Trying and Trying Again

I'm back with a progress report.  I've not given you one of those in a while.  

First, I am more fit.  I don't know exactly how to give a measure on that one except to say that the 2 mile walk I took last week didn't wear me out.  I have to work quite a bit harder to get my target heart rate up for effective exercise than I did 4 months ago.

Second, I've lost 27 pounds.  I still need to loose a few more but it's been good to say goodbye to some of those pounds that had taken up permanent residence.  I have less arthritis hip pain and I'm more stable than I've been in several years.

Learning to play the piano? Well, that one's not gone so well.  I've got to have a concrete, near immovable goal to keep something like that on the top of the priority list.  On the other hand, I am involved with my boys 4-H Robotics and Shooting Sports clubs as well as a couple of other organizations.  Something is bound to get pushed aside.  I'm not giving up on the piano but it's just going to have to be a lower priority for now.

Genealogy research.  Oh my, I've missed a huge deadline I'd set for this.  I've got a family tree that needed updating and publishing for some very patient family members. I've been working with a computer issue for months and I've been afraid to do a lot more work for fear of loosing information. I must get the computer issues cleared and get back on track.

I've been able to continue my fiber arts education.  Thank goodness knitting and spindle spinning is portable.  I learned some new knitting techniques while making Christmas presents. Swedish Twisted knitting came easily for me.  The Latvian Braid was more difficult but was worth the effort for its striking effect.  I've gotten pretty consistent with spinning singles on my spindles.  I'm about ready to take the next step and learn to ply them into yarn.  There's no rush.  I'm enjoying the simple spinning process.

My final goal involve spiritual growth. I'm making progress there.  I'm still not where I want to be or where I need to be, but I'm making small improvements.

Overall there have been some great successes and some failures. Just having the goals spelled out has helped me have a direction and focus.  Knowing I have a goal to sit down each week and make an accounting of some sort for my  time has helped keep me accountable.

I had an opportunity to sit and watch some good, old movies with my family this past week.  One that really touched me was Shenandoah with James Stewart.  Mr. Stewart's movies are good sources for little one line bits of wisdom.  The one I remember most from Shenandoah is, "“If we don't try we don't do. And if we don't do, what are we on this earth for?”

I'm on this earth to try and to do.  The Cub Scout motto is 'Do Your Best.'   The 4-H motto is 'To Make the Best Better.'  I'm trying to live up to both of those.

As Luck Would Have It

I've had a bit of luck with my new computer this week.  It's only taken 3 months of off and on attempts to get a couple of programs to play nice together.  I've corresponded with the software manufacturer.  I've consulted my household computer guru.  I finally decided to take drastic measures.  I started over, undoing all my previous work. I kept a log of every thing I did and recorded it's effect on the software.  I'm three days into this painful process now and everything is still working well.  At least everything that I've managed to reinstall and reconfigure.

I got this little message in my email inbox a couple of days ago.

AN IRISH FRIENDSHIP WISH

May there always be work for your hands to do;
May your purse always hold a coin or two; 
May the sun always shine on your windowpane;
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain; 
May the hand of a friend always be near you; 
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
 But - you HAVE to send this within 1 hour 
 From when you open it!
 Now...............Make A wish!!!!!!

Do you ever get email messages like this?  It's  a sweet sentiment right up until the bit of  extortion at the end.  Really?  I need to spam my friends in order to have all these blessings?  I don't think so.

I get messages like this from time to time.  Some promise free meals or computers or some other act of unexpected generosity from some mega-corporation or in this case, Almighty God Himself.  What good luck, right?  Somebody please send me a list of the recipients of the gifts these emails promise.  I'd like to see it.

What does it mean to be lucky or to have good luck?  My definition of luck is being prepared when the right opportunity comes along. Luck doesn't just happen.  You have a hand in creating your luck.

I have a friend who has a knack for meeting incredibly interesting people.  You could call it luck but I think it has more to do with his being willing to talk to strangers and ability to put them at their ease.  It's a gift but he's worked to develop that gift.

I've known people who had a knack for bad luck as well.  Does bad luck find them or do they put themselves in situations that have a good chance of turning out badly?

It takes a lot of hard work to make good luck happen. A positive attitude is likely helpful in the pursuit of the leprechaun's gold. 

Get out there and make some good luck for yourself this week.  May the Irish blessing follow your efforts.

Keep Your Eye on the Target

It's been a week for working to overcome setbacks.  Make that two weeks of overcoming setbacks. 

I've been trying to work through a computer software conflict for several months now.  It's been difficult to diagnose with my very limited, self-taught computer skills.  I've got one program that I use frequently that does not want to work on my new laptop.  It works just fine on my old laptop with the same companion software installed.  I decided to take drastic measures, with the help of my husband.  I very carefully backed up everything I could think of to back up and loaded it all back on my older, quirky computer.  Data, software, and licenses all migrated back to the older machine. The hard drive is so crammed that I have to be careful not to have too many programs running simultaneously.  I handed my sparkly new laptop over to my husband who, with the patience of Job, wiped away all evidence of my data and restored it to factory settings.  Then he, painstakingly loaded the offending software.  It didn't work.  He applied a fix the manufacturer had suggested.  It didn't work. He applied a further fix he'd discovered.  EUREKA!!  One program loaded and a couple dozen others to restore.  The computer transfered back to my hands.

With care, and taking notes at each step, I loaded my data back on the laptop from my backup.  The questionable software still worked.  Then, with trembling fingers, I installed the suspected conflict causing culprit.  BAM!  Errors return to my computer screen.  GAH! So close and yet I still don't know how to fix the issue.  Curse you, Microsoft!  I'm going to have to find a geekier geek.  I need a ultra-superior database geek master.  I have a name. I have contact information.  Will he respond?  We'll see.

 

On a more positive side, I had my second swim lesson this week. My swimming skills are only slightly better than those of a dead man.  Even though I walk by a pool several times a week now, finding time to get in an practice has been challenging.  I'm making the effort although I still feel as awkward as a girl at her first dance.  I'm at the practicing baby-steps stage.  Put face in the water? Check.  Breath out through the nose and mouth? Check. Practice breathing out while moving arms as if swimming? Check.  Practice breathing in at appropriate times while moving arms as if swimming? Check.  You get the idea.  This is a creepingly slow learning process for me.

 

My teacher has amazing patience.  She walks with me up and down the pool while I practice gliding and floating.  She talks me through helping my feet find the bottom of the shallow pool when I stop mid-way. (How can 4 feet of water feel so much deeper?) She encourages and coaches me.  It's impossible to not want to do my best even if my best isn't very good right now.  This week, my big, drum-roll worthy accomplishment was managing to get three breaths in while attempting to put all the moves together.  Mind you those three breaths didn't come one after the other but there were three. That's three more than I've ever accomplished in my 50-ish years.  I'm excited.  I know from experience that with practice those three will gradually increase in frequency and ease.

 

About 12 years ago I was a mid-rank Tae Kwon Do student. One of the requirements at our testings was that we break boards with certain techniques at each rank level.  Hand techniques weren't typically a problem.  Foot techniques were much more difficult for me. This particular testing, I had to successfully complete a spinning side kick.  Performed incorrectly, it is a blind technique that rarely works unless you're large enough to force it. I'd practiced and thought I was prepared.  Alas, the adrenaline and nerves that come with testing will make any flaws worse. I attempted the break once. Nothing. Twice. Still no broken board.  We were only allowed three attempts.  I gathered myself as best I could and made my last attempt.  The board was still there, facing me, unbroken.  I was discouraged. My teacher gave me an assignment.  He said I needed to practice the kick 500 times.

 

There are two kinds of practice.  There's 'practice' and 'perfect practice'.  It's not practice that makes perfect, it's perfect practice that makes perfect.  I was practicing on a hanging kicking bag.  It moves in a particular way, with an almost stationary wobble, when a strike is clean.  It swings wildly when the transfer of energy is sloppy.   I set a goal of completing 500 good kicks over a week or two.  Each afternoon, I'd go out and start.  I tried to get in 50 good kicks each day.  I can't tell you how many it took.  I remember that at first I was getting one good strike every 4 or 5 attempts.  I'm sure I was well into the thousands of kicks before I reached 500.  I remember how good the last set of kicks felt. I was able to go back to my teacher and break the board with a sense of satisfaction.

What did I do that made the biggest improvement?  I learned I had to see my target in order to hit it.  I had to change my position so I could see where my foot needed to be. I've used what I learned from that experience many times since.  You are more likely to reach a goal if you can see it.  Measure it.  Touch it.  Fix it in your mind and find the path to reach it. Don't be afraid to ask for help but be a willing and teachable student.

 

If only computers were as easy to understand as swimming.

Life is a Big Puzzle

It's been a challenging week for someone who likes lists and plans. Our family started our week by having to change our plans for a family trip.  We'd planned a road trip north and ended up taking a road trip south.  That 180 degree change in direction meant rethinking almost every element of our trip and the preparations we'd already made.  Upon our return I found some personal challenges that were unexpected.  Perhaps they're not as drastic and the directional turn around for the trip but they do mean I have new things to consider in my daily routine.

One of the activities I used to enjoy and that I hope to enjoy again is hiking.  I love walking outdoors listening to the breeze in the tree tops and the quiet sounds of small animals foraging among the leaves.  We spent some time doing a little urban hiking.  Really, it was just a trip to a Natural History museum with some short trails and a zoo.  It shouldn't have been a big deal.  I couldn't complete the two visits. I was discouraged but convinced myself that I'd just stayed up too late the evening before.

I came back from the trip ready to get back into my exercise routine only to find that my body wasn't as willing as my mind. Exercises I've been able to do for weeks were suddenly difficult.  Excuse me, did I somehow leave my body somewhere and bring home a different one? Hey, it's not a perfect body but I want it back, please.

I was one discouraged student at my exercise class Friday.  I really do try to keep a positive attitude.  I consider every increase in strength, balance or stamina as a gain even if it's a tiny improvement. I guess I wasn't very good at hiding my frustration since my coach noticed.  He reminded me that everyone has highs and lows.  He reminded me how far I've progressed. I've got to work to improve my poker face. I'm not sure I was as convincingly appreciative as I should have been.

I've had a little time to think about it.  I find I tend to get so absorbed in the details of the moment that I lose sight of the big picture.  

Today, at church, someone related an analogy that was a nice fit to my week.  She said that life is like a jigsaw puzzle.  You dump it out of the box and it's a mess.  There's a pile of pieces all tumbled together.  It's hard to make them fit together. It's hard to make sense of the picture because you're focused on 1 piece out of 500.  Thank goodness there's a plan.  God sees the full picture on the front of the box.  He knows what the picture of our life can eventually become. 

I'll have to remember that full picture the next time I hit one of those lows and can't seem to make the next piece of my life fit into my puzzle.  It's not that I'm at the bottom. I'm really just about to find a new piece of my picture.

Making Weak Things Strong

I did something this week that I've not been able to do for quite some time.  I was able to step up and stand, balanced on my left leg, while holding my right knee high.  Not only did I manage it once, I was able to do it twenty-four times while holding a ten pound weight in one hand. That really doesn't sound like much of an achievement but just four months ago I would have been afraid to try.  Two months ago I wobbled so badly just standing on one leg that any movement toppled me.

I know that sounds trivial.  It's a non-event.  There's no news here, keep moving on, right?  That is, it's trivial unless you too have struggled with something that felt lost to you. I have osteoarthritis.  I've been symptomatic for several years.  It has gradually altered my activity to the point that it changed the way I lived.  I avoided stairs.  I usually avoided walking very far.  Avoidance led to lost physical fitness and weight gain.  Weight gain made the pain worse.  It's been a nasty circle.

 

About five months ago, I'd had enough.  I needed to make changes.  That's where this whole journey began. I knew I needed a plan and I needed to be held accountable for sticking to it.  I have a fitness coach to challenge me.  I've enlisted friends and family to give me the occasional nudge.  Dear reader, I also have you.  I started writing about my journey as a means of recording it and to add another layer of accountability.

I wanted to turn my weakness into a strength. I had to first be humble enough to recognize the weakness. It wasn't the arthritis that was the weakness, it was my response to it. This is a weakness of character that I'm working to overcome.  Once I recognized that the fault was not physical I began to know what steps to take.  Those steps are the "Procedure" I outlined in early blog posts.  They are guidelines to keep me on track to a goal.  That goal will likely evolve as I progress.  I don't expect to become a gymnast.  That's pretty far-fetched.  I do hope to find strength of will and character to continue what I've begun.

I still struggle.  Expecting myself to continue practicing my very elementary piano lessons without having anyone to answer to has been hard.  I've not been consistent, yet that was a part of my overall plan to increase my self-discipline.  I may have to reassess that goal while other responsibilities press for my time.  That will take some honest evaluation on my part.  Sometimes not being truly honest with oneself is most difficult of weaknesses to overcome.

Challenges and Procrastinations

I'm looking forward to an interesting week.  My sons and I are preparing for an upcoming training session in robotics.  My 12 year old will be taking intermediate level training for the Lego NXT robotics programming system. He's familiar with the basics so it should be a good experience.  My 14 year old and I are going to learn about RobotC.  I'd heard of this system but have never used or seen it.  I'm looking forward to the challenge.  We all have base robots to build before the training session.  The closest I've come to working with the Tetrix robotics system is inventorying the kit parts.  You know how you sometimes have spare parts left after building a project?  You're left wondering if you left something out or if extras were in the package.  Imagine that with a small tub of left-over spare parts.

I'm still working through my fitness goals.  I've lost 23 pounds since I began in late August 2012.  I'm officially back  within the rather broadly defined recommended weight range for my height.  I'd like to lose another 8-10 pounds.  I'm not planning to be as specific as my "Loose 20 pounds by the end of 2012" goal.  I'm waiting to see how my body responds to the continued exercise and diet changes I've made. I have no idea what normal is going to mean for me.

 

I'm in the process of working out a time table to take swimming lessons.  I'm not sure how I'm going to work this into my schedule.  That's been half the problem all these years.  I always ran out of time before I mastered being able to breath while I was trying to swim.  I always felt like I was just a few more practice sessions short of being able to join my friends or family in the deep end instead of dangling my feet in the kiddie pool.

 

I've spent our Christmas school break continuing to master the art of procrastination.  There are just some chores I dislike with a passion. They are tolerable as long as I'm keeping them done, but if I ever get behind it's like making myself walk through chest deep mud.  Just looking at a certain pile of unfiled papers is exhausting.  It's slowly taking over my workspace.  It's GOT to go!

 

I have a book titled 10-20-30 Minutes to Sew by Nancy Zieman.  This book addresses the techniques we can all use in getting a big project done.  In this case it happens to be sewing clothing.  The book shows how to divide a clothing construction project into short, mini-projects that can be completed in 10, 20 or 30 minutes.  It tells you how to prepare in advance so you don't waste precious project time.   I'm going to use this technique to tackle these chores.  A timer is about to become my friend.  Ten minutes here or fifteen minutes there will add up over the course of the next few days.

 

I'm looking forward to this week and the challenges it will offer.

Moles, Voles, Yellow Jackets, and Daffodills

Several years ago I read "The Daffodil Principle" by Margi Harrell and was inspired to create my own Daffodil Hill.

There's a 15-foot long slope at the front of my yard topped by a couple of big oak trees.  This slope was the home of a colony of moles and voles.  They kept the soil plowed and soft.  This wouldn't have been so bad except that Yellow Jackets loved the readymade home the mole runs made. Let me share information on this cast of lawn characters.  

First, moles: small, carnivorous, burrowing animals with a great sense of smell but poor eyesight.  They burrow through the soil in search of grubs and earthworms. They could hardly care less about any plants disturbed in the process.

Voles: a small rodent, similar to a mouse.  It has a short tail and a voracious appetite for the roots of hostas, gladiolas, day lilies and just about anything else you'd like to produce nice summer flowers. They also have a talent for burrowing under ripening strawberries so they can have a catered feast without leaving the comfort of their burrow.  They appreciate the muscle provided by the bulkier moles in tunneling.  It makes their life much easier having all that work already done for them.

Yellow Jackets: a predatory wasp with a strong territorial instinct. They are a cheerful yellow and black or dark brown striped. Abandoned mole and vole tunnels make a super habitat for their broods.

Why are the tunnels abandoned? Just ask my son. He was mowing the yard one day and passed over the yellow jackets' tunnel one time to many. Remember I mentioned they are territorial? He cleared the seat of the mower in a single leap, stumbled, rolled, and then ran for the house. I wasn't sure I wanted whatever was obviously following him inside but I couldn't justify locking him and it/them out. He'd been stung several times despite his haste. Would you have any desire to share quarters with such a cranky neighbor?  If you see cheerful little wasps flying close to a small hole in the ground, turn and walk very quietly in the opposite direction.

I needed a way to get rid of the annual yellow jacket nests in my front yard. I could hunt down individual nests and poison them with some risk of becoming a target for their territorial ire.  I did that once or twice.  Yeah, not a favorite choice. I could stop the moles by killing individuals with traps and poisons.  There are lots of methods for that and I've not seen many short of hiring a Siberian Husky to dig them out that's particularly effective.  You can spread poison on the lawn to kill the moles' food supply.  Effective, but it kills everything and leaves you with a dearth of beneficial invertebrates.

This is where the daffodils come in.  These little bursts of late winter sunshine are poisonous.  The roots, bulbs, stems and blossoms are all toxic to man and beast including voles and moles.  Moles don't like to tunnel through areas with lots of daffodils because of this.  Voles won't dig new tunnels or chew through a cluster of daffodil bulbs.  No tunnels, no yellow jackets.  See?  Perfectly logical.

Each November I stand out on my hill with a shovel and a couple of bags of daffodil bulbs, a-la the Daffodil Principle. I pick a section of my hill and toss the bulbs out to create some semblance of natural, random placement.  Where ever the bulb lands is where I plant it. I've been planting between 100 and 200 bulbs each year for about 7 years.

I could have planted them all at once but it would have been daunting and expensive.  By tackling this project over time, I've been able to spread out the work and expense.  I've been able to take advantage of shared, pass-along bulbs a couple of times to add to my project.

That's part of the lesson of the Daffodil Principle.  Tackle the seemingly, impossibly large projects and goals one little bit at a time. You'll be better prepared to take advantage of surprise opportunities to advance.  You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish... one bulb at a time.