Today marks the longest time I have ever gone without seeing my dad. I think that thought often, as the longest amount of time I ever went without seeing him was maybe two months. Yesterday makes it five months and a day since he passed away. Life does not prepare one for this loss, and honestly if there was a manual available like "How To Prepare For Your Perfectly Healthy Dad's Unexpected Death" I certainly wouldn't be buying it. I, like most people, live in the belief that things like that don't happen to me. During the last five months, the one thing that life has taught is that we are completely out of control. Sure, we can control what we eat, what we wear, the attitude we choose for that day, and many of the choice we make but when it comes right down to it we don't control when we go, and how. A loss like this recently happened to another unsuspecting family, only it was their son. As I've been thinking about this family, I think back to "the week of Dad's stuff" (that's what I call the week of Dad's passing to his funeral). While one cannot compare the loss of a dad to the loss of a son, I can relate to the feeling of a shocking, unexpected, "freak accident" type of loss. As I've been thinking about this, I realized one thing that helped me a lot was to know that I wasn't alone. That someone else had gone through this sudden loss too, that someone else hurt as bad as we all did, but seems to be "doing fine" today. I needed honesty from others who have been through this. Yesterday morning I just couldn't sleep anymore, couldn't stop thinking of this family. So, I wrote them a letter. I've been going back and forth of if its appropriate to share this letter or not. Like am I making it about me and about my loss? I was strongly debating on if I should share it with the family when I got a sign. I stumbled upon a video of a gal who just lost her sister. In the video she talked about how sharing is healing, and sharing can help others through a tough loss. So, I've decided to share my letter with the family... and I'm sharing a modified version of it with you too. The thought I keep going back to is "even if just one bullet point helps one person, then it was worth the send." So, here are a few things that I have learned in the last five months:
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Lately, something has been on my mind that's been bothering me... it wasn't until today that the light bulb finally went off in my head and I figured out what the bother really was.
A few weeks ago I got together for dinner with one of my really good friends. We were just catching up and getting re-acquainted after not seeing each other for a month or two. Thankfully, we have the type of friendship where this just comes natural so it really didn't take long at all, and we can also be honest right away if something is bothering us. It's almost as if we have a sister-like relationship. It was while we were sitting there chatting and munching on some appetizers that something surprising happened. My friend called me skinny. The thing that was surprising to me wasn't so much that she called me skinny, as I know she intended for it to be a compliment. What caught me off guard was my own reaction to that comment and my inability to take it as a compliment. I just didn't know what to say... it felt odd to me, but I couldn't put my finger on why. I reacted in a way that a bratty sister would, rather than a way that a friend being told a compliment would. I'm always one to preach "just say thank you" when you are told a compliment. In this moment I couldn't say thanks. I was "that girl" who was saying "Stop it. I am not skinny. You should see the junk I ate over the holidays." Eventually I was honest with her and said that being called skinny felt odd and made me a little uncomfortable. All in all, it was just a strange moment and we moved on to different topics in our conversation. That night I came home and told my fiance about our conversation and pondered out loud why it just struck me as uncomfortable to be called skinny. I was just stuck on figuring out why I couldn't take the compliment. As confused as I was, my fiance was even more bewildered, saying "Boy, I'm glad I'm not a girl. I do NOT get it." When he said that I laughed and thought to myself... "I know... I don't get it either." It wasn't until today, weeks later, that I figured out why I couldn't say thanks, and why I felt odd. To be honest, it's because being skinny isn't the goal I have when I think about working out, eating healthy and being active. It isn't what I'm striving for, so when I was told that, it didn't feel complimentary. Above that, it is never my intent on this blog or in anything I share that I want to promote being skinny over feeling good. I figured out it was a sudden sense of fear that I felt that made it impossible for me to graciously take something that was meant to be a compliment. It's not that I don't like to hear those things, but in a world where all we are are images of fit, thin people as the image to aspire for I became afraid that was the message I was putting out there myself. I was fearful that being called skinny made it seem as though that was what I valued when I encourage people to make exercise a consistent action, and to put healthy foods in their bodies. Sure, it feels great to feel really good in the skin I'm in and to have clothes fit decently. But my hope is that the messaging I put out there goes deeper than that. Why can't compliments be more along the lines of "You look like you're feeling great"? Because isn't that what we are all really striving for anyway? To that I would confidently say "I am! Thank you!" in a heartbeat. Early yesterday morning I was texting with a friend. We are both in an online course all about confidence that started earlier this week. We didn't talk about doing this together. In fact, four days in is when I found out that she too was in it.
As we were exchangning messages back and forth regarding the course content, she asked me a good question that I hadn't even asked myself yet. "What's been going on with you that made you want to take this course?" My answer to her was: "I've just been wanting to take it..... I actually feel pretty confident in general, so it's almost more of a tool for me to talk to those who are dealing with low confidnce... " We continued on with our conversation a bit, then I noticed the time and saw I better hop in the shower. As I was getting ready to shower, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I noticed things... "post-holiday" things, you might say. There I was staring at myself in the mirror, picking myself apart just after I had told my friend I was actually pretty confident. What a line of bullshit I fed her, right?! Well, as I thought it through more, I began to wonder. Am I really that confident? How can I tell her I am when I was just picking myself apart in the mirror? I mean, I definitely have insecurities. Things scare me. Certain settings scare me. Putting myself out there scares me. Hitting 'publish' on this blog post is going to scare me. So, if I have these insecurities and was just critiquing myself in the mirror, can I really boldy say "I AM CONFIDENT"? I was getting insecure that I wasn't as confident as I thought I was! Like, how can I tell someone I'm confident and then second guess myself from time to time? Is that really confidence?? It wasn't until later in the day that I read something that was a slap-in-the-face answer to my ponderings. Of course, this answer came in the form of an e-mail from Steph's confidence course. "Being confident doesn’t mean you cease to have insecurities. If you're waiting for that to happen, you'll be waiting forever. Being confident means you stop letting your insecurities control you." That was it! I could see the lightbulb go off in my head, and a sense of relief rush over me. Yes, I AM confident! How? Because I have insecurities, but rather than letting them control me in a negative way, I use them to push forward. This may or may not come as a surprise to you, but I don't like being told what to do. Call it stubborn, call it Irish temper, call it matching my Taurus sign... but it's true. I prefer to do things on my own time, in my own way. So, to say that I'm going to let my insecurities tell me what to do would be absurd. The only person that is going to be the boss of me is ME! If I let my insecurities control me I wouldn't feel as awesome as I do most days. I wouldn't be writing this blog post. I probably wouldn't have the job I have. I wouldn't do things that have been outside of my comfort zone like move halfway across the country, be a member of Toastmasters, teach spinning class, or start my Live Well With Kell coaching business. If I let my insecurities control me, I would be hiding my gifts. That would be as unfair to you as it would be to me. I have insecurities, but I am confident too. Guest blog post from Chrissy Mendelson, fitness pro, travel enthuasit and life-maximizer. It’s that time of year. You know what I am talking about, the time of year where we are forced to look back on the previous year judge what we did and didn’t do and then choose something to resolve for the next year. Oh and hopefully pop some champagne in between all that! If you don’t mind that I do, I’d love to be the first to say... shit that’s an exhausting tradition! I don’t believe in creating resolutions. As a professional goal coach by day, I will say I LOVE goals but I have a different approach. For myself and all my clients on I find it unnecessary to focus on a resolution for we are perfect, unique humans and there is nothing wrong with any of us to resolve. For 2017 instead of a resolution, I promote intention; getting real with yourself, your goals, and your action plan for the year ahead. I believe in being our own superheroes… You know the ones who jump into action to take care of us and save our own lives. Yes, that power lies in each one of you and today I want to share with you how to get real with yourself and your goals to create an action plan that will actually stick this time around. Without further ado, here are your steps for creating intentional goals for 2017: 1) Make sure your goals are yours: haha right? Seems obvious, but a lot of people set goals they think they are suppose to or hear from someone else. I need to lose 20lbs, I am going to stop eating sugar, I am going to do better with money this year, etc. Now all these goals are great, but don’t commit yourself to a goal that doesn’t fit you! I am going to run a 5k in 2017 isn’t a great goal if you hate running. 2) Keep all goals Positive: Avoid the use of negativity while writing out your goals. Stress less… even though that seems like a positive goal focusing on the word stress already gives you a set up for drumming up the emotions that word brings to your mind. Instead try to take a more positive spin. My goal for 2017 is to have MORE experiences that fit with my authentic self- more fun, laughter, time with loved ones, and of course travels. 3) Promote your goal: You are the marketing director for your goal. So it’s your responsibility to make it known to yourself, the universe, or whoever you want to share it with. I advise my clients to write it down, so you can view it every day. Also Share it with someone; Maybe your trainer, coach, workout group, etc. The more you promote it, the MORE it’s on your mind to accomplish. If you are looking for more ways to create intentional goals next year… find me at Travel Forward on facebook and look out for a free webinar on January 3rd about how to rock your resolutions! At Travel forward, we are a community of people who use our unique experiences in life to learn, grow, and elevate to the best versions of ourselves! We hope to see you around in 2017. #travelforward Rooting for you, Chrissy Mendelson “3-2-1…. Finish strong! You got this! Remember why you showed up today! You’re going to feel so good when we’re done today—you’re stronger than you think you are!” That’s a common shout out I give while leading a cycling class, especially towards the end when it’s tough. I say these things to my class because I know it’s true, and I know if they push through to the end they will feel good accomplished and proud of themselves. Now, let’s fast forward to later in their day. They are working on a project at work but just can’t focus. The deadline is coming, but the eyes are glazed over from looking at the same document and they’ve lost all their initial excitement they had when starting the project. Or they’re a mom at home and the kids are screaming. They just feel like completing any sort of task is impossible. Then, they remember their morning workout… that was seemingly impossible too. But, they made it! When you exercise you feel good about yourself. Accomplished, sweaty, proud. You have crossed something off your to-do list for the day. When you feel good, you do good. When you do good, others notice and you become an example. You think about what else you can accomplish that day. You know that since you made it through that you can make it through many other things. This weekend I was pushed to my limits. I kept thinking to myself, “Why now? Why THIS weekend?” I completed a Les Mills certification training. If you’ve ever been to one, you know what it’s like, and you know how physically and mentally exhausting it can be. The program I’m working towards certification in is called RPM, a form of cycling class. So, as you can imagine there was a lot of cardio and muscle building that occurred. This weekend I was also confronted with a cold. It was like a cold I’ve never had before though. My nose wasn’t runny, my body wasn’t achy or had the chills, but my throat was screaming at me. It felt like there were razor blades in it, and my regular breathing would sometimes sound like a snore. Attractive, right?! Heavy breathing in a throat, chest and ears that felt like there were shards of glass in it was about the worst feeling ever. That paired with being unsure of exactly what to expect from the training, other than knowing we would need to keep our energy up as we were going to be pushed to our max both mentally and physically created a bit of nervousness and fear. I kept thinking to myself, “just get through this. Just power through.” As the weekend went on, I began to answer the initial questions I asked myself when I woke up Saturday morning, voiceless and painful to swallow. Why now? Why THIS weekend? Why to me? I realized that if I can survive this weekend, I can not only survive but EXCEL once I start feeling healthy. Fitness and pushing ourselves to our limits has this weird way of empowering us in every aspect of life. It creates a ripple effect. Now, take it one step further. If you go through your fitness with a buddy, or in this case a group of women going through the training, then imagine the bonds that are made. They’ve been where you’ve been, they’ve seen you struggle, work through that point where you think you can’t keep going, and come out the other side stronger than ever. The poor ladies that were in the training with me saw me at my most vulnerable—I was wheezing (seriously!),coughing and just a big mess all while taking a stab at something new, and learning the new program with them. Because of this weekend of us being together and pushing past our limits, not only do we have a special bond, but we know we can call on each other when times might get a little difficult. They’ve got my back, and I’ve got theirs. Physical fitness certainly is not the end all, be all for your health, or the quality of person you are. How you look on the outside, whether you have 6 pack abs or toned triceps doesn’t determine that you’re a good friend, a good employee, kind, caring, someone who puts out good in the world and are someone other people want to be around. Physical fitness, exercise, working out… whatever you prefer to call it… is the launching pad of becoming the best version of yourself. Don’t believe me? I dare you to try it right now. Get up out of your seat, give your arms a shake and do 30 seconds of movement--- anything—lunges, squats, jumping jacks. Feel better? Has that mental block been disrupted? Did your energy go from zero to hero (or maybe somewhere in between)? Are you ready to launch into your best self? 2017 can be the year, and I can help get you there. Visit Live Well With Kell to learn more about how ’ll give you all the tools you need to be successful. Ultimately, it’s up to you to stay tough, stay strong, be compassionate and honest with yourself, and push those excuses aside… I won’t give up on you, and you don’t give up on yourself! Enjoy this guest blog post from Stephanie Fischer! It was winter time during my junior year of college. I was working part time at the YMCA teaching a “Total Body Conditioning” class at 5:30 in the morning, three days a week. I’ve always been a light sleeper and while my true nature isn’t to be a morning person, I pop right out of bed when my alarm goes off and I need to be somewhere. Dependable, punctual, and responsible...that’s me! Well, most of the time. I’d gone to stay at my parent’s house because my roommates at the time refused to turn up the heat. They thought it was reasonable to walk around our apartment in coats and mittens. I did not. Let’s just get this straight right now. There are certain things in life that are worth paying for. Heat, air conditioning, and internet definitely all make my short list. Back to my story, being under my parent’s roof and in my old bedroom again must have affected my sleep on that Friday morning because I slept right through my alarm. I woke up to see that it was past 6:00am and I’d completely missed my class. Man, if that isn’t one of the crappiest feelings in the world. Panic followed by embarrassment and then shame. Some of the worst emotions a human can experience and they’re all coming at you in your first moments of consciousness. Even before coffee. I emailed my supervisor to tell her what I’d done, explained that it was a total fluke, I was soooo sorry and it would never EVER happen again. Then it happened again the following Monday on the very next time I was scheduled to teach. I remember opening my eyes that morning and knowing something was wrong. Scared to even look at the clock I just started saying “no no no no no no this can’t be happening”....but it was definitely happening. I had missed class for the second time in a row. There was only one thing to do. Bawl my eyes out. I don’t remember if I got in trouble at work or even how it went when I finally did show up to teach my class the following Wednesday. I never missed a class again and yet a year or so later when I was leaving the Y, my class got me a goodbye present... It was an alarm clock. Of course, it was a joke and we all had a laugh. Those back to back missed classes had become known as “that time Steph went on a bender”. They all got a kick out of that. (I pretended I thought it was funny) This is a very small example but isn’t that the way it goes? You can show up to teach a class hundreds of times over the course of a few years and yet when it comes down to the end, the thing you’re most remembered for is your “bender”, the time (okay, two times) you messed up. I can laugh at it now because, trust me, I’ve messed up many times and far worse in the last decade. This story doesn’t even make my list of regrets anymore. But it is a good illustration for self-compassion. We are so good at taking incidents we regret, mistakes that we’ve made and making them a part of who we are instead of just something we did. We lay in bed at night obsessing over our missteps and using them as evidence for our lack of worth. Why can’t we show ourselves some compassion? I’ve found one way to get better at it and it actually starts by practicing compassion for others. I’m reminded of the quote; “When someone does something wrong, don’t forget all the things they did right.” Nowadays, I am in charge of all the group classes at the Y. Every once in a while, an instructor sleeps through their early morning class and I am the recipient of that panicked, embarrassed, shame filled text or email message. The funny thing is I actually love when this happens. The group fitness manager part of me doesn’t love it but the human part of me does. I love that I get the chance to show compassion to another human who is probably not expecting it. I know from experience that they’re already beating themselves up so I can skip that part. All I need to do in that moment is remind them that they’re human and that yes, they screwed up, but they don’t deserve the punishment they’re giving themselves. I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts the other day (Happier with Gretchen Rubin) and she said this; “Part of being an adult is living with regret.” Wow. Isn’t that the truth? Just face it. You’re never going to stop messing up. You’ll never be perfect. Neither will the people around you. Giving someone else compassion, especially when they aren’t expecting it, feels nothing short of heroic. A day or two after I’d shown compassion to an instructor who’d accidentally slept through her class, she sent me an email thanking me for my words that day. How easy was that? So if you’re in a position to take someone’s burden off of their shoulders, do it immediately if not sooner. And while you’re at it, why don’t you also do the same thing for yourself? Be your own hero. Show yourself the same compassion you would show to another. Stop looking outward for absolution and just give it to yourself. Because the truth is, we’re all doing the best we can. Sometimes the best we can is good enough, sometimes it more than good enough. But other times that same “best we can” misses the mark. Why can’t we let that go? The truth is, we can let it go. We just have to change the story we tell ourselves. The story that who we are is a sum of the things we’ve done. We aren’t the incredible things we’ve done and we aren’t the terrible things we’ve done either. We’re so much more than that. You make mistakes but you’re still a really good person just like I make mistakes but I’m still a really good person. In my self-confidence course for women, I talk a lot about self-care. Self-compassion is the ultimate form of self-care. I don’t have the keys to unlock women from their prisons of guilt and shame but throughout my course, I give them tools to help them look within themselves and remember where they hid those keys. That way, they are able to unlock themselves and finally be free. The next offering of my course begins on January 1st and I’d love for you to join. For more info, visit www.howetofitness.com/confidence or send me a message at Howe-To Healthy Living and I’d be happy to answer your questions! Yum!! I tried a new recipe the weekend and I feel it is my duty to share. Some side notes in making this recipe: 1) WHY is butternut squash so hard to cut? I was sweating by the time I got all done. 2) PJ will not touch this soup-- he thinks it looks like baby food. 3) Besides cutting the squash, it was so easy to make! I decided to freeze half the batch for future meal prep too. My version of the recipe was inspired by: Goodful. INGREDIENTS For the soup: 1 Butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and roughly chopped 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped 4 garlic cloves, peeled Drizzle olive oil 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth ½ teaspoon ginger ½ teaspoon coriander ¼ teaspoon cayenne (can leave it, this give it a bit of a kick!) 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon thyme ¼ cup of milk (I used almond milk) For the optional garnish: Chives, chopped Pumpkin seeds PREPARATION 1. Place squash pieces, onion, and garlic into a slow cooker. 2. Drizzle with olive oil and add vegetable or chicken broth. 3. Sprinkle over ginger, coriander, cayenne, sea salt, and pepper. 4. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high heat for 4 hours. 5. Using a hand blender, blend the ingredients until smooth (if you do not have a hand blender, you can transfer the ingredients to a regular blender (I used the Ninja) or food processor, just be careful when blending hot liquids!). 6. Add thyme and coconut milk and blend for a few more seconds until incorporated. 7. Garnish with chives and pumpkin seeds (optional). 8. Enjoy! Life, it's been good to me. I've been fortunate to be raised in a home filled with love, respect, laughs, and memories. I never went hungry, or lacked opportunites. I didn't get everyhting handed to me, and learned the value of hard work and an earned dollar. I grew up, moved out of that home and got an education where I met many of my greatest friends, while still mainting my hometown faves. I graduated from college and got a job that I loved. I met a guy, one that exceeded any of my visions of what a "good guy" would be like, and now we're getting married. Life... it's been great to me. For that, I am so very thankful. If I'm having trouble at night falling asleep and feeling tense, rather than counting sheep, I count my blessings and that knocks me right out. Through this wonderful life I've been so lucky to have in my brief 29 years here on earth, there's also been some hard times. These recent hard times have been the hardest yet. Today I'm not here to throw a pity party, to ask for sympathy, or for a shoulder to cry on. Today, I'm here to talk about perspective. Life will throw you some pretty nasty lemons, but in catching those lemons, if you can pause and squeeze them for a minute you just might come out with some pretty decent lemonade. While life has been so good to me, I can still say that the lemons of life have taught me quite a bit. I (not so happily) switched schools when I was young. I went through some body-image issues growing up, yo-yo-ing from being overweight, to far too skinny for my own good, to more overweight that I was before. I was let go from my first grown-up job. I moved across the country to a place where I knew no one expect PJ, and didn't even have a job. I took a hefty cut in pay and learned what it felt like to truly "just get by." I lost my Dad suddenly and unexpectadly. A thought that has crossed my mind lately, "What would I be thinking about right now if _____ hadn't happened?" I look at the lemons that life has handed over as a way to look at life through a different lens. Oh how one's persepctive can change when things go from perfect to challenging or tough. Had I not changed schools at a young age and gone from the shyest kid on the playground to the one that won't shut up, I may have never had the courage to move across the country on a leap of faith. Had I not fought that infamous body image battle, I may not be writing this blog post today... I may not have found my purpose to help others know that they are more beautiful than the make-up they wear, the brands they buy, or the number on the scale. Had I not lost my job, I wouldn't have the deep down belief that it really, truly all works out if you just have a little faith, work hard, be nice, don't burn bridges, and have an open mind. And had I not lost my Dad, well shoot... who knows what I would be thinking about right now. Would I jump at the chance to spend an afternoon with my mom & aunt tomorrow, or think about the things I have to get done at work? Would I look up in the sky for pretty eagles, or keep my vision close and narrow to what's straight ahead? Would I let the silly things that seemed so important consume my mind, or would I just let them go? Would I even be sharing my vulnerable thoughts and feelings right now, or would I have a fear of what others might think or say? As odd of a question as it may seem, I think it truly is important to ask yourself "what would I be thinking about right now if _____ didn't happen?" Life can be beautiful, wonderful, and happy, but it can be challenging and tough at times too. It's in appreciating our tough times that the compassion comes through, our new paths are created, our pesective is shifted and the true beauty of life shines through. You are strong, awesome and powerful. Appreciate the things you have been through in ife.... some things might be the sugar, while others are the lemon. It's all about how you combine them to make your own version of the best lemonade... YOUR lemonade. Family. They're just like my most recent post about Mondays. You're grateful for them, regardless of what happens in life, they're always there, and they're also that "easy" thing to complain about. Recently, I was chatting holiday plans with some gals and the conversation turned to splitting time up with family. It occurred to me that my perspective hasn't always matched others when it comes to this topic-- I love my family. I always have. I always will. Maybe I'm truly lucky to have a great one, or maybe it's my perspective... that these people God put into my life are a gift. Families are a mix of personalities, opinions and quirks. But the beautiful thing about family is that the love is unconditional, and they're always there for you. They may not match some of the people that you choose to be your friends, but they're there for better or worse, through thick and thin, and in happy times and sad. God knows that we are smart at picking out some people in our lives, but there are others that He knew we couldn't do life without so he picked them out for us-- that's family. When one person isn't there, even the quiet ones, the dynamics are different and it just feels different. The thing about family is that you are the only one that can complain about them or bug them. For example, I will still purposely do things to push my brother's buttons, even at the age of nearly 30. I still risk getting stabbed in the hand with a fork just to see if I can get away with stealing a bite of his food. The thrill of this a lifelong battle I'm determined to win! But, if I hear you saying even the slightest thing negative about him or anyone else in the crew, you can bet I will stand up and defend. Family can grow, change and evolve... but not matter what, it will always be yours. This year our family is adjusting. We're missing someone at the table. We're missing that funny guy we always love to pick on. A family picture will never be as complete as it was when he was here. We must move forward though. This Thanksgiving our family will be together. I'm sure there will be tears when thinking of memories past and thinking about what the future holds, but I also know there will be laughs, smiles, and hugs. This year, my one wish for you at Thanksgiving is to not fall to the easy complaints. Take a step back. Look at the big picture. Know and appreciate the love that is there. Remember, as much as you may complain, the apple doesn't always fall far from that big ol' tree. And listen to this song... cause ain't that the truth! As I sit here this Monday morning thinking about the week ahead I realize it's natural to feel stressed. There's so much that I have to tackle for work this week, so much to get done to get back on track with coaching, and other fun things to go to here and there throughout the week. As I've gotten older and have started enjoying more and more of what I do, Mondays have been less of a dreaded feeling for me. But every now and then that feeling of "Monday, again?" creeps in. Recently though, my Monday perspective has shifted.
Now, when I look at a Monday I feel okay. Good, you could even say. Happy? Well, sure! Why? Well, not to sound too mushy but each new day we have is a true blessing, each new week is a gift. Before I would hear others say and think "yes, that's nice" but now I think to myself how thankful I am to wake up this morning. The stresses that each week holds really aren't that bad at all. In fact, what if we looked at the things we stress about as things to be thankful for? - "Ugh, so much to do at work" ------> "I'm thankful I have a job!" - "We have company coming this weekend and the house is a disaster!" -----> "Thank goodness for the people coming to visit us, and for the roof over my head." - "I don't have time to workout" -----> "My body is a gift, and I will try my best to take care of it." .... I could go on, and on. Today marks the start of week six that we carry on with our lives without Dad. He passed away on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The one thing that keeps popping up in my mind is, what he wouldn't have given to just have one more Monday, one more work week, one more shot at getting to BS with his co-workers, have coffee with his wife before hitting the road, to pet the cats outside, and to visit with all the people he ran into throughout the week... just one more week of going through the motions. So, today I ask you to do one thing....actually no, make that two. 1) Be thankful. Look at your Monday as a gift rather than a burden. We don't all get a Monday again. 2) Don't just go through the motions. Appreciate the day, be friendly to others, tell someone something nice, notice the beauty that is THIS Monday! |
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