Whimp?....not me!

On one of my other blogs, “The Mountain and Desert Beauty of...” (see the top of this blog for links to my other 4 blogs), I talk about walking around the school track near our house and what a beautiful day it was for walking. I choose to do my walking exercise outdoors because I love to feel the sun on my skin and to breathe deeply of the fresh air. It is easy to walk when the weather is so nice. But what about when the weather is NOT nice? Do I still go for walks?

When I was living in northern Utah the winters could get sometimes down to around 10 to 20 below zero a lot of nights. I used to get up just before sunrise and begin my walks. I remember walking on crunchy slippery roads in the early morning when it was that cold and even still snowing. I would just put lots of layers of clothing on....sweaters, jackets, coats, hats and hoods, a couple of pairs of socks, two pair of gloves and my nice warm lined snow boots. I would bring the tie strings of the hood of my jacket up higher on my face and tie them on my chin so that most of my cheeks and chin were covered. I KEPT TOASTY WARM.

Is that dedication, or what? I don’t even let rain stop me from my beloved walks. I just take my umbrella along with me. Remember that old Gene Kelly song: “Walking in the Rain”? (Or was it "Singing in the Rain")? It is actually fun, refreshing, and pleasant. Try it....you might just like it.

My daughter said to me this morning as I was getting bundled up to go over to the track.. “you going walking....it is so cold and windy and has been raining”? The sky was black...you couldn’t even make out any cloud formations. There were just a few rain drops coming down. “No big deal”, I said to her. “If it rains I guess I will just get wet”. I didn’t even take my umbrella with me. It never did seriously rain...the wind was strong, temperature was about 50 degrees....but I kept toasty warm and so much enjoyed my walk. IS THAT DEDICATION, OR WHAT?

While walking today, I noticed our close, looming Pine Valley Mountain just off in the distance (actually it looks as if it is only a mile away from us), was not viewable today, as it was under dense dark storm clouds. It’s snowing up there!!!! It snows in the higher elevations....but all we get down here is rain. No snow....we are too warm in the winters to get snow down here.

I hear many people comment that they didn’t go for their walks because it was too cold, or it was raining, or too windy. But I am “miss tough gal”......undaunted by the coldness or wetness of the outdoors.

I guess my many years of previous living in extreme cold winters has conditioned me to COLD...even though I do not like cold weather. Same thing goes for enduring the HEAT of summers. Once when I went to Sea World down in San Antonio, Texas, I stayed in the sun and heat to long and got heat exhaustion (or something). After that I could not tolerate the heat in the least degree.....UNTIL I bought a personal steam spa unit for my home and began sitting in it’s 110 degree temperature. In no time at all, I found that I was conditioned to be able to endure and handle extreme heat from then on. Our summers here are around 110.

Nope....not me...you will NEVER hear me using those excuses for not going on my walks. No one can ever call me a whimp for not walking in ANY type of weather!

The word "wellness"

(see the January 18th post)


WELLNESS is..... being well; feeling good; in good health; not sick; keeping healthy; getting exercise; eating better; and a host of other things.

When we are feeling well, we go about our busy daily life and almost take for granted that we DO feel well. When we fall ill, then we surely do sit up and take notice of that fact and have a greater sense of appreciation for the days that we feel good.

I have noticed that when I am ill, I don’t like it and I find myself making plans to try harder to do the right things to keep me healthier so that I might not fall ill again.

Wellness is an earned gift for the hard work, time, and consistent effort we put into a health program that will keep us fit.

So....what does the word WELLNESS mean to you?

A single little word

Recently while viewing other blogs, I came across an idea from the blogger, Ali Edwards,

http://www.lifeartmedia.com/newsletter11.html

She talks about slowly incorporating small single words into our life...words that can help us to become a better person. Words that you can focus on, meditate on, and reflect upon as you go about your daily life. The word should also be something you want to bring into your life in a more tangible way.

For instance, take the word PLAY and what it means to you. She says, “Try to incorporate it more into your everyday and on your adventures out in the crazy world. Maybe it is a lot about living without fear – about being more open to experiences with an attitude of playfulness”.

I think this is a great idea to help me analyze words and their meaning in my life. The words can be a thought, feeling or an emotion....as long as they have personal meaning for me.

Always be Our Own True Self

I have noticed something in a few of the people that I know very well. When they are around me they act one way...when another person comes by or phones, they act totally different with them. Their voice and manner changes. They are like two people.

Why does that happen? What causes them to change the way they are when around different people? I don’t understand why or how people can suddenly change like that.

When my spouse and I were dating he told me once: “One of the things I like about you so much is that you are always yourself”.

What is to be gained by people changing their demeanor when they are with different people? Why can’t everyone just always be their own true self?

What I value and treasure most in my life

I have never desired tons of money....only to have sufficient for my needs (and a few “wants”). I have never coveted those large fancy homes (can’t even keep clean the very small place I have now)....or the shiny new cars (I don’t like payments).

I have never been out of the United States...never craved to. And I have only been to maybe less than a dozen states (either because I lived there or near there or my children live there).

Thought only briefly about taking a cruise a few times....but only very briefly. I would sooner visit the rest of the U.S. first.

I have been fortunate that I have not had to work most of my life (just a stay at home mommy)...so I have no “career path” that is driving me.

My interests are very simple and basic....I am more of a homebody and not even a “party-type” person. I am sure I sound very dull and un-interesting. But everyone is different in their needs, desires, wants, abilities, personalities, and interests.

So, ruling out all of the above as far as what I value and treasure in life....what IS it then that is so terribly important, precious and valuable to me? What brings contentment to my soul? What is it that I deem as my greatest treasures in my life?

My family...My faith...My Church...My belief and trust in God

That’s it in a nutshell....very simple, basic, down to earth, and extremely rewarding, peaceful, and fulfilling above anything else that I can ever imagine, or desire, for myself and my life.

New Beginnings

“Today is the Beginning of the Rest of Your Life”

For many, many years I could not figure out what that statement meant. Maybe I did not ponder it hard and long enough. Then a few years ago it hit me!! I understood its meaning very clearly.

To me, it means that TODAY... or any new day...I can begin to make good and right changes in my life. These new changes, if held steadfastly to, can in effect be the beginning of a new life for me and carry through for the rest of my life. In essence, it is putting away the old and heralding in the new.