At first the idea of participating in a daily huddle seemed to be a bit hokey to me. There was a list of suggested phrases that many people seem to stick with as part of their huddle. As I read through all the possible things for spark points, I saw where you could get up to 5 points for huddling each day. Again, a bit hokey, but something caused this baby boomer to do the huddles. I mention being a baby boomer, because my generation responds to certificates according to the research. Apparently in what started out as a quest to see the new sparkspeople trophy, demonstrates I respond to spark points. No longer do I just keep a food log when it is convenient. I do it daily because I get points. (OK, I also see if I am any where near what my physician recommends.) Younger generations are thought not to be a lot of stock into a piece of paper or perhaps even points.

At first, if I tried a new team, huddling was just a nice way to say "I am new." Then I did some of the preprinted choices. Some where deep inside those failed to resonant. Then I decided to just simply not to use the suggested ones, but to make a few up. My spirit needed some freedom and some variety rather than stock phrases.

The first few that I created helped, but didn't exactly satisfy some inner need. I can't really explain why. There is a word limit to work within and sometimes the concept you wish to express just doesn't quite fit. As I kept trying, I discovered some magic in having meaningful huddles. I could be in a less than positive mood, but as I tried to express something positive to all my groups--my mood rose. It became an addiction challenged by the need to install a new hard drive and some newer software to my laptop. Yet, I persisted even if my huddles weren't always very early in my morning.

I now view the huddle feature a bit differently. Each time I composed a huddle expression and posted them to all my groups, I was repeating them to myself with each posting. Reading and expressing it over and over was like doing an affirmation. Odd since just saying an affirmation had never been very affirming to me. I guess they felt contrived and feel flat when I was the audience. Why was I repeating myself to myself with someone else's words? Odd again since I also strive to customize my affirmation, um huddle, to the appropriate audiences. Some how just trying to compose a huddle from my heart to motivate others was motivating me to be my best. I was experiencing something different from other attitude adjustmentsand diet attempts. I was becoming energized and trying to cheer others on to be energized as well.

Energy is a funny concept. According to Einstein, it cannot be created or destroyed. According to many philosophies, energy or the life force exists all around us. Some people are at peace with the energy. Some people radiate energy off just by being present. Others just blend, like I had been blending into the fabric of life. Steady, secure and present without hardly making a ripple when they move into a room. Sometimes, I think the security blanket of my weight protecting me helped me to blend or else created a need to blend since there are so many prejudices against fat people. On a rare occasion, I have ran across an "energy vampire." Even my back is to those individuals, I will sense the energy drain as they move through a room. I was left washed out and demoralized in their presence.

My new plan is to read the huddles at the end of the day. I plan to look for those brave souls who have caught the spark of energy and take the time to express something of their own to motivate others. I really don't know if my particular huddle comments have helped any one else, but I do know they have helped me. As I continue to grow into my new healthy lifestyle, my challenge is to change my "second nature" from trying to blend into the background into radiating energy and positiveness to others. After all the real secret is that you may do it to help others, but you gain far more than you loose. After all, energy cannot be created or destroyed. You tap into energy in order to radiate to others so you are never truly empty.