For anyone who has ever had the misfortune of meeting Eduardo....

A little gem (not necessarily a diamond....any gem will suffice) I came up with today that I want to dedicate to anyone who is familiar with the one who sucks the fun and the living out of life....let's show ol' Eddie what we're made of!! Here's hoping you can find as much power and motivation in reading these words as I found in writing them.
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Hey, [insert friend's name here]. I heard you were having a rough time and that the liar and deceiver, Ed, has been all up in your business lately, and that you are feeling frustrated that you're not "totally" better yet.
I wanna share something with you. Do you know how long I've been dealing with this son of a mother?? 8 and a half years.  I've been in 3 treatment centers, had literally hundreds of hours of therapy, and have worked in-depth with a mentor for the past 5 years.  I've had support from friends, family, and various assorted professionals, and while I'm LIGHT YEARS ahead of where I was even a few months ago, I'm still not "totally" better. I say all this not to emphasize my struggle, but to show you something I know YOU know--Recovery takes time--a lot of time--and even if you don't know this yourself, you are a STRONG young wo/man with more fire and pizazz and, goodness gracious, a heart of freaking GOLD, than most people in this world, and you CAN win the fight. You are not a quitter. You are a go-getter, Ed-fighting NINJA with glitter in your veins that makes you shine your life-light so bright on everyone you meet and everywhere you are that when people think of you they can't help but SMILE. You are a precious child of the one and only Living GOD, and so help me hannah--I am NOT going to let you forget how AWESOME you are and how much you deserve Recovery and how much POWER you will have when you kick ed's little metaphorical punk a**!!
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Now GET OUT THERE and be a RECOVERY ROCKSTAR!!!!

You can do it!!!!

-Becca

Falk (Faces Without Names) -- "Deadly Beauty"

I got an update via Google Alerts today.  It was entitled "NEDA Names Music Duo Alexa and Natalee Falk as Official Ambassadors."  An excerpt from the press release on openPR.com is below.

The sisters, who grew up in the music industry, have found their genuine voice and are garnering national attention for their song “Deadly Beauty,” which is dedicated to young women struggling with eating disorders and the family members who worry about them. 

You can read the entire press release here.

And you can read the song lyrics here: 

The song is on YouTube, but I'll let you search for it yourself.  **Possible trigger warning** so YouTube search with care.

I, for one, think this is a truly inspiring story.  And the song tells some of the more scary realities of living with an eating disorder.  I think the song is good, but I don't think it has everything right.

I'd be interested to hear what y'all think!!

Keep ROCKING OUT with that RECOVERY SWAGGER!!

God bless,

<3  Becca

The little, light blue, convertible Volkswagen Beetle that could.

Okay, so I haven't blogged in a while. And for all intents and purposes, "a while" in this instance means a heckuva long time.

But instead of catching up and recounting what has happened to me the past however many months, I instead want to share my message of hope in the form of a metaphor loosely based on a children's story....that can be applied to people of all ages.

Are you familiar with the story of the "Little Engine That Could"?? If not, I suggest you stop reading this blog post, google the story, and after researching/reading it, continue reading this.

While this story is an excellent metaphor for anything we go through in life, I have not always been a fan of it. I have, at times, thought to myself, "This story is so cliche. Sure, it may give hope to some people, but really?? A little train engine that talks and by repeating the phrase 'I think I can' over and over is able to overcome adversity?? Good in theory, but does not apply to my life."

It has been only recently that I have translated the story, with my own personal spin on it, to my own life.

For me, I submit the title of the story be "The Little Light Blue, Convertible Volkswagen Beetle that could."

Why this title?? I'm glad you asked!! A light blue, convertible Volkswagen Beetle is my dream car. My first car was a Beetle, and I now have a Toyota, which I love, but I still yearn for that light blue convertible bug (black soft top).

I have come to think of my life in terms of the newly-revised title I proposed. I, of course, play the role of the light blue, convertible Volkswagen Beetle who could. Below, I will tell the story, and you can decipher it in terms of Recovery. I think it will be a fun little game.

Once upon a time, there was a little light blue, convertible, Volkswagen Beetle. The Beetle wanted nothing more than to drive on the interstate for the first time. But the Beetle was scared to try something new. "Surely there is a way I can undertake, and succeed at, this task," the Beetle said to herself one Summer's day.

The Beetle decided to go ask others she knew for help and encouragement. Everyone she talked to offered her words of advice and assisted her as much as they could, but after talking to everyone who offered her support, she realized it was really up to her to make it happen.

So, days passed by. As did weeks. As did months. As did years. Summer changed to fall changed to winter, for 8 years, and the Beetle still had not ventured on to the interstate. "I don't think I have the courage to take this giant leap," the Beetle said to herself.

One night in early January, the Beetle had trouble sleeping. She had a nagging feeling that there was something she needed to do for herself. She woke up and "paced" around the garage. Suddenly it clicked!! "Tonight is the night," she said. "I am going to get on that interstate, and nothing is going to stop me!!"

The Beetle slowly drove up the main road in the city that led to the interstate. Second by second, she gained more speed. She entered the ramp that connected the city road with the interstate. The Beetle went faster and faster and faster and faster. In a matter of seconds, before she knew it, she was on the interstate, going 70 miles per hour.

"Woohoo!!" screamed the Beetle, "This is the best feeling I have ever felt!! Why did I wait so long to tackle this feat?? I had no idea I could feel this HAPPY and FREE!!"

The Beetle kept an eye on her speedometer, but she pushed the gas pedal just a little bit harder so she could feel the wind in her face. "So THIS is what truly living feels like," she said. "Now that I've experienced this, I can't ever imagine going back to the world where I was scared to tackle my fears."

The Beetle kept cruising along the interstate, headlights straight ahead, only using her rear view mirror to remind herself of how far she had come, and how much further she was going with every passing rotation of her wheels.

I hope each and every one of you is having a blessed day.

God bless,

<3 Becca