Sickness and Health

I don't get sick very often. In fact, when I do get sick, I complain to Garr and say, "I hate this. I NEVER get sick!". Which is true most of the time. So last week I got sick. I had not eaten enough food which makes me weak anyway and on top of that, our A/C was out and we couldn't get the house cooler than 85 degrees! All of that just did a number on me. Two days later I was feeling about 75% better and kept getting more energy back every day.
So now I am feeling so grateful for my health. I am generally in very good health, no major health problems and that is a blessing. When I get sick it only lasts for a few days (except the kind of sickness that starts with nausea, vomiting, then leads to weight gain, swollen legs, etc and then ends nine months later).
There are days when I struggle to get up and get my workout in. On those days, I think of others who do not have the good health I do. When Christopher Reeve had his accident that paralyzed him, there were many days that I felt so grateful for my legs that work and my arms that work. Those thoughts led me to be grateful for my eyes that see, my ears that hear and my heart that beats strongly every day.
Whatever your health is, good or poor, find something to be grateful for. Find ways to look at the good parts of your body that work properly, that do their jobs the way they should. Find ways to be grateful for your body no matter the shape or ability. Be thankful for the things that you CAN do and don't focus on what you CAN'T do. If you are in good health, go out and exercise to ensure that your health will last longer and you will have the strength to do the things you want to do. To your health!

Love Yourself

Yesterday I briefly mentioned loving yourself. Do you honestly think that you can love yourself if you are not striving for the greatest potential that is within you? No! I mean, come on, everybody has potential and it is yours alone. You have something your best friend doesn’t have. Your neighbor has something you don’t have. But this isn’t about your friend or your neighbor, it is about you. You are not anyone else but yourself - duh! Can you believe I just said that? It’s such a sill thing to say, but it is true. Sometimes people get caught up in what others have or did or are doing and they become paralyzed in their lives because they think they have to be like someone else. It’s not true. You have to love yourself like you love your spouse or your kids or your parents. You are the only person that you have to spend your entire life with - 100% of the time. It’s better to love you and be happy with you than to be around someone you don’t like. Find the qualities about yourself that you like and write them down. Focus on those good qualities. Find a way to enhance them, to share them with others. Then find one thing that you don’t like about yourself that you can change. Not your nose, or other physical quality that would require major surgery! You could change your hair style or color, you could whiten your teeth, you could take an art class, learn to control your temper, stop procrastinating, lose some weight, smile more, pursue a hobby, make a career change, whatever it is that you want to do. Do something that is just you, then do it again and again and you will love yourself!

Choices, you can do it!

Don’t you ever get tired of hearing people try to blame their problems on someone else or something else over which they (think) they have no control? I am tired of it. I was listening to an ad on the radio today with some guy talking about how stress is making Americans fat. It’s the day to day stress, he says, not the big things that come once in awhile. Well, I thought, then why are some people that have stress in their lives thin? I’ll tell you why. It’s because of the CHOICES that a person makes in the midst of stress. I feel stress and I think that if I go out to dinner and eat a huge, fattening meal, or if I consume an entire package of Oreo cookies, that I will feel better. Well, I will for a few minutes, then I will feel lousy and fat and sick to my stomach. Thankfully I have never done that. But is that guy on the radio trying to tell me and all other Americans that if we eat salad, lean meat, fruits, whole grains and other healthy foods, lay off the junk food and exercise that we are STILL going to be obese because of stress? I don’t buy that for one second. If I am stressed, I can choose to go for a walk, listen to relaxing music, clean or organize and are of my house, call a friend, read, write in my journal or many other things that I may enjoy, or do I have to go for the bag of chips or cookies? It is my choice what I eat. It is also my fault and completely (for most people) in my control.
I also heard a woman the other day on TV say that ladies who are overweight just are and they can’t do anything about so just love yourself for who you are and don’t worry because it’s not your fault that you are overweight and their is nothing you can do about it. That is the biggest load of garbage I have ever heard! Notice in the previous paragraph that I said most people. I understand that there are some people that have thyroid issues or other medical obstacles and I am not talking about them. I am talking about those who say they are fat because of their genes, or they are stressed or whatever. You can make a change if you want to. You choose what you put in your mouth. You choose to exercise or not. Life is about choices and those of us who are blessed enough to live in a land that allows us freedom of choice need to take advantage of that opportunity. So make some good choices today. Choose to eat differently, to eat less junk food and more healthy food. Choose to exercise. You can do it. You have done other amazing things in your life. You have things that were difficult. You were scared or nervous or worried before. When? Write it down. What did you do that was hard, but you did it anyway? Now, how did you feel after you accomplished it? Write it down. Tell somebody. They will be proud of you. Then make any health changes that you have been wanting to make. Just do it. You will feel awesome! Good luck!

Fitness.......and chocolate!

Last night as I was eating my dinner I was thinking that today’s blog needed to be about fitness. For one thing, I love it! Next to reading, exercising is my favorite thing to do! On a daily basis anyway. I get up first thing in the morning, put my exercise clothes on, grab my water bottle from the fridge and run down to the basement for my daily routine. It’s a huge stress reliever and I love it! I can wake up totally tired, grumpy or unmotivated, and my the time my exercise routine for the day is over I feel awesome! I have often thought about how I can share this love of fitness with others without sounding pushy or being annoying. If I hear people talking about exercise or healthy eating, I try to listen in and see what they are saying. I read a lot about it and it is a passion for me.
Perhaps simply sharing my enthusiasm for fitness in my blog is the best way to help others. I am definitely not perfect at eating healthy. Chocolate is a favorite food of mine and I usually don’t go more than 2 days without having some. Yesterday I had one of those 100 calorie packs of grasshopper cookies! I love those. Today I have kept myself far too occupied to think about chocolate. Okay, that’s a lie because I just wrote a poem about chocolate. It’s a non-rhyming poem, in other words free-verse. I’ll share it with you and then I am going to go make a salad for my lunch.

Chocolate

I held the piece of deep brown
Smooth chocolate between my
Thumb and forefinger.
Not wanting to hold it too long
Not wanting it to melt
But it was the last piece and I
Wanted to be sure to savor it.

It began to melt
I slowly opened my mouth
And brought the chocolate
To my lips and tasted
The first smooth sweetness
Of my favorite candy
Waiting for my favorite
Part is the creamy center
Peanut butter!

P.S. It's okay to laugh!

I've got no strings

I’m listening to this cute song that my daughter had to memorize for her first-grade program. It’s called I’ve Got No Strings and it’s from Disney’s Pinocchio. The version of the song is very upbeat and fun. These little voices sing it and it’s so darling. As I was listening I felt overcome with emotion. If you have never listened to the words of this song, it’s not just cute. It has a very deep meaning if you look and listen.

I’ve got no strings
To hold me down
To make me fret
To make me frown
I had strings
But now I’m free
There are no strings on me!

Wow! What powerful words. It’s a children’s song, but think what can you do if you realize there are no strings on you! THERE ARE NO STRINGS! You can put strings on yourself if you would like. But wouldn’t you rather be free?

Hi Ho the merry-o
I’m as happy as can be
I want the world to know
Nothing ever worries me

I’ve got no strings
So I have fun
I’m not tied up
To anyone
They’ve got strings
But you can see
There are no strings on me

You have no strings
Your arms are free
And that’s the way
It oughta be
You have no strings
It’s very true
There are no strings on you!

Make your own interpretation. What are the “strings” in your life that hold you down? There are things that make you fret, that make you frown. Bad habits, bad attitudes, complaining, whining, negativity, rudeness, sin, procrastination, criticism, sarcasm, anything that brings you or others down. Can you cut those strings? If you think you can, you can. It may take a lot of work. Or maybe there is fear and lack of faith in your life. You want to move on and progress but there are certain strings that are holding you back from achieving your highest potential. It may mean a career change, it may mean an attitude change at work or wherever you are. But don’t you want to be free? I do. Each day I can choose a string that is holding me down and decide to cut it. Some strings will feel more like ropes, but they are still holding you down, holding you back. Change your life. Accentuate the positive and cut the destructive strings from your life so that you can be free!

If you want a copy of this song, you can find it on iTunes. The album is Let’s Go To The Movies and the artist is Music For Little People Choir

May 27, 2008

It's not easy being an entrepreneur's wife. Each day is different and if I don't watch myself, I can let the negativity, worry and stress get the better of me. But not today, and better as time goes on. What makes a person want to to follow his/her dream? What compels a person to do what he/she believes is their calling in life? I know what my main calling in life is. I have been doing it for over 12 years. It's being a mother. More about that later because I love being a mother and talking about it with other mothers.
For 12 years I have focused on being a mom and that is about all that I have worked on. There have been odd jobs for me here and there. Mostly cleaning jobs for homes or businesses. That's something I actually enjoy. I get to work alone, I don't have anyone watching me and telling me what to do or checking up on my work. I can listen to music and just move through my work and when I am done, I get to look at the cleanliness I have created.
Now it is time for me to step out of my comfort zone and begin to share the tings that I write. I am doing that with this blog. The poem I shared yesterday was written 5 years ago and I finally shared it! That was hard for me. That was a huge step out of my comfort zone, but I did it. Getting feedback was so validating for me. A few people responded to my poem and I thank you! Outside of my comfort zone is fear. Stepping out is showing faith. Then after the fear comes the triumph! I did it! I did something that was scary and it was okay. Now I don't have quite as much fear. I have more confidence. So do you know what I am going to do now? I am going to submit a children's story I wrote to a publisher. I'll keep you updated!

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day. Five years ago I wrote a poem that I like to read each Memorial Day. I have only shared it with Garr. Today I am going to share it with you. Have a great day!

The Veteran


A man in a wheelchair
Beard and long hair
Camouflage coat
Hungry and cold
Once he was young
His future so bright
He served America
Fought with his might
Now he’s a veteran
Missing one leg
Lonely and suffering
For food he must beg
Do I shun him
Or do I show grace?
It’s because of this man
that I have a place
To do as I choose
To be free where I live
And so in return
Something I must give
I reach out to take
This man by the hand
“Thank you so much
For being a man,
For serving this country
You’re brave and you’re kind
So when you are lonely
Just keep that in mind.”
I reach in my pocket
I’ve something to give
So this man a better
Life can live.

By Jennie Ovard