one chance at a healthy me

Ok, so this thought has been haunting me since someone said it to me a few years ago...yeah, that's right...I've been thinking about this one thing for a few years! She said, "You only get one chance for a healthy body...this is it." Her thought went on to say that we only get one body and we should/need to take care of it. Convicting, huh?

So, while I was vacationing...I mean, lounging...in LA with my sisters, I made it a point to do something "active" everyday. I defined "active" as 30 minutes (or more) of increased heart rate activity. Some days it meant running, most days it meant swimming. Now that I'm back in Indiana, without a pool or the ocean, I am finding it harder to stay motivated...running around my neighborhood isn't as fun as swimming in the ocean or running along the shoreline! Here's a shot of where I was running...now that's motivational!

So, here I find myself saying (or writing) outloud in order to make a pledge...I will take care of this one body I have...I will take this one chance at a healthy me! Here are a few "everyday" things I'm going to try to increase healthy, active (non-lazy) living:

1. Take the parking spot further away from the store
2. Always return my cart to the "cart corral"
3. Using the front door instead of the garage
4. Walking the "long" way to and from classes
5. Wash my car by hand instead of taking it to the carwash
6. Limiting myself to 2 hours of tv per day

in order

Put these in the "right" order of importance:

• Family
• Work/School
• God
• Church

Uh huh...hard to do, huh? I've heard many variations of this list order. Of course, it heavily depends on your lifestyle, faith background, and family upbringing. Despite all the obvious differences that can influence this list...how you order these four items might just be the most important decision you make in your life! It will affect everything whether you know it, want it to, or will it to.

My husband works at a church, so this only complicates things...you'd think it would help clarify...wrong. Working at a church takes all four items and mushes them together...your work is the church, the church is your family, God is your boss (ooh, maybe that is the case wherever you work?), and on and on. So, let's say...it gets confusing. Then you add in any specific church's philosophy on the prioritization of these items. From church to church, the order of the list changes (the items on the list are pretty much the same). So...how do you respectfully employ the order that a church prescribes when your personal list is ordered differently? This can be applied to anyone's life though...working in a church or not.

The truth is, bottom line, that everyone has someone prescribing a list order for them: a boss, parent, friend, spouse, someone. The first problem arises when the your list and the prescriber's list are not identical. Yes, I said identical. This isn't a compatibility test where you can score relatively close and have a chance of making it together. If one item on this list is in a different spot...it demands life change. Whether you fight it or not, to morph your life to the order of someone else's list order means your life must change in a major way. Remember, we are talking about major things on this list...not trivial things like eating breakfast earlier or exercising more.

The second problem comes when the prescriber's list is enforced but not exemplified by the prescriber himself. According to them, the list is for everyone but them.

The hardest part is not ordering your own list, but rather living with someone else's. For me, my list is in this order:

1. God
2. Family
3. Church
4. Work/School

Unfortunately, that's not the end of the decision...

• How do you know when your prescriber's list is too different from yours?
• How much life change is appropriate to morph to someone else's list order?
• How can we hold each other accountable for living the "right" list order or not?

reconnecting

Reconnecting with people isn't as easy as having dinner or making a phone call. Recently, I had the chance to reconnect with two of my sisters that re-shaped my heart (and life). The most intriguing part is that I was aware of it as it was happening...an unusual occurence.

I can honestly say, now that I'm a "grown-up", that my sisters are my best friends. Looking back on the days when my mom promised this day would come, I didn't believe her with one fiber in my body. It is here...she was right. With an extended time in Cali with my sisters, we spent the time enjoying each other without the dark cloud of ticking time rushing by. We had three weeks and knowing that allowed us to invest in each other in an "every day" way. It wasn't a major holiday so the house wasn't totally crazy and there weren't a thousand things competing for our time. We spent it, willingly, with each other doing...well, doing life as it would be if we lived relatively near each other. We cleaned the house, did laundry, went to the farmers' market, brought the boys (my nephews) to and from camp, went to the movies, and shopped (oh yes, there is always shopping!). Nothing extraordinary...just every day life stuff. I couldn't have planned a better trip! We dreamt together about the day when everyday will be like the last three weeks...it couldn't come soon enough.

Leaving them this time was as hard as when they walked 2,000 miles away from me my freshman year at IU. Doing life together for three weeks gave us the perfect opportunity to re-learn who we are as sisters, as adults, but most importantly...as friends.

Realizations:

• Relationships work much better with simple dedication to staying connected.
• Family members really can be the best friends you'll ever find.
• Mom's know what they are talking about...at least my mom does.

sing out loud

I've been blessed enough to spend three weeks with my family in southern Cali...lounging. I miss Korry deeply, but I have to admit...I've been soaking it up before I head back to Fall semester of grad school (have I mentioned that this semester I will be taking both science and math methods of teaching?...I needed this vacation). There, I witnessed someone "in their element" and, suprisingly, it was not the "element" I would have expected anyone to consider their own.

I was walking down to the pool and from 3 buildings away (my parents live in a condo area with a public pool), I heard a man's voice singing. At first, I thought that someone had their radio or tv so loud that I could hear it from where I was. Wrong. As I walked closer to the singing, I slowed my step. I was SO intrigued...I realized it was live singing, unamplified, and unpredictable...unashamed.

Unashamed...that's what got me. He was singing at the top of his lungs without thinking about what passerbys would think about him! Ok, I'm a singer so you would think I would be able to do what he was doing...I've sung in front of over 13,000 people before...but a non-performance offering? Hmmmm. I found myself paralyzed...hiding behind a bush...waiting for him to get embarassed. He never did...even after he saw me. Just kept on singing.

Why is it we find ourselves so ashamed to be unashamed?

Do we care what others think for their sake or ours?

What does it take to run, jump, sing, whatever...unashamed?