I Love you Again and Again

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

We should be able to marry again and again and again.

There is so much anticipation, so many loved ones in one place, so much love radiating from the pews, so much fun to be had dancing with little tykes and all the uncles, and so much thought into every thread that graces the stage on that ceremonious day (and so little of it afterwards) that it should never have to stop. And the look in each other's eyes and those magical words "I do" could never lose their magic.

Besides, it can be so hard to narrow down a theme that it would be fun to be able to pick a different one every five years or experience an elopement, try a non-traditional dress, make room in the wedding party for new friends in your life, or give out party favors that convey something from each set of years you've spent together.

Oh, I could definitely live without the familial friction and the staggering bills, but I would desperately love to relive that enchantment that lasts only hours for one short miraculous day.

We evolve in our love for one another. And we could use a way to truly express that love beyond such trivial means available to the already-married. A way to renew that bond and celebrate something of such significance. To feel that raw love anew.

Swearing off the Boob Tube

Monday, August 16, 2010

I wrote a letter to a chronically late friend some time ago explaining how this momma needs to take stock of what she's spending her time on and extinguish all the pesky places where time seems to be meaninglessly burned. In this case, it was waiting around for hours for her. Another huge time-sapping activity for me is watching television.

So, I watched a movie this weekend and sort of felt robbed afterwards. I couldn't believe I spent those golden hours while my child napped engrossed in something so stupid, meaningless, unauthentic, and ridiculous. So I feel that I need to consciously rearrange the agenda a bit and zap television from my day-to-day playlist.

Not only does television provide constant reminders of what we don't have it also diminishes bodily health. There is a direct relationship between time spent watching TV and the weight of the person watching. The more hours you watch, the fatter you get. It's blunt, but it's the gosh-darn truth.

In an effort to be more productive, energetic, and healthy; to be a positive role model for my son; and to pursue my passions much more rigorously than I have been, I am taking a sabbatical from the boob tube. I'd much rather:

*Make music like the two delightful young girls we saw at the coffee shop open mic, playing cellos and singing sweetly to their own worthy lyrics.

*Shop for beautiful antiques saturated with stories like quilts and old-time storybooks and dainty hors d'oeuvre forks.

*Cook exquisite Gordon Ramsay-worthy food beside my husband

*Make acoustical noise around the fire

*Fill sketchbooks with musings and colored pencil drawings

*Cut pretty pictures from magazines to collage into vision boards

*Make musical instruments from stuff we have just laying around the house and jam away with my talented two-year-old

*Perusing the farmer's market with friends who actually cherish their time with me

*Hone my flexibility and feelings of inner peace with yoga

*Honoring my legs and lungs with a sprint around the neighborhood

Creating Peace at Home

Friday, August 13, 2010


images courtesy of AarinFreePhoto.com

Ask me what's wrong with the medical system I've been dealing with lately, and I can list off dozens of things and their myriad of negative effects. Ask me what's going right in my home, and I'll be stumped to give any examples. This is when you know something is off-kilter.

In an effort to find my way back to Optimistic, a friend I've been avoiding like leprosy, I've decided to force myself to feel grateful, hoping that that old adage that if I act happy I'll be happy really works. And I have lots of hope that it does.

1. Singing someone to sleep
2. Foundational faith
3. Fresh scents
4. Inspiring colors
5. New green growth
6. Gratitude from someone else
7. Connections with depth
8. Giving old things new life
9. Skipping unabashedly
10. Sticky lollipop fingers: these can either be seen as a complete nuisance or a sign of completely immersing oneself in a sweet experience. I choose the latter.
11. A scrubbed-clean home
12. Colorful glass in the windows
13. A checked-off to-do list
14. Advice and encouragement from someone who knows, really knows
15. Central air, electricity, a steady job and creature comforts
16. A brand-new SUV that looks so "me"
17. An abundance of ideas and creative spirit
18. Discovering a new magazine: Living Crafts Magazine. Now, I'm not the bead, scrapbook, fake wreath type of crafter. I was looking for something modern, nature-inspired, inspiring in itself, and do-able and this is it!
19. Two little boys, one with amazing blue eyes and the other with shiny copper penny hair, splashing away in a kiddie pool
20. Discovering a new radio station that never bores: The Avenue.

Oh, and the Perseids. I almost forgot. I need to get out there tonight and see if I can see any last stragglers because I forgot to last night.

What Have You Got to Lose?

Friday, August 6, 2010



Picture courtesy of Sunipix


A lot!

I was thinking about what might make someone motivated to lose weight when they're sort of apathetic about their size...as in, their potentially-failing health, neutral body image, pleas from children, etc have not been enough of a push to get them to lose weight. These were some of my ideas:

1. Reproduction: Research shows that obesity is related to a host of reproductive problems. Planning to have a family--and a healthy one at that--can be a huge force toward leading a healthier lifestyle. I've also read that obese women are at higher risk for early and recurrent early miscarriages. It is highly advised that women get their weight under control to prevent this truly heartbreaking experience.

2. Insurance rates: I have seen instances where health insurance rates doubled as a result of health assessment reports. Talk about reason to lose weight!

3. Monetary incentives: Money, in general, is a good incentive for a lot of people to do anything. I see a lot of games popping up in area gyms and workplaces offering the “biggest loser” a pool of money or other great incentives. Perhaps stats on what they’d save money on if they’d lose weight such as grocery bills, clothing, airline seats (in some cases), gas, the obvious doctor bills and much more would assist in motivating.

4. Altruistic motives: How about encouragement to commit to running a race in honor of a friend with cancer or perhaps “dedicating” a few pounds to premature babies in the NICU (in the form of pledges per pound).

5: Success Stories: Motivational stories have always inspired me personally. When I see someone in my daily life begin to lose weight, I want to know everything about how they did it. It’s almost a stroke of jealousy that stirs up the desire in me. If someone larger than me (and whom I know personally or see in real life) can do it and look great, I want to!

6: I am also highly motivated to "show 'em" when people make rude comments or tease me about my weight or even another aspect of my life. When I came back to visit from my first semester in college, someone made a comment about my more-than-freshman-15 weight gain. That was a wake-up call. Someone else told me to revel in the weight I was at for my wedding because that was the lowest I'd ever be. Well, well, well. Today, after having a baby even, I weigh 15lbs less than I did the day I said my vows. I don't appreciate being labeled, judged or pressed into a self-fulfilling prophesy of someone else's. So there!

Getting a Little Technical

Thursday, August 5, 2010

I received a fun new gadget as of late. Makes me so happy. How could a Heart Rate Monitor make someone so happy? I'm not sure. Anyhow, I don't need to stop running and risk dizziness for 15 seconds to check my pulse. This thing does it for me. And tracks calories and distance too. This is so perfect for running. I've often wondered if I'm running fast enough to get any benefits or even if I'm going too fast. Now I'll know!

So, I found this fabulous website for determining what heart rate zones I should be in for certain benefits and for how long. I already know the whole 220 minus age calculation that gets me to my maximum heart rate. But what are you supposed to do with the numbers from there? This site takes a closer look. There's nothing like feeling like you've actually done something good for your body after a run!

Perhaps this can move me past the plateau I've been in for the last, oh, two years. Oh wait, what's that you say? Yes, I'm walking over to the bakery to get a cupcake at lunch. So? I am walking...

The New Charity "Race"

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

I just had a great idea for an invention I thought I'd share. Not so much a physical invention as an inventive idea. There are so many charity runs and only so many ways to switch those up (run a 5k night, taste beer along the way, etc). Why not do some sort of contest where you dedicate the pounds you intend to lose to a charity or worthy cause? You make some sort of pledge or solicit pledges for each pound lost. It would totally make sense to "donate your pounds" to premature babies in the ICU. This would be a great addition to a company wellness program or a gym promotion. Just a thought...