How would you spend your last 24 hours?

If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. 

So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.  -- Romans 14:8



 

 

Ho! Ho! Ho! mixed with a little Bah! Humbug! and a teensy bit of "It's the End of the World as We know it!" set to music.  Once again the Christmas season snuck into my life.  I need snow!!! This Southern no snow surrounding plays tricks on my mind that there is loads of extra time.  It is 12-22-12 (and four minutes) as I write this blog.  Which means I am still here and hope the rest of the world is doing as well :) These last couple of days my hubby and I are trying to squeeze in as much of the holiday spirit as we can as most households we have been experiencing colds, bugs, viruses, and just the yucky mean germs.  I have been scrubbing surfaces with one hand and blowing my nose with the other.  And then I looked at the calendar and either the world was supposed to end or I had less than three days to decorate, send out christmas cards, enjoy the holiday, and shop and wrap like there is no tomorrow!  No problem! 

 

We put up our tree while our little two year old slept snugly in his bed and I wish I had taped his reaction.  It was priceless - Speech Therapy is doing wonders as we actually had a spontaneous conversation - a limited vocabulary but he definitely led the topics ;)  And slowly as the week progresses the ornaments are moving farther North on the tree, inch by inch,  I am surprised it is still standing as there is so much weight to the top and none on the bottom :)  I also insisted on Tuesday that we go out and have some Christmas fun and to look at a Christmas Tree festival where local businesses and organizations sponsor and decorate trees.  So many fun themes - my favorites include a snowman, an angel, Wizard of Oz tree, and Special Needs Awareness.  Beautiful and creative and FREE!  What a fun way to find some cheer. 

 

So my question "How would you spend your last 24 hours?" (Obviously assuming you know its your last day.)  This also is predictable around the 12-21-12 date but it was a question I asked my youth Sunday School class last week.  It was my attempt to wrangle in the conversation and facilitate around my point.  However, I was expecting similar answers to mine - something low key with family and friends to just spend time with those we love.  I forgot how teenagers think.  There may or may not have included an answer of peeing off the Eiffel Tower.  And I may or may not have pointed out half your day would be spent traveling encouraging a new answer that only changed the building not the activity.  I also may or may not have had a youth say they would do all of the crazy (good or bad) events they have always wanted to try and spend the last hour in confession to be forgiven.  I appreciated the desire to be absolved but again was looking for time with those we cherish.  But it was their choice and I appreciate their feedback (at least they're talking is the silver lining :)  

 

Also to be fair I was on my third dose of cough medicine mixed with pain relievers/fever reducer and a combination of not such good sleep.  It is hard to be enthusiastic when in the back of your mind you are counting down to climbing back into bed.  But I think that question has hung with me all week.  How do I want to spend my time? I knew the people (my husband and son) and everyone else I love is bonus :)   And though I was 99.9% sure I would see 12-22-12 and many days after I certainly didn't want to miss a special moment with my family.  We have been rushing around like crazy because of the holidays, changes we've made in our household, and just my anxious personality that doesn't want to miss a thing!  My hubby gave me permission the other night as I stood and complained of being overwhelmed.  He gave me permission to just play with my son - to forget the chores/duties/whatever other events were bogging down my spirit.  He encouraged me to have fun and enjoy this precious time.  So today we did.  We admired the tree, we colored, we played fort, we tickled, we giggled, we sung, we ran errands (which got a bit tense) but we brought our dog which pleased my son and puppy to no end :)  And then when my hubby got home we popped some popcorn and watched a Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas which my son was glued to the television.  He agreed to snuggle because I agreed to sit on the floor.  We then went to a live nativity at our church which is amazing!  My son was so excited to see a real camel.  We then told him he could pet it and he took four steps back shaking his head no!  We walked the town, signed the census, saw the shops, and heard some stories. But at the end we saw the Holy Family and heard the angel's message and then heard my own angel sum up the event with a "hee haw" at the donkey and pointed to the star of Bethlehem - telling us to "Look!" "Look!"  We grabbed a cookie for the road and drove around looking at Christmas Lights.  We all agreed on a house that was both beautifully decorated and gorgeous and Drew's approval to live there.  I am guessing it only costs 1.1 million ;)   Kind of out of the stay at home mom's budget but who knows - miracles happen every day :)  We picked up chinese food on the way home - our bug-a-boo went to bed with no fuss.  It really was the way I would like to spend my last 24 hours -  Creating memories with my loved ones, remembering and honoring my Savior's birth, a little bit of indulgence and dreaming, and feeling warmed by the magic of Christmas (Hope, Love, Joy, Peace).

 

May your HealthFULL Journey leave you Feeling Unbelievable and Loving Life as you ponder, enjoy, and cherish this Christmas Season.  May you know the Reason for the Season and may you feel surrounded by love. 'Til we meet again. . . 



Nice long warm up

I was rested and my baby was still resting which means perfect time for a work-out.  I had picked up two DVDs to try new movement from the library.  With a little apprehension and a little giddiness I popped in Mr. Kung Fu. Oh don't worry that's not the name of the DVD.  It was a beginner's DVD for Tai Chi and the narrator/host was David Carradine.  It was fantastic.  There are two parts and I did the thirty minute work out for the mind.  The experience was like completing a thirty minute warm-up/cool-down.  No I didn't burn billions of calories.  But I moved, didn't fret, didn't get frustrated, and let go.  It was nice to not have to give myself a pep talk that I'll be able to catch my breath in less than a minute or stare at the DVD counter - only 12 minutes to go.  This work out was calming and encouraging because I didn't have to modify any of the instructions.  I just followed along.  It was a good DVD to ease back into a daily movement routine.  Also was a great reminder that I like to try new things and appreciate different ideas if I ever want to work out while watching television so I don't feel like such a bump on the log and something else to do besides munch on snacks.

Speaking of munching.  Our little one is starting to eat his veggies and fruits.  Today the plan was to start eating apples (he has tried quite a few of the veggies).  I grabbed the jar, my hubby had the camera and our son seemed confused by the taste.  He's only had veggies before today.  We kept saying how yummy the apples are.  I had tried a quick bite (they were awfully sweet which I thought accounted for the not quite apple flavor).  Our son grew into the taste and he cleaned out that jar.  I looked at the label and the ingredient list caught my eye.  Organic Pears? The food industry is just getting ridiculous using pears for a baby's introduction to apples.  Then I flipped the jar around.  Oh the food industry wasn't to blame for this jar of food.  No mommy grabbed the wrong jar.  So pears were the first fruit for our son.  But this "mommy fog" moment made me think a couple of different things.  My son is a genius to question that this food was not apples.  But also that I had convinced myself that the jar was apples and then even when I tasted the fruit and it tasted off.  I accepted the fact without investigating.  How often am I shoveling food in my mouth because I have told myself it is good or that I like it and really have stopped tasting the food.  Or even allowed myself the chance to let my food taste buds change.  There are a lot of things as a kid not a big fan and a lot of things as a kid as an adult not as yummy (or help the body feel good).  Wouldn't it be sad that my tastes hadn't changed in thirty years?  Don't we get stuck in patterns of all sorts because we used to like the item or hate them?  How many people still have the same favorite color as when they were six?  Is it still truthfully your favorite color or you just tell yourself it is?  How about your favorite food? Let's say your mom made the best spaghetti or lasagna or barbeque chicken or meatloaf (etc. you get the point!), is it still your favorite meal?  Sure they make it when you go home and you enjoy it because it brings back great memories.  But maybe you found your own meatloaf recipe and now that's your favorite but you let your parents think theirs is still number one.  I am not saying that is right or wrong.  But don't we hinder our growth and stand in our own way to keep things simple, non-offensive, time-saving, etc.? That's why we sometimes find ourselves in ruts.  We travel the same path over and over for whatever reason and forget that there are choices involved.  You don't have to drink out of the green coffee cup because you do every morning.  You don't have to stop every Thursday at the local burger joint because you started going there when you got your job.  You don't have to do laundry every Sunday because that was laundry day in your house since you were six.  Again if you love any of these routines then they are not ruts.  You are still choosing these activities because they bring stability, smiles, comfort to your life.  But if you are frustrated with these monotonous actions then choose to change it up.  Treat yourself to a new coffee cup, try a new restaurant on Thursday, or find out if Friday morning laundry lets you feel like you have extra time in your week.  The simplest change can alter your life and remind you that you are still breathing and that choices are a good thing.  They remind us we have freedom, control of our own destiny, and individual preferences that make us unique.

May your HealthFULL Journey be full of wonder as you truly decide your routines, favorites, and free of "ruts". Don't forget to take time to warm up and truly embrace your potential.  'Til we meet again. . .  

The Little Things

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Today is the day we choose to celebrate the little and big moments we cherish with gratitude. Do you know what I am thankful for? A working toilet. Was that a thank-you at the top of your list too? If it wasn't; I am gonna guess you haven't had plumbing problems of recent weeks. Then you need to be thankful because our bathroom is slowly draining our patience *wink*. It is having one issue after another. We tried to ignore the initial problems or at least downplay them. But the toilet that one got our attention and a plumber on their way. The plumber was happy to give us an estimate for all of our troubles, but notice I am grateful for the toilet. One issue down and many more to address down the line. It was a slight problem. We would flush the toilet and it would do its thing. Empty the water and then fill back up. Keep filling the back tank. And keep filling. And not stopping. Do you know where the water went? Out the handle!!!! Like Niagra Falls. I am not a handy-person. But that, that was wrong and kind of gross. I know I know. It's just water. But ewwww!!! My husband and I both became scared of the toilet. It was a rough roulette. Because sometimes it worked and more often it did not. The toilet was winning the war because we were running halfway around the house to use the non-issue bathroom. When the plumber came for his first visit of what might sadly turn into many he quickly fixed our first issue. And as mentioned gave us an overview of what events have sadly played out in the bathroom and what could be done to remedy them. We've all been there. Those moments that need to be addressed but that we just want to ignore. Weight is that way for many people. One pound, Two pounds, five pounds, who is really going to notice. No one really, twenty pounds might get an extra look, fifty there is gossip or at least chatter, and then hundred piles on within a nanosecond it feels. But it doesn't happen in a nanosecond, probably not even a week, possibly a month, but most likely a year's plus of looking away choosing to ignore the current moment. Life is complicated there is no doubt. But life is full of choices. Do we fight or take flight? Sometimes we can't do it all. It would be nice to roll over and go back to sleep and ignore everything like: the pets that need to be fed, comforting the sick child, balancing the impossible check-book, sorting the mountain of laundry, washing the never-ending dishes and the list goes on and on for all of us. It is in the moments of chaos we need to focus on the little things. We can't fix the whole picture in one stroke. But, we can fix a little thing one stroke at a time. By realizing with each little step we are choosing to improve the whole picture. I like to rush the masterpiece and try to paint everything with one stroke. It doesn't work and then I try to ignore everything. But that also doesn't work. Nothing gets done. So we pick a small project and focus. Because each step forward may be a little thing, but it tends to be a little thing worth our gratitude. So thank you plumber for fixing the niagara falls toilet. On this day and everyday I hope you have the people in your life that help you either enjoy or laugh at the little things from your daily life. May your HealthFULL Journey be FULL of choices and focus and gratitude. 'Til we meet again. . .