Daruma doll

Before I got pregnant with Violette I made a goal to get back down to 140 before I got pregnant again.  My sister wanted to get down to 116 (she's 5'3").  We filled in one eye of a Daruma Doll, shown above, and made a goal, and when we reached that goal we were to fill in the other eye.  Well, she got down to 117 and I got down to 142 before I got pregnant so technically we never met our goals so we didn't fill in the eyes.  My sister is coming home from her mission soon so I hope we can both fulfill our goals this time around!  I am close to it, but maybe I should change mine to my goal weight and not just a weight I need to be before I get pregnant again since I'm taking a break from having babies. 

Slowly getting it done the right way

The Daruma doll has a funny story.  Bodhidharma (Daruma) is believed to have been born as the third son to a king in South India. He then, following the instructions of his old master, left his kingdom to live in China. He immediately gained a reputation for, among other things, his practice of wall-gazing. Chapin mentions that the legend also claims that he sat facing a wall in meditation for a period of nine years without moving, which caused his legs to fall off from atrophy. Another popular legend is that after falling asleep during his nine-year meditation, he became angry with himself and cut off his eyelids to avoid ever falling asleep again. His discarded eyelids are said to have sprouted the first tea plant.

The recipient of the doll fills in one eye upon setting the goal, then the other upon fulfilling it. In this way, every time they see the one-eyed Daruma, they recall the goal. One explanation how this custom started says that in order to motivate Daruma-san to grant your wish, you promise to give him full sight once the goal is accomplished. This practice might also have something to do with the "enlightenment", the ideal attainment of Buddhism. This custom has led to a phrase in Japanese translated as "Both Eyes Open". Referring to ‘opening’ the second eye, it expresses the realization of a goal.