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Reflections from an RV 051912

May 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Brrr! It’s a little chilly here in St. Marys, GA this morning. We had a heavy rainstorm last night and it’s still overcast and damp this morning. Undaunted, I grabbed a sweatshirt, my helmet and headed out for a delightful one hour bike ride! The base has some great bike/walking paths, with lots to see. We’re on a submarine base, so there’s some interesting ‘architecture’ in addition to the woods and wildlife.  Who says that exercise can’t be fun? I like to do a little meditation while I ride, breathing in God and exhaling out any stress, bad thoughts or whatever might be troubling me. We are nestled in the woods, with lots of little lakes and bridges, and I returned with a light heart and a clear head. I had the idea that I would like to drop a few more pounds and get in great shape this summer, so the exercise is in harmony with that goal. The bike makes it fun and something to look forward to, rather than dreading the “E” word.

When I returned from the bike ride, Dave and the dogs were up. I made a pot of coffee and a nice, healthy breakfast. We actually donned some sweatshirts and turned on the little fireplace/heater in the living area. We’re only a few hundred miles from Titusville but already enjoying some cooler weather.

We didn’t do too much yesterday, mostly just explored the base and set up stuff in the RV. We’ve brought lots of books to read and some yarn to crochet a few things. I also have that murder mystery I started writing about a year ago, but had to set aside because life got too big. Now I’m inspired again and ready to bring that thing to life. When I tell people that I’m an author, they often respond with, “I’ve always wanted to write a book.” I’ve discovered that in order to make that happen, one must actually sit down and write. I am eternally grateful to my coach, Lorraine Edey for encouraging me to turn that dream into a goal with an action plan!

I had fun yesterday on Dr. Melanie’s radio show with my friend and fellow author, Sean Anderson. I really enjoy being a guest on the radio! Sean was great too! He and I have been talking about a joint project – a cookbook that features recipes from people who’ve also survived and recovered from morbid obesity. That’s still in the talking phase but it could come to life by the end of the summer!

Dave and I will drive up to Brunswick later today, check out the city and meet my friend Vivian for dinner. Viv and I were friends when we both lived in Orlando back in the 90’s and have rediscovered one another via a mutual friend. We caught up last year on a weekend excursion in our RV so it will be good to connect once again. I’m getting in touch with friends along our route to visit while we’re nearby. I will be heading to Columbia, SC for a day to see some friends while we are parked in Yemessee, SC for our next leg of the trip.

The view from our RV is nice – the lake is picturesque and at night there’s some wildlife. Dave saw a deer two nights ago; reminds me of home. We’ve rushed around for so much of our lives, working and trying to get ahead, that now it is so wonderful to just slow down, breathe in God and relax. It truly is a spiritual experience!

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New Habits for 2012

January 3, 2012 By 2 Comments

Marcia Sirota wrote an article yesterday about ten bad habits to let go of in 2012. Some of them are pretty good, such as ‘comparing yourself to other people.’ Whenever I do that, I come up short. I’d much rather look for ways that we are the same. I can usually relate in some way to everyone. Yes, everyone! Everyone has something in common with someone else. And we all will have something more (or a little less) than the next guy. It’s just too
exhausting to look for how I’m different and then feeling less-than as a result. So, thank you, Dr. Marcia, I’m going to use that one.

The article also recommends that we let go of jealousy, avoidance, rudeness, denial,
complaining, gossip, a bad attitude, co-dependency and facebooking your ex. All are excellent habits to replace with something positive.

I have a few good habits that I want to reinforce in 2012:

Building a support team – Self-sufficiency propelled me to over 250 lbs. I binged, dieted and failed at diets alone. About nineteen years ago, I was introduced to the concept of building a support team to help me with my goal of weight loss. I’m sure that some friends thought me to be a bit daft when I’d call and let them know that I was thinking about eating a whole bag of cookies. We’d laugh about it and voila! I didn’t eat the first cookie. I know today that I need people in my life for all successes – you just get more results with an army than a slingshot and a pebble, unless of course, you are David.

Listen More – Every time I give to others, I get something in return. It doesn’t have to be about money either! Listening is so valuable and sometimes it’s just what a friend might need while working through a tough time. I also want to listen to my own instincts around self-care.

Forget the One – If there are 99 people in a room that love me, I’m not going after the 1 who doesn’t any more. There are always going to be people who don’t prefer my company, so I’ll bask I what I have and not worry about what I don’t have. Unless of course, the one is Tony Stewart. I’d have to go after him! He drives pretty fast and I’d probably not catch him, but I’d have to try.

 

Strengthen my Spiritual Disciplines – I presently start my day out with prayer, meditation and whenever possible, exercise. It feels so good to be connected to God in this way. And there’s always time to meditate during the day – it only takes a minute to stop and take time to breathe in God and breathe out self, or whatever might trouble me at the time. Just for one minute. Try it!

I’m also going to keep it simple this year. I was racking my brain to come up with more good habits, but this is really enough. I can make a list of ten but odds are excellent that adding more will only lead to doing less.

What bad habits do you want to release? What good habits will you reinforce in 2012?

 

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Happy Easter

April 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Easter Sunrise

Good morning, and Happy Easter to my Christian friends. And a blessed Passover to my Jewish friends. We started our day out with a beautiful sunrise Mass at our little church, Blessed Sacrament in Cocoa, FL. The sun did rise with some brilliance but then disappeared behind a cloud for most of the service, which was a good thing, as we faced east.

Perhaps it is my imagination, or perhaps just my own stuff, but it seemed to me that there was alot of excitement about Easter this year. Many Christian friends posted notes throughout Holy Week, full of anticipation of the Ressurection. My reaction was more quiet and reflective on Good Friday, thinking about where I am and what I’d like to do differently. And then I awaited Easter Morning. This morning it truly felt like a day to celebrate. I don’t quite know what is different, but it feels like change is on my horizon.

We have finally outgrown the “Easter Bunny.” This is my eighteenth year of no sugar, so of course, no chocolate bunnies for me. We were shopping yesterday and I asked Dave if he wanted some candy, but he thought it’d all be half price tomorrow and he’d wait. I didn’t even decorate eggs. No grandkids to celebrate with me this year, as they stayed in Atlanta for the weekend.

Easter can just come and go for me, or it can be an opportunity to make a difference. I feel like that difference for me this year is to be more quiet.  I don’t have to be running the show all the time. I also am really going to slow down, travel less and do some nesting. The next two months are hectic travel-wise, but there are less trips scheduled over the summer. I want to concentrate on me, my almost ten-year marriage to David and our home.

So, Happy Easter to you. What will this day bring for you? Is it just another day, or an opportunity to experience the greatness of change?

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Spiritual Tip of the Day – Unconventional Meditation

October 14, 2010 By 1 Comment

I have come to believe that unconventional meditation is what works for me. I’m not one to sit quietly for a period of time – my mind wanders too much. But stick me on a bicycle in a quiet woodsy setting, and my mind clears like magic. I am open to God’s message for me.

This morning, I woke up while it was still dark; in a few weeks that will change, when we set the clocks back an hour.  So, my bike ride started out in limited visibility. There’s very little traffic in my neighborhood that early - mostly other bikes, a few dog-walkers, and a golf cart or two. The lawn crew gets out around seven, but when I saw a vehicle approaching, I’d just flick on my little  flashlight so they could see me.

It was comfortable - short sleeve weather in the mid sixties and I enjoyed the quiet time. I ride about 3.5 miles – my bike has no gears so if I want to go faster, I must pedal harder. What a great way to combine exercise with meditation – multi-tasking at it’s finest!

While I was riding, I thought about my day yesterday, and reviewed my opportunities to be of service to others. Presently my husband is the regular recipient of my giving. He broke his wrist about eight weeks ago and the cast came off on Tuesday. I’ve been applying lotions and creams to his dry skin as he requests it. He’s rather self sufficient. I think part of service to others means not to shove it down their throat. I have learned with Dave, to offer, and then let it go. He will ask when he needs help. My part will be to stop what I’m doing, whenever possible, and help. He doesn’t ask that often so I need to be ready.

In thinking about today, I know I will see several people, as I run errands and keep appointments in the ‘big city’ (Orlando). When I pray in the morning to be of service to people, it sets the tone for the day, and I find myself looking for opportunities. Sometimes it is to give anonymously, and others, just striking conversation with a stranger. It’s right there, when my heart is open to giving.Wildlife & Animals 24637

I also think about others as I ride, and pray for them. My sister is waiting for some test results, so I prayed for good news. A neighbor is traveling – I asked for their safety. Keeping it simple, just kind of talking with God like I would a friend on the phone, works best for me.

So, I’ll probably never qualify for guru of Tibet status, but meditation on the bike for me. Thinking outside the box can result in finding what works for you too.

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