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“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.” — Matthew 11:28
Day 17 of the 21-Day Challenge and I feel blah. I know that there are worse experiences. I just don’t have the will to be more energized either. And I’m not going to spend a whole lot of space going on about this. I’m still able to get by without eating after 7:30 and going to bed before 11Pm. and doing my 20 minutes of rebounding. It is possible that I need to spend more time outside. I’ve been very lazy and I don’t like the icy streets, having fallen a few times since I’ve gotten older. Tomorrow I will go out for a short walk.
“The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It’s who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.” ~Luke 6:44-45 The Message
This little paraphrase makes me chuckle on this 15th Day of the 21-Day Challenge. I know what a hypocrite I can be– endlessly rattling on about what is and isn’t healthy, and then sneaking my little sweet treats, or not getting out for a good walk for three days in a row. Do I look healthy? No, not particularly– especially not when I have been in front of the computer for hours on end.
Is my spiritual life ‘a good tree’? No, again not particularly. I watch my good neighbor walk with some pail of something over to visit the old fella who lives behind us. She stops to pet the chicken who comes to greet her. She is not aware of my watching her. She is a good tree. I can learn from her.
My blessings are the same each day: health, husband, family, comforts. How often do they need to repeat for me to start getting it?
Today I read a part of Day #6 of my website building program and feel like my eyes have gone all haywire. I got a box of books from Amazon in the mail. It is little wonder I look like I’m in my 60s.
I am going to bed now before I get too much more negative…lol.
No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” ~1 Corinthians 10:13 The Message
I have to chuckle. I am sitting here thinking about how well I am doing with this 21-Day Challenge– particularly not eating late at night– and then my mind suddenly took a sharp turn and landed on a vision of eating some melting organic chocolate chips that I have in the cupboard. Today I was explaining in our children’s class at church that temptation is wanting to do something that you know is not right. The kids could get this. I wonder what they would think if I confessed my myriad temptations to them. I think I’ll wait a couple of years.
We had a baptism today. One of the young boys in my class made his outward stand, fortunately in warm-ish water. Last night there was some indication that the fancy computerized water-warming system wouldn’t work, but after prayer and internet research (my husband) and an early morning trip to the Church (my husband), the system kicked in. Before his immersion, he sang “Give Thanks with A Grateful Heart“. He had a sweet, pipe-y little voice and it was very touching to see him sing with his Mommy. This was one of my huge blessing today.
I skipped ahead to see what is coming up for the ‘talk’ that Fred generally includes at the beginning of each week (tomorrow). One of the things he is suggesting is that we find something fun to try for exercise– rock climbing, rollerblading, etc. I’m not quite there yet but I am willing to try something different. I am going to order this tonight to see if it will help me along. It sounds like it will fit the bill for me. My kind of exercise. You can rest assured that I will do a full report on it (heheh).I’m still waiting for my new URL to activate. You can check it out here — there won’t be much to see at first, but within the next month (February 2008) it should start to fill out.I am grateful for my health, my family, and my faith community.God bless,
“You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” ~Acts 1:8
Another week draws to a close in the Comox Valley. My husband is out filling up the baptismal tank at the Church so that a young fella (age 9) can make his outward commitment to Jesus tomorrow. My dishwasher is doing its noisy work and any minute I expect a call from my Dad, ready to talk about his week. Life is sweet.
This week I made some new friends and heard from some old friends. Friends are sweet.
This 21-Day Challenge has not proved to be much of a challenge to this point. I have managed to keep to a 20-minute bounce every day for 12 days (that equals a total of 4 hours of bouncing) and I’ve been able to stop eating by 7:30 p.m. without too much discomfort. There were a couple of nights where I didn’t quite make it into bed by 11:pm, but I was close. It’s great for me to have this “challenge” and I have plans to continue past the 21 days.
Order and routine are not natural to all of us. This morning I spent time with a couple of pregnant young women who are attempting to turn their lives around so they can parent their babies, drug-free. Their stay in the local Maternity home is relatively short. Anyone who comes in “to support” them needs to have a focus on helping them to acquire habits that will carry over into healthy parenting.
I can’t imagine what it is like not to have a committed “support group” in my life: my church family, my immediate and extended family, even my Toastmasters Club– all of these people offer me a range and variety of guidance and encouragement. What must it be like to have no one who really cares? That would have to be the perception of some of these ‘homeless’ young women. If someone really cared, they wouldn’t be homeless. Along the way they would have received the message that they were valuable and made in the image of God. They wouldn’t be living in a charity home, hiding out from people who want to exploit them, claiming to want to “have this kid” but smoking in spite of magnetic signs all over the fridge and literature strewn about signaling the importance of NOT smoking during pregnancy if you want your baby to have an optimal start in life.
They have the right desire, though, and God will honour that.
The same goes for all the rest of us sinners. Me, with my inability, it seems, to avoid occasional overeating although I know that I will feel yucky afterwards. You with your personal bugaboos. The fact is that we ALL have someone who cares for us– someone who sticks closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24) and who cares even more for us than the ideal earthly birth parent ever could (Luke 11:13). This kind of love is sacrificial beyond our full understanding. Fortunately, we don’t have to be “perfect” to receive this love. We only have to ask.
I can’t imagine a person becoming a success who doesn’t give this game of life everything he’s got. ~Walter Cronkite
Well, I think I catch on to this. I haven’t had any big problems with the challenges in this 21-Day program that I have set up for myself. Probably in a couple of days I will have to notch it up again, and I will.
It’s been a busy couple of days for me. Last night I presented a short ‘educational’ stint on the ‘grammarian’s role’ at my Toastmasters’ Club. Today I worked hard to get to the point of registering my domain name for my soon-to-be new site called A Natural Gran . The idea will be to have a perspective on caring for oneself (the Gran) in a natural way, and also getting back into the loop re parenting and grandparenting… knowing what ’styles’ of parenting are in vogue and learning to be a co-operative agent of that and not a dinasaur of another age. I know the ’site concept’ is a little broad (to say the least), but I’m confident that it will hold me in thrall, and I definitely need that element (otherwise, how do you explain all the tens of blogs I’ve started over the past few years?). My audience will be the women (maybe some men) of my generation and age; perhaps the odd mom or dad of our children’s generation, but I doubt it.
I am very sorry to read of losses to friends over the past couple of days: my friend B. is going in for major surgery in February and another friend, also a B., had breast cancer last year and is in recovery– doing well, but oh my! taking tamofloxin every day. Another friend just lost his Mom last Thursday (his name also starts with a B.) I need to go to bed soon and say prayers for these three precious folks.
I have made two on-line friends over the past couple of days, both through blogs. They are each grannies like I. I ‘guest blogged’ on one of the sites and might be doing more of that… some real networking taking place.
“I’m easily satisfied with the very best.” ~Winston Churchill
This morning–Day #9 of the 21-Day Challenge– I woke up with a sore ‘wing’ (the scapula on my right side of my back)– an old car accident whiplash that flares once or so every couple of years. I spent some time doing BSFF and it cleared nicely. It really is quite remarkable that something so ‘quiet’ (none of the tapping of EFT) can be so quickly effective. Tonight I’m noticing that I’m revisited with some of the stiffness, so I will do some BSFF when I go up to bed. It DOES work.
I had no problem with not eating after 7:30 pm, and not only did I do my 20+ minutes of rebounding with no big problems, but I also went for a walk with Ed and Zoe tonight in the sub-zero weather because I was feeling the lack of fresh air. Now, that is pretty funny– it’s not ‘fresh’ out there with everybody and their amped up wood fireplaces.
I regret a couple of things today. I didn’t jump into working on my website, as I had hoped that I would do. I’m not quite sure why I have such resistance around that… it must have something to do with my not exactly ‘getting’ the whole thing around keywords and finding a niche to hang my brand on, or whatever. I will have to do something about it soon, though. Possibly on Thursday. Tomorrow is Wednesday and I usually dedicate that to getting ready for Toastmasters. Tomorrow night I have to present an ‘educational session’ (2 minutes) on the Grammarian’s Role. I AM the grammarian tomorrow, so this should be a very good learning experience.
Another thing I regret about today is that I didn’t do my guest blogging on Moomette’s Gram’s Musings as I said I was going to do. I’ll have to get to that tomorrow– at least send in the text so she can decide when she wants to use it. And then I will have her guest on one of the GrannyX sites. It is fun to make such connections.
Another thing I did today that was pretty impulsive was to connect up with another affiliate networking group… I will bring in the link when I’ve learned a little more about what I’m doing there. Today I sort of went around and took a brief look through bleary eyes and ’set an email’ of 2 lines that will be cast out into the wind of the actual site membership… who knows– I may end up with a new downline… that is what is supposed to happen. Wouldn’t that be just amazing? I sure am ready. I need to get to work on my website but I have the affiliate stuff down pretty good. It sure makes sense to me. I like working with a team of (mostly) women, with a woman who visioned the whole affair. It is breathing some new life into my concept of network marketing. It’s a pleasure to work with another woman to help her attain some of the technical skills that I have (who would ever have thought I would say something like that?) And I also am looking forward to getting to know my new friend that I met the other day at the Toastmaster’s Training… her name is Robin and she is working to help people learn about streaming video so they can use it in their on-line communication. Here is a sample of her email to me. See if it works. On the email it comes across so very nice and clear without any of the usual breaks etc. I believe I will be a client…hehehe.
Well, must now hit the hay… it is getting late.
Talked to my dear son today, as well. He is doing well in Quebec. My other son called from the Philippines the other day. His voice was as clear as if he were just in the next room. Ah, this modern life!
You can do what you have to do, and sometimes you can do it even better than you think you can. ~Jimmy Carter
Wow, maybe I should have chosen the “challenge” of going to bed before 10:30 haha– I’ll do that next week if it is an option. I’m right wiped out tonight and can hardly wait to hit the pillow!
Today– #8 in the 21-Day Challenge– I decided to stop eating at 7:30pm and was able to do that with no problems… although it might be because in the afternoon I discovered a cache of granola bars in Ed’s office while he was out and devoured the lot. I wonder how old they were. I wonder if he will notice.
I am a little disappointed that I wasn’t motivated to get into building my SBI site today since I want to get going on that earnestly before long… but tomorrow for sure!
I googled the woman I met yesterday on my Toastmasters’ training and found this very fun little ezine piece she wrote. I think we will become great friends.
Well, I’m off to bed. I don’t feel like I have anything scintillating, or even vaguely interesting, to share tonight. I am ever so grateful for my Health, Husband and Family & Friends.
Oh yes! A fellow blogger and I are going to “guest” on each other’s sites! I am going to get up tomorrow and blog for her site Moomette’s Gram’s Musings and she, in turn, will blog on my GrannyX blogger site. We met in the Grandparent Bloggers group at Blog Catalog. If you are a grandparent blogger, come join us!
“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” ~Margaret Thatcher
I’m pretty exhausted tonight… it’s a ‘good tired’. I took the ferry over to Powell River this morning and did a full day of training for Toastmasters, and then got back on the 6:30 ferry. Had fun, met some very nice folks.
Started the morning with a quart of Green Smoothie on the boat. It was truly delicious and I was able to eat just a few raw veggies, a little hummus and a bun for lunch. Oh, and a piece of celebratory cake– the Sunshine Speakers Toastmasters Club is now 35 years old.
We’re asked to amp up this part of the 21-Day Challenge for the coming week by making one of our 3 Positive Habits a little more challenging. I have amended the Diet & Nutrition Habit to read:
“I will stop eating after 7:30 p.m.”
Now, this will truly be a test of my resolve. For example, tonight I got off the ferry all hungry and looking forward to a snacky-type supper of some sort with Ed. I went to Safeway and bought some carrot muffins and a large squash (for tomorrow). I scarfed down a couple of muffins and when I got home I grilled a soy burger and ate it between two pieces of Denman Island raisin bread (the best). I finished before 8 pm, but I would have had a hard time doing the same before 7:30pm. It will require a little more planning. I honestly DO feel better when I stop eating earlier in the evening.
This morning I did all my rebounding to the “Women of Faith” CD for 20 minutes. It went well. I know that I also need to get out and walk. I’ll start that next week. heheh
“Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.”~Napoleon Hill
Today was the Sabbath. I got up and did my 20 minutes of rebounding, partly to a couple of cuts from a Women of Faith CD, just to add a little variety. I find the rebounding a little boring and something to ‘get through’. I wonder if I will hit a place where the rebounding will be a joyful addiction… I know that there are runners who feel guilty when they don’t run (go through withdrawal) but who don’t experience any real endorphin high. I hope it’s not that way for me… I need the joy to keep it up.
We had a lovely coming-together of various people as we planned an appreciation day for our pastoral family for February. As I went over my form asking for a list of 5 Successes for the Day I thought to myself, not successes, but BLESSINGS! Somehow, successes feels for me too much like something I am taking the credit for entirely… but blessings speak to me of those beautiful synergystic moments that I share with God and others.
So, the blessings included having one of my dear sisters show me in the file cabinet where some materials were that I need for next week’s baptismal forms (me being the Church secretary these days)– I had totally gapped on needing to do anything like that in advance of the day. Another blessing was that Ed and I had a lovely restful afternoon with our doggie. We drank about a quart or so of green smoothies and I didn’t eat any chocolate.
I’m not too keen about the idea of going across the pond by ferry tomorrow to some Toastmasters training in the morning (I’m the secretary for our club and we have to attend training twice a year), but I’m sure I’ll enjoy it when I actually get there. Ed is going to be spending the time with a buddy from Saskatoon who did a seminar in the Nanaimo Church, and with another mututal friend here. He is going to take a salad for their lunch at the other fellow’s. He likely would have gone empty-handed if I hadn’t suggested he do this. Ah well, he’s a great guy.
So, I’m off to bed before it gets too late tonight, because I am really tired. Going to bed before 11 p.m. is a very good habit for me. Actually, going to bed before 10 would be an even better habit and one I might pursue in my next21-Day Challenge. I will also attempt to stop eating after 7 p.m. Sounds fair. I’m not sure about increasing my rebounding. We’ll have to see how that works out.
