Growing up, I watched cartoons. Jem, of course! I never understood why Jen wanted Reno and his wannabe cheating heart. Smurfs! Is it really that hard to find blue-moving things on the ground? And he had a cat, worthless! G.I.Joe, I found extremely boring. Gummi Bears, I loved the jingle. 

I also loved the old-time Looney Tunes cartoons, especially the ones that guessed what the future would look like. I’d watch those in the morning before going to school. And then Tiny Toons after school. 

I didn’t stop watching them when I got older. During my senior year in high school, I had a ritual of going to KFC and ordering three wings and a large mac and cheese. I’d go home and catch the end of DuckTales and settle in to watch Gargoyles. I treasured this time because my mother and brother were not home, and I could sit, watch, and eat in peace. 

And does anyone remember DTV? It featured cartoons set to popular music. The episodes were 15- to 30-minute segments on the Disney channel. I can’t find any episodes of it, but I enjoyed it.

What were your favorite cartoons to watch?

While grazing the aisles in TJ Maxx, my eyes landed on the above glass (which is really just an adult sippy cup, but I still use it), and I had to buy it. 

Growing up, I was surrounded by this pink cutey and all her Berry Besties: Orange Blossom, Lemon Meringue, Blueberry Muffin, and Lime Chiffon. Strawberry Shortcake and pals were in my cereal (which was delicious) on the lampshade, the bedsheets, the bedspread, and the pillowcase. They were also on the wall hanging above my bed, the curtains, the garbage can, my lunch box, my thermos…oh my goodness! 

Do you guys remember the lunch boxes, the trapper keepers, the notebooks? I loved it when it was time to go shopping for school supplies. There were so many options.

Focus ChaChanna: I’m also pretty sure I even watched the Strawberry Shortcake television show. And I don’t remember if I chose her or if she was chosen for me. 

Ma! 

Ma! 

Ma! 

I’mma need you to weigh in on this. 

For everyone else, what was the theme you were surrounded with when growing up?

As I am edging closer and closer to 50–I’m three years, one month, and 12 days out–I am starting to notice how food affects me physically, mentally, and emotionally.  The other day, I had eggs and whole wheat toast for breakfast and it just did not sit well with me that morning. I could feel it sitting in my stomach, and emotionally I didn’t feel good. I felt crabby and just yucky. I think it was the toast that put me over the edge, but I’m not sure.

At night, I have finally learned that eating something heavy such as mac and cheese, fried chicken, mashed potatoes or anything creamy for dinner does not sit well. So I have to pay attention to what time I eat, after eight o’clock I’m in dangerous territory. 

And, with my breakfast, I’m thinking I have to make it light as well. 

This is so annoying.

I just want my meals to be easy and no fuss, but now I have to rethink what I’m eating: is this gonna be too heavy for me, or is it going to make me feel crummy?

It’s also very fascinating to me what I am learning about myself after all these years. I’ve decided to keep notes on my phone to track what time I eat and how I feel after I ingest something. I’m not tracking every meal, just the ones that leave me rubbing my belly and being a negative nelly.

What’s something that you are learning about yourself?

I’m just gonna come out and say it. I’m old, ya’ll. This body don’t move like it used to. After months in the gym, my knees are not having it at the moment, and it is really annoying the crap outta me. I want to continue to workout the same way, and maybe I will in the future, and right now I’m being super dramatic while my knees recover, but this is so unfair. 

That’s it. 

That’s the post. 

First, my eyes, now my knees…47 is coming in like a stinky fart.

Random memory: Who remembers Bubba Til It Hurts or doing a Jane Fonda workout? My grandmother would vacillate between the two, and us grandkids would sometimes join her. I wonder if it still holds up. Hmm, I’m going to do some Internet searching to see. 

Did you Bubba Til It Hurts?

And, I’m back…

Did you miss me? I had to stop writing my off-the-cuff musing as I was inspired to focus on writing, which led to me completely refocus my business goals. I am now relaunching my podcast, This Is Your Time, and rebranding it as Writing in Color with ChaChanna. Look for it to drop on Saturday, April 5. I’m so excited. More details to come.

And now that the bulk of that is done, I was sitting here with my mango green tea and thinking, “I miss writing and sharing what comes to mind.” So here I is. 

You ever stopped doing something for a while because life be life-ing and feel a little void when it’s gone? Sometimes, it’s a responsibility that you are offloading because you just don’t have the energy anymore. Other times, it’s because you thought you didn’t like something, but after some distance, what you really didn’t like is maybe the frequency of doing it or the way you were doing it. And when you step back, you can see how you can bring it back into your life in a way that is manageable and enjoyable. 

So what do you miss doing? Maybe you can reexamine it from all sides and figure out a way to bring it back into your life. Let go of the all-or-nothing approach. Open yourself up to allow in the joy of doing something fun for yourself.