Day 5 … Am I There Yet????

Am I there yet?

That is a question I seem to be obliged to ask myself whenever I start to do something good for myself … like eat right, exercise or have a plan. The truthful answer that, just this moment, what came to me is this … I will never be “there” until I die, and that will be another beginning, in itself. Maybe that has been part of the issue with my way of thinking.

Yes, I know that many things are the “journey,” but that word has become trite, to me. I don’t even know where “there” is. Is it a set weight point? Is it a clothing size? A number of heartbeats? A waist measurement? A societal expectation? Is it a state of mind? But if I reach “there,” what is next? I am not a “stay there” type of person.

Therefore, I have to change my thinking that life and movement and trying to live a better quality life is not a set point, but a continuum. Boy, have I done a number on myself for many, many years.

 

Several of you have written great comments.

 

Yesterday, I think it was, I mentioned that in a year or so, I would like to climb Crowder’s Mountain. One of my dear friends wrote that she would just love to be able to get down on the floor and play with her grandkids.

 

That challenge can be her “mountain.”

 

Each of us has a different mountain that we must climb. They aren’t necessarily “literal” mountains, but challenges.

 

Life is made up of a real 5 and Dime of events.

 

On any given day, we go from fine to crisis mode to consternation to p-o’d, bored to overwhelmed to laughing to crying … and that can be in 5 minutes!

 

I have, for some reason, separated my mind from my body. No, my head sin’t sitting on my desk while my body does the dishes, but the connection between the two has not been sound.

 

That is what is changing now. Mind and body syncopation don’t come naturally for me.

 

At least they haven’t.

 

But that is one of my works in progress … a mind/body connection, each part working to benefit the other instead of working against each other.

 

It is time to have my body be best friends with my mind.

 

And that cheers me.

 

This morning, I had a bit of my own mountain to climb. When I went out to walk, I was just not as energetic as yesterday. At first, I thought, just do what you did yesterday. You don’t have to go further, or maybe you can go a bit less.

 

But there was also something in me that said, just do it. One step at a time. Push it a bit. You can do it. It wasn’t that I hurt or was tired or anything … just a tad sluggish.

 

But I did push myself. I added a street to my walk. And a good part of that street was uphill. Both ways!

 

Well, not so much. But one way was.

 

Before I made the trek up the little hill, I sat on a bench that was by some trees.

 

I didn’t have to stop. I wanted to. I want my walk to be enjoyable, not only physically, but mentally. I want to look, see, smell, touch, taste life. Not walk right past.

 

So, I sat on that bench and did some legalists and stretches and laughed. I looked at the sky. I looked at houses.

 

And I thought what a gift this day is. What a joy it is to realize that I can change. That I am changing. It didn’t take a monthly commitment of money or the purchase of a membership or equipment. I am using and changing the most important thing I have … my mind.

 

So, I will report that I walked 1.4 miles today. When I got home, I hopped in my car and drove the route and measured it.

 

Not bad, old gal. Not bad at all.

 

And if I can do this … so can you.

 

Together … we can.

 

Susan