France's New Bill

I just sent this email to several of my friends...thought I'd post on here as well

You've maybe seen this in the news--but it raises an interesting debate. At what point does "freedom of expression" become outlawed? Jeffrey and I discussed on our way home from the gym this morning...

For instance, Jeffrey and I both agree that it should be illegal for people to bike while listening to headphones, because it endangers other people on the road. The pro-"ana" and "mia" websites are also harming other people, but Jeffrey draws the line there and does not believe that this behavior should be criminalized. He defends, "This is freedom of expression. I don't like what these people are expressing, but I don't want to criminalize expression." But aren't they both personal freedom choices? Whether to bike with headphones, whether to help people be unhealthily thin? Both personal choices, but both endangering other people. Where do YOU draw the line?

I'm not actually sure where I stand. I don't like laws that infringe of my personal freedom but I also get really annoyed when I see people biking with their ipod on AND when I see young girls starving themselves to death (both of which I see on a daily basis!). In an ideal world, I think I would like everyone to be educated and enlightened enough to make healthy choices themselves, without having the government make those choices for them. But if that isn't a reality, where do we, as a society, draw the line? So, something to think about...

Inspiration

I've been spending some time lately thinking about inspiration. You know, the stuff that makes me want to be my best self, stay happy and engaged in life. And I've come up with a little list...

1) My friend Whitney
2) Yoga classes
3) Walking in the sunshine
4) Really great books (lately I'm re-reading Faulkner's As I Lay Dying which is probably my all time favorite novel...)
5) Oprah. It's true! She's amazing.
6) My job. I'm SO LUCKY to have a job that inspires me!!!
7) Nice houses
8) NPR
9) My brother

Anyway, why am I thinking about this lately? I guess I've been evaluating how I spend my time. For instance, how much time am I "wasting" vs. engaging in a pastime that inspires me and helps me grow? Now, if you're reading this you already know I'm all about balance, and I totally think that eating ice cream and watching a chick flick is, sometimes, the absolutely best thing to do. But I'm also aware of my habits and patterns, and how regularly I waste away my evenings surfing the web or watching television, when maybe, just maybe, making another choice might feel more inspiring or invigorating. I've been playing around with making different choices, even small things.

Daytime Peach: Playing frisbee with my brother in San Francisco

For instance, I rarely pick up the phone after 7pm unless it's my fiance or my sister. I think in part this is a treat to myself: my evenings are my own, and I like them mellow and stress-free. Plus, I don't believe that I am "on call" just because I own a telephone. So, I make the choice to let it ring, and I wait to listen to the message until I feel like it. I think, for the most part, this is okay.

But then sometimes I realize that I'm letting my phone ring even when it's one of my best friends calling, and all I'm doing is watching "Everybody Loves Raymond" re-runs. Maybe, just maybe, sometimes talking to one of my girls would be more satisfying than watching a sitcom I've already seen. So, what would it be like to pick up the phone?

Nighttime Peach: PJ's at 7pm, the couch, and the laptop!

I have this weird identity dichotomy where I'm Peach #1 during the day and Peach #2 in the evening. All day long I'm super productive, getting through all my work, exercising, preparing nice meals, cleaning the house, but then after dinner I shift into nighttime Peach, who can't bother putting her clothes away and drifts into chill-out oblivion complete with fro yo and re-runs. And. I. (kind of) Love. It.

But it doesn't inspire me. And sometimes it makes me feel depressed. So I'm playing around with how to keep the inspiration alive even when it's nighttime. My hunch is that I veg out at night because I'm plum tired! I really go go go all day. I am super woman, type A to the max, all about productivity and progress, so I think at night I'm just pooped and I need to relax. I just wonder...is there a way to relax that doesn't feel like a total personality switch? I'm thinking I might have to start a post-dinner bubble bath ritual followed by reading poems in bed or something. Doesn't that sound...like a more inspiring version of junk food and TV?

So my verdict is: Again, it's all about the balance. There's nothing wrong with spending an evening snacking with a movie on, unless it becomes habitual, thereby losing it's calming effect and becoming a sort of depressing habit. And then, well, I've got my bubbles waiting in the bathroom!

Exercise and Eating Disorders

I found an article about exercise and eating disorders that I like. Some of the authors warning signs match my own characteristics of exercise bulimia.