Every Day Matters

I just took a look back at my original list of 6 goals from my first blog post.  I've accomplished quite a bit. I've still got more work to do.

First, a quick progress report.  My weight has stabilized at 119 plus or minus a pound or two. That puts me right in the middle of the average healthy weight range for a woman of my stature. Both my body mass index and my body fat percentages are now within healthy ranges. I have reached numbers I can live with. I'm more fit than I have been in many, many years. I have a healthier diet than I was eating a year ago. I'm still not completely happy with what I see in the mirror but it will take more time to make further changes.

I've got an understanding of the rudiments of swimming. I need to find more time to practice my pitifully elementary skills. I've had to set aside the piano for now. The computer I use to do my genealogy research has been out of order for quite some time, so that's been on hold. It's working now and I'm ready to hit the research again. I've been working on spiritual growth but I really should put more effort in there. Can you ever really do to much work on your spiritual growth?

A great deal of my time and energy goes into work with activities my two youngest sons are involved in. I'm not one to sit by idly and watch them in their activities when it's obvious there's a need for an adult volunteer. And, well, to be an effective volunteer, sometimes you need some training. When someone gives you the training you need, often at no cost, you really do feel obligated to give more of yourself. It's quite a cycle in which I've gotten myself. Sometimes I question my sanity and inability to say, "NO." Other times I wouldn't want to do anything differently.

Lately, we've been preparing for robotics and shooting sports team competitions. Both are time consuming. The robotics is a multi-skill competition involving learning audio visual skills, public speaking, leadership, problem solving, basic computer programming and basic robot design. Shooting sports requires practice, practice and more practice to develop the skill, confidence and muscle memory to perform consistently well. I enjoy watching, not just my boys, but all the clubs' youth progress as they learn and develop their skills.

Today, one of our speakers at church said that it's important that we live our values every day, not just on Sunday. It's a simple statement but it's true. The things that are really important to us are the ones we emphasize every day. I've worked hard to treat my body as the gift from God that it is and return it to health. I've been blessed for that effort and I'm more than happy to share what I've learned with others. I find myself more willing to stretch myself with new challenges. I'll be paying more attention to the values I express through my actions and words because every day matters and I don't want to waste a single, precious one.

He Held My Hand

I remember when we were first dating the touch of my hand in his was almost electric. I never really understood why.  I didn’t care why. It was a simple thing but powerful. Once we were married, the touch of his hand was no longer a borrowed pleasure.  It was mine to keep.  I cherished it.  Then a uniform got in the way.  No holding hands in public while in uniform.  Our hands would seek each other only to remember it was forbidden. Years passed and our hands became more busy, taking care of jobs or growing children, always working.  Too exhausted to take time to simply touch. Then pain reminded me I needed the touch of his hand.  I needed that tiny little bit of support.  I needed to know, in an unmistakably tangible way, that he was there to help me when I felt weak.

And then, he held my hand.  Together we are strong enough to face the world, hand in hand.

That's What Friends Are For

Little blog, I've neglected you this past week. I've needed some time to be quiet, to ponder.

A dear friend and mentor passed away a couple of weeks ago.  He was an amazing example of the sort of person I would like to become. He was kind, gentle and yet firm in his standards.  He had a teacher's heart and a grandfather's touch.  I was honored to be part of the group that sang for his funeral.  It was more a celebration of a life well lived than an occasion for grief.

It's given me reason to think more seriously about how I'm living my own life. I've been doing that to some extent for several months now, but this has given me reason to put a bit more effort into actually doing something about it.

I love the movie from 2003 "Second Hand Lion."  If you've not seen it, I recommend it.  It's basically about how a boy ends up growing up with his two eccentric uncles.  That description is much too simplistic but that's it in it's most basic form.  His uncles claim to have lived the lives of adventurers as young men. At the end of the movie there's a brief conversation that I remember vividly.

Sheik's Great Grandson: "So, these two men from your grandfather's stories, they really lived?"
Adult Walter: [wistfully] "Yeah, they really lived."

That's what I want.  I want to really live.  I want to make a difference to someone, somewhere.

I spent a few minutes talking with a friend yesterday.  He knows I'm concerned about a decision I need to make.  I've been reading and researching off and on for several months.  The truth is, the basic decision really has been made, I just need to put that decision into action.  I'm frightened by the prospect. I'm procrastinating, dawdling and enduring.  I'm making excuses to avoid action. My friend prodded me to think beyond my emotional roadblock.  What are the advantages?  The disadvantages? A gentle, firm prod from someone who can see the situation from a different point of view, that's what I needed.

Thank you, friend.  You made a difference for me.