Surprise!

Life feels like it is full of surprises (It's like I am playing "Press Your LUCK"  and I keep saying Big Money and life keeps doling out the Whammies.  I must have hit my limit by now.)  My hubby and I made a deal that he would take early shift this morning and I would tomorrow.  As I am tired of all the mutiny from within the household.  Six oh four rolls around this morning and my dog is whining.  Who does she wake, oh me of course.  And I stumble into the bathroom angrily.  And as I enter my room to feed the animals and take her out.  My hubby is awake and doing the morning duties.  Ahhh what a sweet man.  Surprise one - frustrating - surprise two - heartmelting.  I crawl back into bed for the beautiful world of sleep. beep beep beep, beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep beep beeeeeeeeeeeeeep.  The monitor was losing battery.  Bitter me!!! So it isn't just the animals and the baby declaring mutiny, it's the world.  I stamp out of the room to grab the cord, plug it in.  And seethe my way into slumber.  I wake up and decide it is time to check in with my blood sugar.  I wasn't expecting perfection but figured it would be quite a bit lower from last week.  Lower but not near where I thought it would be.  Which means it must be broken.  I grab the monitor and ask my hubby for a favor.  He agrees because he is such a nice guy.  He did not know I planned to prick his finger.  He has a beautiful number.  So umm not the machine.  Now I'm frustrated at surprise 4.  But instead of diving into junk food.  (Well I did have leftover turkey tacos from last night but it was a lunch portion).  I decided I needed to work out so I didn't put it off for all day.  I decided to use the Wii Fit.  I got on the scale and saw I hadn't been on in a month and one day.  I know the habits I have been keeping.  I am imagining that I have gained up to ten pounds.  I am ready for it - Surprise 5 - I lost 4.2 pounds.  Really?  Thank you Wii Fit Scale.  I appreciated the pick me up.  Delight with Surprise 5.  And then I did the age body test - 22 years old for today's test - I 'll take it.  Here I was thinking I had lost all of my hard work for those two months.  Yes it was beginning to unravel but I caught it before it fell apart.  I guess I feel that is my lesson for today.  Life is full of surprises , the good, the bad, and the ugly.  We can prepare ourselves and then let it go.  Don't leave everything to chance that is not living,  but don't prepare for every possibility of rough times because a) you can't because it is impossible life still will surprise you, and b) you become a robot - you are programming yourself and your life but still avoiding life all together.  We need surprises.  The good are blessings and the bad tend to teach.  The ugly reminds us of what is truly important and matters at the end of the day.  When we barter all we have for the importance (family, friendship, and health).    I do enjoy a good surprise, but have learned so much from the other kinds.  For those of you experiencing the Whammy surprises.  You aren't alone and I promise there is a limit in life like there was in the game show.  We just don't know what that number is.  Life will get better!  God bless those who are hurting.

May your HealthFULL Journey teach you lessons with as painless surprises as possible and delight you many times over with the good surprises.  'Til we meet again. . .

Throwing your hands up like you just don't care!

Ahh the relief of surrender.  It is addicting.  I stress, I wring my hands, my shoulders turn into boulders as the stress locks my upper back, I scream, I cry, I pout, I sulk, Headaches abound, I fret, I chew my nails, I scratch, I whimper, I hysterically laugh, I giggle, I chew gum, and these are just some of the side effects as I try to "perfect" my life and those I consider close.  Half the time, these "stress" activities have no true merit.  They don't make my life any more perfect nor do they usually improve my friends or family's and yet I stress.  Because sometimes, all the fretting, all the effort bring a smile to one's face.  And those unfiltered, grateful, awed looks of true unabashed bliss make all the "stressing" worthwhile.  But after I do these rounds for months, weeks, days, hours (depending on the occasions) I have to just surrender to the moment.  Throw your arms up like you just don't care:  Wave 'em, sing praises to God or plead your guilt, give up, shrug shoulders in the classic "whatever" moment, but just let go of that insanity.  It is good to care, horrible to obsess.  I tend to skip attentive and hit the extreme button for that manic approach.  In the relief moments.  I have time to smell the flowers and count my blessings.  In the crazy ramped up stress pace I can utter only my complaints and whines.  Which version brings more smiles?  Not the perfect, frenetic stressed obsessive personality. (Shocking right?)  But the low key version who has time to play "I'm a little teapot" for twenty minutes and then just giggle with my six month old.  The wife who shrugs and says Pizza sounds divine.  Guests coming over and not running around to mop, vacuum, sweep but chilling to open the door with a true smile and not the gritted deer in headlights look.  There is a lot to say about the more relaxed version.  But watch out for the addiction.  Because it is one thing to take a day off of no blogging, a celebratory meal, or a day of rest from "extra movement".  But a whole 'nother thing when one lets these activities snowball and avalanche. Where it becomes several days of no blogging, a week or two of just eating to fulfill the cravings, and skipping a workout.  That stops being restful/relaxed but a full blown quitter.  Quitting can happen without one even realizing that they shed different parts of their interests.  Like you are traveling with a suitcase bursting at the seams.  But if you have to carry this suitcase every hour of every day - you slowly lighten your load.  Perhaps you share the items at first but then you slowly like the freedom of a lighter suitcase and start throwing items and perhaps just leave the suitcase behind because its empty.  But then you realize a few days later.  You have nothing left for yourself or anything to share.  Because in the excitement to let go of some of your burdens you ran away from everything. 

So the moral of this story is rest but don't give up.  So wave your arms like you don't care but when the song ends get back to work :)

May your Healthfull Journey lead you to a path of blessings including rest and the gift of making someone else's day. It might just be your biggest blessing. 'Til we meet again. . .