Random Thoughts on Movement and Living Well

Many of us can agree that happiness can be seemingly fleeting and short-lived because, especially as we age, it can get harder due to the natural order. We may experience more illness, more physical pain with aging, financial difficulties, children flying the coup, and more trials due to aging parents etc. There are lots of potentially hard things to muscle through. There is a great book called “Living Joy” by Chris Stefanick, where he gives tangible ways to experience and cultivate a joyful life….which he describes as different from happiness in that you can suffer in situations but still have underlying joy. It occurred to me today that despite tools and steps, that joy can still escape us. Ultimately, he explains that joy is found in believing three fundamental facts about Jesus and living accordingly. My revelation today was that joy is buried deep in each of us…planted there by God. Just as faith can be easy to find in children, I think the same is true for joy. Children do ...

  As I sit trying a new yogurt flavor, I was struck by a theme I keep thinking about….the new normal. Many people may be feeling a bit like this now that we are in a different phase of covidness. Life is different, right? But, my need for a new normal has nothing to do with Covid. I am eating a different yogurt in my newfound normalness, and it is very different. During my recovery, I used to eat an amazing Greek yogurt that was silky smooth and had more calories than many ice creams. So much has changed and normal is still rather  illusive. My Saturdays are no longer consumed with long runs and recovery. And I cannot bring myself to eat that other yogurt. Looking back, it all seems so long ago now…… In 2019 (that was almost three years ago for those of us all warped by Covid time), it was probably in September (six months before Boston) that my sports medicine doctor said, “you know after Boston, you will have to find a new normal”. I responded with a dejected but honest, “...

  MOMS AND DADS, YOUR CHILDREN ARE LISTENING AND TAKING IN YOUR WORDS AND ACTIONS  I knew today was going to be a writing day but I prayed to God and said, “what shall I write about next?”   A few minutes later, I thought Fat Fanny. I have wanted to talk about Fat Fanny for a while, but I was waiting. Waiting for the right time, waiting for God to say, “it is okay now. It is time.” I hesitated to tell the story because it is about my mom and I don't want us to be misunderstood. So, I must start by emphasizing that my mom was an amazingly humble, giving, loving woman but she had a terribly negative self-image that I was very aware of from a young age. Even though I am going to write a bit about that, when it comes to my history of eating disorder, I do not blame either of my parents, anyone, or anything. There are multiple factors at play with any eating disorder development. I would not have traded my parents for anyone, I was blessed beyond measure. I just have to sa...

  The sky is not the limit Maybe you have big life goals.  How do you push yourself to achieve or do well without losing yourself in the process of mastery? Do you need to have any big goals? How do you know when a goal is within reach? When is it important to see a goal through?  What about those things that get in the way, our own limits? How do we deal with limits and obstacles? These are just a few of the many questions that run wild in my brain and end up looking like a labyrinth going nowhere. Sometimes, writing helps. Other times, I am still in a mental tizzy. Maybe just maybe, you want to look differently. Maybe you want to lose weight. But what if you are right where you need to be?   Maybe your body was not meant to be 5’8’’, xxx pounds. This blog is not about weight but it is about goals and limitations.   I see so many people out there wanting to lose weight or look a certain way; that is not meant for them anymore than me running like Shalane Flan...

  This picture was taken right after crossing the finish line  (Hopes, Wishes)….call it what you want or wish😉 Sometimes needs/wants/dreams can change in unexpected ways, or they can be the same and just perceived or understood differently. I was thinking about how I am finally getting better at doing what I need vs what I want.......for me having a disorder used to mean more exercise, less sleep, and less food. Chaos reigned in my malnourished brain, and I acted only on what my disorder wanted and not what I needed. I had a hard time praying and I felt virtually nothing. In 2019, my anxiety was higher than ever, and I said to a few people that if I were told I had a terminal illness, I would be okay with it. I was ready to die, even though I had everything in my life to live for and I knew it. I knew I was blessed to have all that I had. Even so, in 2020, though I had started the path to recovery, I knew that I had a secret weapon if life got intolerable here on earth…. wh...

WHO ARE YOU AND HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOUR LIFE? Be you, but you may ask, “well, how do I find me?”  Some of us find out early, some of us find out later.  I also firmly believe that we have never arrived when it comes to knowing ourselves. It is an evolution, am I right?   I just recently discovered that I am a cat person. Not exactly what I am getting at but it is something that I just realized in let's just say well-past my wonder years. When I was a young kid I had a progression of career desires….not that career defines who we are but it is maybe our earliest definition of ourselves and I for one, put a lot of value in it.  I wanted to be a stewardess or waitress at first….sorry if those terms are “wrong” but they were the terms used in my childhood.  Then when I was older, I wanted to be a teacher.  A good friend of mine (we were in about the 4 th grade) and I would pretend to have classrooms. In my room, Greg was always getting in trouble, and he...

Words and Hope Today, I came across the below Henri Nouwen quote.  I have been reading his books for a good fifteen years now.  His words move me always in such an inexplicable way. His writings had a great impact on me early in my journey and they continue to pop-up when I least expect them. Like today, when I really needed a boost to keep my hope alive; I came across part of this quote.  It is the amazing reminder that even in the midst of darkness, hope and God are with us even in the discomfort even if we do not realize it. “Hope is not dependent on peace in the land, justice in the world, and success in the business. Hope is willing to leave unanswered questions unanswered and unknown futures unknown. Hope makes you see God’s guiding hand not only in the gentle and pleasant moments but also in the shadows of disappointment and darkness. No one can truly say with certainty where he or she will be ten or twenty years from now. You do not know if you will be free or i...