To Live Rich you’ve got to clean out your junk drawer.

Every kitchen has those one (or more) drawers that are designated as THE JUNK DRAWER. It’s where we toss all of those odds and ends that don’t fit anywhere else. There’s no organization, no rhyme or reason and no thought behind the amalgamation of STUFF that’s in that drawer.

I realized that in my life that there is a piece of my life where I have created a junk drawer. Most of my life is in order. I have a beautiful home, a close family, I am lucky (or creative) enough to be able to do pretty much what I like. I travel fairly often, attend the theatre, go out to great restaurants and have a great group of people who I can proudly call my friends. I’ve been lucky enough to have worked in fields that I was passionate about and can look back proudly on my accomplishments.

What is this one thing in my life that I have such a difficult thing controlling? My weight. When I moved to Florida from Rhode Island four years ago I wore a size 6. I stayed that size for the first year or so and slowly my weight began creeping up. Now – well, I’m embarrassed to say how much I weigh. OK, I’ve gained well over 35 lbs. Holy crap, I’ve gained over 10 pounds a year. I could blame it on a lot of outside things, stress of moving, my husband being ill, etc. (I’ll not blame it on menopause as I gained weight and lost it again due to that change 15 or so years ago), but I won’t. I know that I’ve gained it because I got L-A-Z-Y. I stopped working out, stopped going for walks and even worse, I stopped worrying about what I put in my mouth. I say this after DOWNING a package of M&M’s (not one of those little bags – NO – I just ate a TON of them).

The worst part of this is I know how to eat well. I know how to exercise (I was a DANCER). I have ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE. Not only am I FAT now (at least in MY eyes), but my skin has suffered, I have bags & dark circles under my eyes from eating chemicals and sugar (not to mention the lack of sleep from all of the sugar and caffeine that I consume). I look OLD. Two years ago I looked much younger than my actual age (I’ll be 55 next month), but now – I think I look my age or even older. NOT GOOD!

So, how can I profess to live the Champagne Living lifestyle when I have this hanging over my head? I can’t. Which is why I’ve decided to “come clean.” If I’m truly to live this lifestyle, I need to LOOK FABULOUS on the outside as well as in all other areas of my life. I’ll try to keep you updated on my journey, mostly because I know so many people struggle with this like I do.

Is there an area of your life that has become your junk drawer? If so, why not think about cleaning it out.