Have you forgiven yourself for something you did that's been bothering you?
The only answer I can come up with to this question has to do with continually forgiving myself for going "off-program" . . . I've been following Weight Watchers' "flex" plan since last autumn, and I've lost about 40 lbs. Still, I've got almost ten pounds to go to my goal weight, and I've been seriously struggling to reach it － losing a little, gaining a little, a real two-steps-forward-one-step-back sort of deal. So yes, I find myself caught up in a perpetual cycle of guilt and forgiveness nowadays, in addition to a bounty of self-reminders that, like life itself, my "comfortable weight" is a journey (though it looks suspiciously like a destination whenever I'm glaring down at the dang scale . . . ).

7. How have you taken better care of your body, your mind, your heart or your spirit?
OK, well, the obvious answer is, first and foremost, I've lost about 40 lbs. (and counting, damnit!). And even though I've been exercising regularly for the past three years, I've bumped up my exercise quotient, too, which just feels good. For my mind, I try to turn off the tv rather than randomly channel surf when I'm not watching a particular program, and try to complete a crossword puzzle every day. For my heart and spirit, I quit my part-time job to return to full-time freelancing, and I'm working daily to tune into my needs/wants, my kids and where they're coming from, and what the universe may be presenting to me.

8. How have you been a better partner, spouse, parent, friend or co-worker?
Well, there's the sex thing, which I feel fairly sure ranks me a little higher up on the Good Wife-o-meter. And more generally, I've been focusing in on giving more, especially if I'm feeling like I'm not receiving enough. For example, if I feel like my family isn't showing me enough appreciation, rather than becoming petulant, I do something to show them how much I appreciate them . . . and magically, I feel better. And I'm a better mom and wife for it, too.

9. What have you done to help others improve the quality of their lives?
Ditto the giving concentration . . . I can't help but think giving to others － whether it's my family or some guy trying to merge into traffic － somehow improves the quality of their lives, albeit sometimes only momentarily. And I've also been following a contribution calendar I created at the beginning of the year: $50/month to one of a dozen select nonprofits (August's donation is going to fight prostate cancer).

10. Are you letting things be easy?
I'm trying, and I believe I'm improving, though it's quite counter to my control-freak nature. :]