Revitalized

A great day for a ride.

It’s a brand new month with hordes of opportunities. The cold months are upon us. We have a lawn of leaves to rake, with buckets of pecans to gather. The air is crisp and geese are squawking overhead. Scenes of the fall harvest are upon us, and Christmas is just around the corner. I’m ready for a challenge, are you?

We’re back. Did you miss us? We missed you! Writing took a temporary hiatus. Isn’t it funny how we go through those seasons in our lives? Things we think are so important are not as important later as they were when they first seemed so important. Procrastination gets the best of me.

I became addicted to some silly video games for a season. (Joe put up with my randomness.) It’s unfortunate how things can get the best of us, and eat up our time like there is no tomorrow …before we know it, it’s tomorrow and we’ve wasted a whole day (or months) of doing absolutely nothing but gaining all those pounds back that we worked so hard to lose.

There is nothing wrong with having a hobby. They can entertain us and keep us out of the bars … or whatever other kind of trouble we might be tempted by. But with everything, hobbies are best in moderation. For me, video games are like a line of coke to a drug addict….bad, bad, and bad.

Luckily, I heard that inner voice (GOD) “What are you doing for the kingdom?” I was doing nothing but wasting time. The addiction was so inebriating I let chores slide, didn’t write in my journal, and I let correspondence go unanswered. I was a mess. I reached out to my prayer warriors and bless their souls, my desire to play those games was removed immediately. God is so good. When we pray for HIS will to be done, we can be assured He will answer.

The answer to our dilemma’s are so simple sometimes that we don’t pay attention because it’s so straightforward. Life is 10% of what happens to us and 90% of how we react to it. Too many times we blame others for our own unhappiness. Happiness is an attitude. It comes from within.

It’s easy to fall prey. Binge watching old episodes of The Office curled up under a blanket on the couch comes easy. But instead of that, how about you take this challenge with us? Whatever you were doing, make a conscious effort to do something different. This is a brand new month.

Here’s your challenge: 250 steps an hour… 12 hours per day. Can you do it?

My challenge: An opportunity to write again. Four weeks in November plus two freebie days: four blogs. I’m excited. Are you?

Until next time,

Thursday Threshold

Thirsty Thursdays are usually our break day. Joe and I like to have a frosty beverage at our local pub gathering once or twice a month. With the nation in shut down mode, things that used to be normal are things of the past. Just one more reminder to us to take advantage of every moment and every opportunity we have. We don’t know when that is going to be taken away from us.

I was looking at some of my previous posts and I came across this gem when we thought our journey was going to take us over the road. It can be used in all aspects of life, as far as I’m concerned.

AGKLM ~ an acronym meaning: All Good Kids Love Milk.
It is a system designed to help truck drivers focus on their driving, prevent accidents and save lives. In a way it can be used to help us focus on anything that lays before us.

• Aim high: set your goals high, that way you are always challenged.
• Get the big picture: Know what the end goal is and what the possibilities are.
• Keep your eyes moving: Be aware of your surroundings. Know when someone is trying to hold you back or interrupt your ambitions.
• Leave yourself an out: Don’t beat yourself up if you make a mistake. Put it behind you and start again.
• Make sure they know you are serious about what you are doing. Sometimes people don’t take us seriously. Make them know you are serious about your objectives.

Aging Gossipers Kindle Lickspittle Messages….can’t wait for A-Z 2020 Blogging Challenge!

See ya next time,

Mundane Performance

Just like every other day we tie up our sneakers and take a bottle of water out the door with us to get in that morning walk. Sometimes I just want to have another cup of coffee and stay snuggled on the couch with my fleece blankie writing in my journal. I even tried this morning by edging Joe to sleep in because it was raining out. There would be none of that.

Have you ever thought about it? Routine behaviors are what we spend sixty percent of our life doing. Going to work, doing grocery shopping, folding laundry, putting dishes away, or taking out the trash. Sometimes we lose our spirit when the everyday tedious routines give us no uplift, when there seems there is no vision. Sometimes we forget what we’re doing it for.

Today I did not want to go. It had been raining and everything was wet. First thing I did was step in a puddle. One wet foot. I bitched about it and then it wasn’t long after I stepped my other foot in another puddle. That sucked. Walking with wet feet sucks. It was a quiet walk for the most part.

On the way back there were a lot of frog sightings. Even saw a crawdad(?). They love the wet road. Their presence enlightened me. They were living in the moment, even though a car could have come along and squished the life out of them. The only way to keep life un-crushed is to live today to the fullest for the Lord, in all things we do. Every day is an important, ordinary day.

Until next time,

Weakness

What’s your weakness? We all have one. Some of us have more than one. For example I start one thing, and before I complete it, I’ve started three more projects. Joe tells me all the time that I cannot multitask and complete a project to the best of my ability. Simply said, if I am focusing on three projects at a time, one is not getting my full, undivided attention. Makes sense, however try explaining that concept to my boss.

Can you believe we are into our ninth week? That was the commitment. Nine weeks and I promised you would feel better and that you would even lose a few pounds. I bet you did. It’s a struggle every day. When you think it gets easy, you are not pushing yourself hard enough and that means it’s time to step up the walk. Go a little faster, maybe another minute, or another mile.

For the rest of this week, we are going to focus on one of our weaknesses. Maybe it’s picking all of the cashews out of the trail mix and having a little feast. Maybe it’s stopping for a latte every day on your way to work. Maybe it’s the late night snack. Maybe it’s not trying hard enough.

Mine is keeping up with Joe. He has longer legs than me, and trust me, I have to pump those puppies hard to keep up with him. On a good note, all of my miles are coming in under sixteen minutes. I know that might not sound like much, but nine weeks ago my average mile was 19:07. Today it was 15:50. Little things make big changes. Doing things on a consistent basis is key to meeting goals. It is not going to happen overnight. We are not going to really notice it until we look back through our notes and journals.

Take a look at yours. Congratulations! You’ve come a long way. Don’t give up now. Keep moving forward. Persevere.

Until next time,

Welcome Spring

Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend. We went out foraging for supplies. Not much on the shelves. I just have to say it’s not easy to walk through the stores during this time of year. There is about three inches of green pollen everywhere and they expect us to not cough, not sneeze, not touch our eyes or blow our nose. Good luck with that.  Hope everyone was able to find what they needed!

Cloud-Cuckoo-Land

Ah, yes, spring has sprung: pollen
Robin-red-breast, birds have sung: wheezing
Hummingbirds make their nests: coughing
Here they come, ants and pests: sneezing
Ah, yes, spring has sprung!

Puffed up eyes, feels a lot like sand: itchy
Guarded with tissue in thy hand: snotty
Yellow and green, dust everywhere: sniveling
Ah, yes, spring has sprung!

Flowers and blossoms in full bloom: appeasing
Wisteria’s drooping like a flume: still sneezing
Till up the dirt, dig the ground: sweating
Spread the seeds all around: whining
Get out the Harley, va-room, va-room: laughing

Ah yes, spring has sprung.


Do your best. Get out there and walk it!

Until next time,