Perfect 10 ...or 11 ?

It became clear in March & April that there would be no full marathon for me! Last year after completing Grandma's Half, I counted the symbolic and ever prized (and framed) race numbers that line the wall. I counted 9. "Ten would be the perfect way to end all this madness" I thought. So, I decided to do the half in Chicago. Bingo!! Ten wonderfu, almost injury free, happy races! From now on, I will just run for pleasure, no gruling training plans, only a long run if I want to....sounded like heaven!! Until my birthday, in January. Grandma's full marathon registration opened that very day.  Feeling particulary old, I thought.. Hm...maybe I could just try the full marathon..'once'.   So, register I did! It seemed like a good idea until about mid March, when I learned the difference in half marathon running and full marathon running! It is VERY hard to come down off that mountain you find yourself on top of when you are a runner. It will still be hard that morning~in fact each day when I see people out running, my mind says they are out for their long run. There is no easy way to explain the pain...the mental pain of NOT being able to compete. Some say it is harder than physical pain. I agree. BUT....as for now, I am running for pleasure! How far and when I want. I can't completely be done tho~ I will work in the medical tent at the finish! How great is that! I am excited. I even get an entry for the half for next year...hm...is 11 beter than 10 ?? 

Posted by: joyful on 6/6/2008 at 10:05 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

exerpts from a speech on meditation...given by...ME!!

......"As your meditation deepens, you will find yourself stronger and more resilient, better able to face the challenges of life as the kind of person you want to be: loving, creative, resourceful and full of vitality". Taken from Conquest of Mind by Eknath Easwaran. I also love the writers' sense of humor when he explains things such as training our minds and trying to see our thoughts clearly. He likens the mind to a 'vast factory producing a continuous stream of thought of every type....a wisp of anxiety, followed by a strong desire, then another anxiety, then a fear, then 2-3 old memories, throw in some anger and it goes on and on.'

In fact , yesterday at Deborah's presentation at the Wellness Expo, to demonstrate what the busy mind actually 'sounds like' -she had us all start talking at once. It was a great example of just how fast our minds can click.

As we have learned, slowing down the mind means not only achieving better quality thoughts but also the ability to FOCUS and get more done. Being in health care, one quote I enjoyed from the book was   "A smooth running flow of thought saves much wear and tear on the nervous system, which means more vitality and resilience in the face of stress."  That means we stay healthier.

Get back to the work of your meditation practice.

Make it a priority.

We are rewarded for the results of the work. The author states "Reward, is when we see the results of the work involved in meditation expressed in our words and actions." .......

Posted by: joyful on 5/6/2008 at 9:07 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

SUPERGIRL!

It was Louis Pasteur, the French chemist and microbiologist that said "It isn't the germ (pathogen) it is the terrain".   Well, I hear him loud and clear. Being sick, and on day 7 of cold and sore throat symptoms, while I remain thankful it isn't anything more serious than the common cold, I am mad at myself for letting the 'terrain' get susceptible, letting that little germ beat my powerful shield. I pride myself in eating whole, nutritious foods, getting enuf sleep, being spiritually healthy with meditation and moving that body! DANG! I have resorted to otc medications, been forced to nap when I'd rather be doing laundry  (I mean...'listening to my body') yeah that's right ~ Oh well, it rained, snowed and blowed almost every day while I was sick... at least I didn't miss any GREAT weather. Supergirl uses cough drops too.

Posted by: joyful on 5/2/2008 at 11:07 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Where is 'away' ?

As many environment lovers like to say..."When you throw it away....where is...'away'? Is it simply out of our sight? Not in our back yard? The answer I suppose is...far away where it can take hundreds or thousands of years to decompose and we don't have to see it. I wonder where that is?  It is true that it does all go somewhere 'far away' that I don't have to see it....but what happens when we run out of places for it? Is that next century, next decade or next year? Maybe next lifetime!! Okay, I don't know the answer. I don't even know which questions to ask!! There are so many catagories one could get caught up in and confused by....recycling, buying organic products and food, sustainable farming and trade, cleaning supplies, health care, energy usage, pollution and industry, air quality, transportation methods, and fuel options and more! My recomendation, is to pick what area is most important to you~maybe it is getting meat out of your diet and focusing on plant sourced foods. Maybe it is the energy usage in your home and vehicle. Many friends are considering MPG as a priority right now when purchasing and exchanging vehicles. All these things are good things...didn't Marth Stewart say that? "It's a good thing?" It is all good. We need to be careful to not become overwhelmed with all the hype. Even being very watchful about companies that claim to be 'green'. Educate yourself. Cleaning supplies and food are areas most people are taken adventage of when considering labels. If nothing else.....PLANT a tree!! Take a walk! Try organic spinach or a Pink Lady apple from the Co-op...just to see if you can detect a difference.  Clean with vineagar and water..(remember streak free windows?? Spring is here!)  Try anything  you want, to help and nurture our 'one true love'...... our wonderful planet EARTH!!    Hope your EARTH DAY was wonderful!!              Mine was!!!

Posted by: joyful on 4/22/2008 at 10:25 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Cleaning House!

As spring creeps closer, one can't help but look around and 'see' projects begging to be tackled. Whether it is just a simple job, or an all out cleaning and refreshening of a room or area of the house, we are truly in the mood to 'spring clean'. What about our bodies? Aren't our bodies the home of our souls? We certainly want them as clean as possible. Does that mean taking an additional shower?  Or using deodrant?  Or does 'clean' mean more than that??  Think of a garbage receptacle. If one fills it with....'garbage',  it stinks.  If it is filled with good things, it doesn't usually smell  bad. Therefore, if we fill our bodies with only good things...and GREAT things...it would stand to reason that we not only would feel great and smell great, but we would be clean...inside and out. "CLEAN"...what does that mean? It means health, happiness, knowledge and confidence. It means cancer and disease prevention, increased energy, it means doing everything we can to be in the optimal health while auto immune diseases and others are on the rise. When we feed our bodies garbage, why would we expect them to function at their optimum capacity? On the flip side~feeding our bodies the best of the best, means gloriously healthy cells, skin and hair. So...what is the best of the best?  Easy.  It is fast food. By fast food I mean.....fruits and vegetables!!!  How much faster can it be??? Apples....bananas...oranges....should I go on? Spring cleaning...maybe it is is time to do a cleanse..for your body. An easy, natural, non-commercial or propagandized way of making our insides 'sparkle'.....easy to do and free!!!  Spring cleaning in the truest sense.

Posted by: joyful on 4/18/2008 at 9:30 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink