brag·ga·do·cious

1. brag·ga·do·cious
   [ˌbraɡəˈdō(t)SHəs]
   
   

   ADJECTIVE

   
   

   1. informal

      US

      
      

      boastful or arrogant:

      "it sounds braggadocious, but I don't think I ever dropped a pass in a game" ·
       

   
   

    

Don't be a bragger...ever hear something like that from your parent?  I don't remember exactly how it was spelled out in my parents home but bragging was not allowed. I grew up quietly realizing that goals and accomplishments were a personal victory and it wasn't necessary to share in large overtures of information.   In our home now we allow a certain about of "bragging" from our four grown children but it comes in the form of telling us about their latest accomplishments and life goals not in the form of a braggadocious attitude. I revel in their accomplishments! Their successes are our family's successes.  I count each good thing that happens to my children, whether earned or randomly blessed, to be a family victory.  I'm good with this kind of bragging.

However, in my day to day life, I know more than one person that likes to REALLY brag.  People that think they know everything, when they clearly don't. (I find that people who truly know a lot tend to keep quiet about it - ironically)  People that drop names of every important person they ever met or came into close contact with.  It's off-putting - irritating and for me its just a total relationship blocker. I prefer to be with people who are a little less arrogant, a little more humble and it feels like to me, a little more real. When I feel myself engaging and becoming competitive with others and trying to "out-do" them - I try to reign it in - I don't want to be like that!

Now having said all that - I just have to take a minute to brag!  Ha!  I know right, after my big put down speech on the dirty little braggarts! But the thing is - and I really am just being a little silly with this, you have to "toot your own horn"  sometimes. What is my brag???              I am losing!

We had all four children, two grandchildren, two significant others and one extra dog in the house this weekend.  I cooked and chopped and diced and cleaned and cooked some more.  But I still lost two pounds!  I ate one piece of chocolate, I had one small helping of potatoes.  My lovely daughter number Three helped me make a huge veggie tray and I munched happily on that all weekend and so did everyone else.  The kicker?  Last night, when the last tail lights eased around the corner of our street, carrying the last child away and back to her home - I put on my kicks and got on the treadmill, put in 20 minutes of stress relieving walking, and sat down on the couch with a feeling of great satisfaction and accomplishment.  Damn proud of myself!

I kept it in my mind through the whole weekend that if I played it smart I could still lose a couple of pounds over the weekend.  That's exactly what I did! 

I'm not bragging just to be bragging.  I know full well I can fall off this very high horse any moment.  I really and truly just want to reward myself with a different moment, a moment of self esteem building, all encompassing, atta girl -  you got this!

I am working hard to reach this moment in life where I feel peace with my weight and my lifestyle.  Where I feel like I'm back in control of the things I am supposed to be in control of and accepting those things I cannot control. When I am true to myself and reach a goal, which this time was the last two pounds that put me in a different weight category, I do have to take a moment and shout out - I did it! 

Now enough of the bragging.  Today is a new day.  I cannot rest on yesterday's accomplishments.  I must do something today to make a difference.  There is no empty name dropping in weight loss.  There is no spewing of useless, blown up out of proportion information that makes me seem more important than I am (mindless bragging).  There is the very honest, very real scale that measures my success or failure.  There are the very real and tangible choices that I must make daily, hourly and moment to moment.  There is no room for an ongoing dialogue of braggadocious comments and revelry. 

BMO - Braggadocious Moment Over!  Back to work!

That's all ~ Thanks Y'all!