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Posts from the ‘Health’ Category

Jun 9

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More and Less

“If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.” – William Blake

We can change our life with simple shifts – in our perspective, in our habits, in our thoughts, in our actions. We often delay making changes because we think dramatic big moves are required. So we put off living the life we want to live until tomorrow, overwhelmed by the bigness we’ve created in our mind and need for perfection.

Instead of overcompensating – turning the wheel too hard when we hit ice – only a slight adjustment is needed to prevent the tailspin, to balance out. To shift, we need both more and less at the same time.

More … gratitude, awareness, clarity, joy, kindness, generosity, hope, spirit, patience, faith, forgiveness (of self and others), confidence, play, simplicity, laughter, quiet, purpose, engagement, flow, compassion, fun, creativity, light, love.

Less … complaining, resistance, over-thinking, judgment, complacency, gossip, comparison, regret, busy, shadow.

Not more or less, but more and less. Today, not tomorrow.

Jun 1

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From I Think I Can to I Did It

“Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” – Golda Meir

We are three weeks out from Grandma’s Marathon, hence the 20 mile run. Last year, my brother ran his first marathon. This year, my niece Emily is running her first marathon. I am training for my third marathon in October, inspired by many who have gone before and encouraged by friends and family. Each of us can and are called to inspire, encourage and be encouraged by others.

Yesterday, I ran 13 miles of Emily’s 20 mile run, mostly behind her of course. It was in the low 80s most of the run. It was a hot one.  John and Tina followed along on the bike with water, Gatorade and a cow bell.  I remember my first marathon and am so excited for Emily to experience the fruition that comes from the seeds she’s planted, the work she’s done to get here.

“Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles.” – Alex Karras

“Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles.” – Alex Karras

While it’s an important part of the training plan, the 20 miler is more important mentally than physically. It give us the confidence and reminds us that all the work over the past three months will pay off and we have it in us to finish 26.2 miles. We’ve done the work, now enjoy the ride.

We often need to overcome our own definitions, limitations and perceptions of what’s possible, to believe in what we are made of and to act on it. Whether it’s a marathon or another dream that’s written on your heart, pursue it vigorously, put in the work and know that you have it in you to finish the race.

May 28

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What We Leave Behind

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

I sighed when I read Maya Angelou passed away today. What an inspiration, artist, creator, model, survivor, thriver, poet, leader, writer, lover of life.

What will we leave behind?   Not just at the end of our life, but at the end of each day as we pass through people’s lives.

Seeds or weeds
Inspiration or angst
Light or shadow
Joy or pain
Laughter or tears
Kindness or callous
Soft or hard
Delight or doom
Passion or indifference
Faith or doubt

What power we have each day to leave a something lasting behind, to be missed when we leave, to cast light in an often dark world.

You will certainly rest in peace Maya Angelou since you offered so much peace and love as you passed through. We pass through for such a very short time. Carelessly and relentlessly scatter perennial seeds of love that remain long past our time on earth.

“I know for sure that loves saves me and that it is here to save us all.” – Maya Angelou

 

May 27

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Take a Seat

“At some point in your growth, it starts to become quieter inside. This happens quite naturally as you take a deeper seat within yourself. You then come to realize that though you have always been in there, you have been completely overwhelmed by the constant barrage of thoughts, emotions, and sensory inputs that draw on your consciousness. As you see this, it begins to dawn on you that you might actually be able to go beyond all these disturbances.” – Michael A. Singer, The Untethered Soul

“Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing.” – William Butler Yeats

“Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing.” – William Butler Yeats

Go beyond and deeper, growth is a life-long proposition. When we are finished growing, we are finished. Amidst the constant barrage, you are there ready to rise above it all. When our roots are strong, the wind can move us but never break us. Take a seat deep within, buckle up and start enjoying the ride, in profound awe and without hesitation. Each moment, each day offers a chance to bud and bloom anew.

May 13

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Flow

“You are either trying to push energies away because they bother you, or you are trying to keep energies close because you like them. In both cases, you are not letting them pass, and you are wasting precious energy by blocking the flow through resisting and clinging.

The alternative is to enjoy life instead of clinging to it or pushing it away. If you can live like that, each moment will change you.” – Michael A. Singer, The Unteathered Soul

There’s freedom in choosing for oneself, and that’s the only person we can choose for. We bind our energy and days trying to change others or our circumstances when our focus should be on our own life. And in living a good life a moment at a time, we can move outside of our own limited sphere and make an impact on the world, or at least our corner of it. When we find flow and move beyond “me,” the world opens up and our days our filled and fulfilled.

Apr 24

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Downtime

“We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-center ourselves. And we’ll also have a lot more joy in living.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

“A light heart lives long.” – William Shakespeare

“A light heart lives long.” – William Shakespeare

Lighten up and take it easy. Rush into a conversation without looking at your watch, laugh with friends, go for a long leisurely walk. The world falls back into its proper place when we learn to pursue and seize the joy-filled moments woven through each day. Downtime quiets us long enough to rediscover gratitude and delight.

Mar 30

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Grace Again

“Grace is not part of consciousness; it is the amount of light in our souls, not knowledge nor reason.” – Pope Francis

In the Thornton Wilder play, The Skin of Our Teeth, when the main character George Antrobus is asked what he has lost, he says “the desire to begin again,” noting that it’s the most important thing in life. Each day and every day, we have the opportunity to begin again.

Oftentimes, we allow a few “bad” moments to take our entire day or even week hostage. When we honestly reflect on those days, we realize that there was so much more good in them, but we let the bad trump the good.

By the end of Friday, I had a series of encounters with people demanding me to do what they wanted because it was the most important thing ever. And instead of letting it roll off my back, I let it get to me. 24 hours, a seven mile run and the gift of grace put the “world” back into proper order. And despite the critics, I am going to begin again.

A few definitions of grace include “beauty of form” and “unmerited favor of God.” It’s both really – God giving you the ease and strength to maintain your beauty of form when you don’t feel like it at all.

Grace is the ability to be quiet instead of reacting with our first selfish thought. To choose light over dark. To edify rather than criticize. To let others do what they do and not let it sway your resolve. To let go of the need to be right. It’s a real change of heart that allows us to choose compassion, empathy and love when it’s counterintuitive. It’s aligning our thoughts and heart with our actions. And in order to do all of this, we need the gift of grace and the peace that passes all understanding to intervene to make the seemingly impossible, possible.

Grace comes again to save the day.

 

Mar 5

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The Journey Begins

“There are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter. I realize of course that joy is not expressed the same way at all times in life, especially at moments of great difficulty. Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved.” – Pope Francis

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten 40 day journey leading to Easter. A time of preparation, prayer, reflection, contemplation, inventory, honesty. Going deeper and farther. Into the desert. To search. To find. To thirst. To be satisfied. Less becomes more. To be quiet to hear the whisper that we are loved, infinitely. And to return the love that has been modeled so stunningly for us. Life-changing if we let it enter and move us.

Mar 3

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New Shoes

“The most simple things can bring the most happiness.” – Izabella Scorupco

A new pair of running shoes, 9 degrees ABOVE zero with 30 degrees coming on Thursday and a run while it’s still light out with the girls brings great joy and delight. We need not search too far to find happiness in each day, even in Winter or on a Monday.

“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.” – Marilyn Monroe

“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.” – Marilyn Monroe

Feb 17

6 Comments

BINGO

“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A. A. Milne

The sound of a text on the phone – a text from Linda today “Another year cancer-free. Hugs and kisses.” Today marks 15 years to the day I was called on Ash Wednesday, 1999 to be told that I had stage 3 melanoma. I had to be reminded. I forgot. She remembered. That’s what friends and family do – they remember, they celebrate, they hold up a mirror to show us the best of us – our soul, our spirit.

We remember the offenses, we remember the struggles, we remember the day and minute we get the call. We need to remember the laughter, the lessons and the steps that lead us to the many victories, the celebrations. Tonight, I had dinner with family and played a little bingo. Laughing, winning the meat raffle twice and sharing special moments that make up a good life. So as the numbers are being called, remember to yell “bingo” when you win. It’s more often than we count.

“God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.” – James M. Barrie

“God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.” – James M. Barrie

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