Floating Along?

By being stricter with yourself, you will begin to live life more deliberately, on your own terms rather than simply reacting to life the way a leaf floating in a stream drifts according to the flow of the current on a particular day.
~Robin Sharma (Who Will Cry When You Die? p.9)

Do Not Give In To Them!

Doctors have never said, “You have attention deficit disorder,” but I think I do since I’m easily distracted. For example, one morning after I finished writing in my journal, I took a “stand up break” before beginning to write a blog post.

As I re-settled myself, I thought, I loved the Gordon McDonald poem Elisabeth Elliot read last night. I’ll search for it on the internet before I forget about it. Although I didn’t find it, I did discover videos that featured him. I watched one for a few minutes before I reluctantly hit pause (in order to write).

Then I thought, I need to get “caught up” on reading one chapter a day in the Book of Proverbs. While I read and jotted down insights, the minutes designated for writing slipped away as silently but as surely as sand in an hourglass. 

When I glanced at the clock, I thought. Oh, no! My writing time is gone. I’ve gotta get up and get busy.

Suddenly, the “Do not give in to them!” warnings I’d read in Proverbs 1:10-16 took on an expanded meaning. Although they warned me against giving in to enticements to do evil, I realized I must also resist giving in to distractions—even “good” ones—if they keep me from doing the work (writing) God asked me to do. Clearly, I must break my lifelong habit of letting GOOD things keep me from the BEST ones.

I Can. I Will.

The "woozies" and "wobblies" have slowed me down for over a year. For many days, I've gripped my cane and/or held onto the walls and furniture. Finally, I'm feeling better. Along with the improvement in my balance has come a surge of hope that I just might be able to resume normal activities again--or to become more active than I've been for a long time.

Thus, when I opened an email that contained a link to a blog post entitled 71 Ways to Exercise More in 2018, I didn't delete the message, as "hopeless me" might have done before starting to feel better. 

As I looked over the long list, I noticed there were many activities I am not able to do. Yet, I continued to read on. (Hopefully, you, Dear Reader, may be able to do them; so, I will list a few for you to consider.)

• Do pushups or sit-ups when commercials interrupt your favorite TV shows.
• Ride your bike.
• Take your dog to the park.
• Sprint to and from the mailbox.
• Run a 5k or a half-marathon. (I can't, but my daughter can--and does! I'll cheer her on.)

Rather than despair over the ones I can't do right now, I made a list of several I can do, while inside my house. 

• Do calf raises while I brush my teeth.
• Stand up and walk around a few minutes each hour. (Increases heart rate, burns a few calories, and improves circulation.)
• Use resistance bands. (I'll use the set of training tubes my daughter gave me years ago.)
• Repeatedly lift and hold both feet off the floor when I'm sitting at my desk and checking e-mails. Doing so will strengthen my core, as well as my leg muscles.
• Vaccum.
• While sitting anywhere, point my toes and flex my feet.

And I noticed activities I used to do that I can now resume.

• Do an exercise video. (I have some of Leslie Sansone's in-home walking workout DVDs and have enjoyed them in the past. I'll start using them again even if I can't walk a mile right away.)
• Set a daily step goal on a fitness tracker. (I'll walk throughout the day, accumulating steps as I make "laps" inside the house and as I do my housework. Hopefully, soon I'll be able to walk for extended periods in the neighborhood again.)

I know I'll experience good results if I choose to think about what I can do (and do it!) rather than let what I can't do discourage me to the point of doing nothing at all. 

.

..whatever things are true..think on these things.

Philippians 4:8

Decide to Do; Follow Through

Photo taken during a half-marathon (13 miles) at Orange Beach, AL.
J. Gaskill Photography

My daughter Jena set a goal to run 100 miles each month during 2017--and she exceeded it! Previously, she had not enjoyed running, but now she does. She takes time to run nearly every day; sometimes during her lunch break, sometimes before going to work, sometimes after getting home from work, sometimes in 5Ks and half-marathons, sometimes alone, sometimes with family, sometimes with friends, sometimes in the heat, sometimes in the cold. Running has become a priority for her. Consequently, she's reaching her running goals and experiencing the benefits of a more active lifestyle.

Seeing her set goals and work diligently to reach them inspires me to determine my priorities and do them. After all, deciding isn't worth much if there is no follow through.

Whatever you do, do [it] well. 

Ecclesiastes 9:10, New Living Translation

Which Way?

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: 

"I am the LORD your God, 

who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.”

Isaiah 48:17, ESV

Since I have a difficult time making decisions, even simple ones, I notice (and photograph!) directional signs that offer a variety of destinations, such as this one I discovered on Sanibel Island, Florida in 2009.

Rarely, for me, are decisions as simple as A or B? 1 or 2? Left or right? 

Instead, I see a myriad of possibilities, as on the sign, and I try to evaluate each one. If I take this route, thus and so might happen. If I choose this, then the result will be….

Because of my angst with decision making, I love Bible verses that assure me God will guide me down the paths He thinks best for me. A particularly favorite passage is Isaiah 30:20-21, ESV, “…but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”

That’s exactly the kind of clear direction I need! Do you need that clarity, too, Dear Reader? If so, let’s learn to listen carefully. He is with us. He is speaking!