One Step at a Time

Another crazy week in my household. Stomach flu ran its course here, and then Halloween. I need to get pictures up soon of my vampire, werewolf, and princess-who-only-will-wear-her-crown-upside-down. Fun, fun stuff. And if you want the biggest Halloween laugh and haven’t seen this yet, go. He’s fast AND completely nuts.

I’d better honour my list in my previous post and address some stuff:

1. Why can kids be so flexible? When do we exactly lose that?

Flexibility is something I need to work on. As a kid, I was extraordinarily flexible. I was into gymnastics, growing up in the 70′s and wanting more than anything to be Nadia, and all. Now, I take my daughter to parent-and-tot gymnastics and when the coach has us “kiss our knees”, I wonder if I can’t just blow them a kiss. My flexibility sucks. My daughter? She can kiss her neighbours knees. Easily. It’s amazing. Ever watch a two-year-old examine their toenails??? They bring them right up to their eye level. Ahhhhh … to have that flexibility.

2. The principle of ?all the way? and how it applies to my running

I’m going to try and use the least amount of words to explain this in the easiest way possible. At my kid’s Adventureland (Sunday School program) the leader did a lesson on “obeying all the way.” Like, not just begrudgingly listening to God, but doing it with the right heart. She talked to the kids about how that applies to so many life things: ie. when your mom tells you to clean your room, you don’t just put out the minimum effort and shove everything in the closet. You do it right. With the right heart.

With my running, I need to go “all the way”. Not sluff off on my pace, because I have no concrete race to think about right now. Not cut it short because it’s getting uncomfortable. Some parenting expert once said, “We have to get comfortable with having our kids uncomfortable. It’s a life skill to work through discomfort.” I don’t mean pinching your kids, I mean having them be good copers and problem-solvers. So that they don’t grow up naturally taking the easy road all of the time. I need to get more comfortable with ME being uncomfortable, and pushing myself through discomfort. It builds character, and confidence as a runner. I know this from reading all of your marathon reports, people!!!!

3. My wellness plan (yep, I?ve got one)

Okay, this is huge and will be another post. The summary? I want to remember to work on my whole self. So, I’ve broken it into a plan or a list (shock of a lifetime, there) based on six domains. Here is the Cole’s Notes version:

PHYSICAL: To reach the “finish line” of my weight loss goal and not look back, to run a 10 k within the year, to improve my flexibility by pursuing yoga / some structured class

EMOTIONAL: to end a friendship in my life that depletes me and serves absolutely no purpose; to finally forgive someone in my life who has wronged me signifigantly but is far too old and ill to be able to make it right … and to be OK with that

COGNITIVE: to read more adult fiction, to invest time/resources into my writing

SOCIAL: To reconnect with a couple we’ve lost touch with for no reason at all; to continue to develop my home into a place where kids want to hang out

SENSORY: To convince my husband to get a pet again … one we can hold and love. This is probably more emotional than sensory, but it came up here. Short story: our dog has been gone for four years, and I miss her everyday. We have tree frogs, but …. ummmm … they’re just not very expressive. Gimme a dog already … Christmas is coming.

SPIRITUAL: To remember to pray about things before I vent/whine about them; to really take on a family service project this year, ie. devote a year to a particular charity that we choose as a family and raise money / pray for it / serve it with our time.

Whew. Are you still here?

Holy cow.

Bless you.

4. Why I Should Never Ever Open a Package of Halloween candy until the Trick-or-Treaters are knocking on my door

Oh my. Did the Kit Kats do me in this year! Mini-packaging is just MADE to fool me. It’s a quick bite … and then it’s another … and another. I’m sure Nestle has MY picture with a big target on it when have their marketing strategy meetings. Got a BIG wake-up call this Halloween. Enough, already.

5. How #4 Led Me to Creating #3

All kidding about chocolate aside, I need to control the eating. I invest a lot of time into my fitness, and I don’t want to blow that continually with these crazed binges. We’re back to writing down every mouthful. It’s tedious, it’s old news, but it works. Still have made no decision about w8 watchers.