Out of my way

So many times in this life, we just need to get the heck out of our own way.

I've always been able to stay afloat in water, but 5 years ago I began to pursue swimming as a form of exercise. It started with a few swim classes during my first senior year of college. My experience began in the far right lane of the pool...the slow lane. Quickly I mastered the side breathing technique and began to get a little faster. As I got faster I moved farther to the left of the pool, eventually ending up in the middle.

After a couple of quarters, I stopped improving and didn't understand why I had hit a wall (figuratively...although I did literally hit the wall a couple of times and that wasn't very comfortable at all). After working with me for 2 or 3 quarters to figure out what was going on, my swim instructor finally said 'well...I don't know how to help you. I can tell that you're doing something wrong, but I can't tell what' Finally, after years of trying to fix my technique, tonight my body figured it out!

This whole time I was digging my arm as far into the water as possible, in a large round motion. It felt like the technique was getting me more power because it was very difficult...and difficulty means progress...right? RIGHT!?!!?

In hind site, this doesn't make any sense at all, because the further your arm is from your body the more power it takes to move it, therefore, less power is available to push the water past you. Tonight I started moving my arm as close to my body as possible while pushing the water back with the ball of my hand. Holy gemoly, it was like a Little Mermaid miracle. The moment I started the new technique I was faster, didn't get as tired and enjoy the experience soooo much more!

This reminds me of life. This whole time I was getting in my own way, making things more difficult than necessary. And what's more...I thought it was a sign of correct-ness because it was difficult (sigh and head shake). Once I stopped trying so hard, my body just did what it was supposed to do, and I improved my technique drastically.

I think that frequently in life we just get in the way. We get all caught up in thinking that we have the answers, that we just have to try harder and eventually things will work. In my experience (including the one tonight), it is the times that we stop trying so hard and just get out of our own way that we really see improvements and change.

FLY!

I feel free when I run.  Free from the cubical, from the keyboard, from the telephone.  Free from laziness, groginess and the television.  Free from disease, from disability and sluggishness.

Free to think, to create and to FLY!

The battle of the clean home

I hope I'm not alone in the losing battle of a clean home.  Every night I go to bed and I think 'tomorrow when I head to bed my home will be spotless'.  But does that ever happen?  I think the answer is glaringly obvious. 

Living in a cluttered and dirty home is not uplifting to my soul.  I never feel quite devoted to the fun tasks that I'm doing like reading a book or baking because I see out of the corner of my eye the pile of things that need to be sorted and tidied.  What is the problem?  Do I not know how to clean?  Do I just have too much $h!t to keep track of?  Do I just need to throw everything over and start fresh?

I'm bound and determined to  fix this problem, because i'm not going to live my entire life with the house winning the battle.  So I'm going to take it in baby steps.  This week I will keep the kitchen clean.  It will be clean every day before I go to work and every evening before I go to sleep.  That is the goal...we will see how it works out.

No insightful thoughts, but a fantastic weekend!

Some weekends are just great, and this last weekend was one of those. 

Friday night:
I thought I was just going to have a night at home of catching up on TV shows and knitting, but NO!  I was invited out by a friend, Melissa, for her birthday.  When I got to the bar I realized that I didn't know but two people at the get together.  Was it this a problem?  NO!  The group of 15-20 people that gathered together to celebrate Melissa's life was awesome.  We all got along extremely well, and had a great time playing shuffle board and foos ball (I was aweful at both of course, as I am at most bar sports...buck hunter is the one exception). 

The night was absolutely a great time...except for the food at the Belltown Pub...ew!  I paid $10 for a salad that had about a handful of greens, 1/2 ounce of blue cheese, 5 pecans and 1/4 pear.  I will NEVER eat there again!

Saturday:
I had a lot to do, but mastered the multi-tasking skills.  Early in the morning I headed off to Auburn to get my oil changed, and knew that it was going to take quite a while...as it always does.  I wore my running clothes and loaded the dog into the car.  While I was waiting for my oil change and mini-detail (totally worth the $30 BTW!) I ran the two miles to the licensing office and got my tabs, then I ran back.  It was perfect because I had a 4 mile run slated for that day.  aaaahhhhhh, gettin' shit done is so great!

Then it was off to spend some much needed time with my very best friend Laura.  She is such a great person to have in my life.  She really cultivates a positive attitude, motivation and hope in my heart.  Every time I get to hang out with her I consider it a real blessing!

After time with the friend, I met up with my mom for a mom/daughter date.  We went to the symphony.  We often go to the symphony for our fun dates.  On this particular night we were suprised by the delectableness of the Wolfgang Puck fast food stop at Benaroya...mmmm....the turkey dinner was fantastic.  We also heard a great quote from a woman in line at the bathroom, 'I always look like a homeless person after I drink red wine'.  And we decided that we are both bored with Bach...and I hate the harpsichord...I now know that if you are going to a Baroque concert the harpsichord will be a reality :-(

We finished the night off with some Molly Moon icecream....mmmmm....Salted carmel with Mapel Pecan...perfect mix!  What a great evening with the mother I love, nights like these are the memories that I cherish.

Sunday:
All days that start without an alarm are good days in my book.  Church at All Saints was great on Sunday.  God's presence was really there, and I was definitely cut to the heart with the message.  I'm constantly reminded of why I believe what I do, and am so very happy that I have Jesus in my life.  At the end of the service we took communion.  It was really important to me to participate in the Lord's meal on this day, and communion forced me to end my fast of wheat. 

The only logical next step was to get a burger...what a burger I had.  A friend of mine, Matt, introduced me to Lunchbox Laboratory in Ballard...OH MY GOODNESS!  The burger I got was $13, but it was worth every penny because it was the most amazing thing that has hit my tastebuds in a really long time.

After a short nap at home and a few errands, Carly came over and we kicked the ass (more like it kicked ours) of the 7 miles from my house to UW, around the lake and back up the hill.  It's so great to have a consistent running partner, and Carly is so much fun to hang out with.  The talks we have on our jogs really give me a chance to voice my opinion about all sorts of topics (mostly men).  Our times together also energize me to keep going and to reach for my goals...it's great!!

WHEW, what a weekend...and it was FANTASTIC!

She's a killer!

Sophie is such a killer...

and she shows no remorse!!!

Oh holy yoga!

This is an interesting article that I ran across in the Seattle Times:

Link: Yoga 'demonic'?.

This is another example of how I disagree with Mark Driscoll in an extreme way.  It's interesting, because when I was taking classes to become a missionary associate with the Assemblies of God, the entrance counselor told me that I should meditate for 20 minutes 2 times per day (because I scored high on the anger portion of the personality test...I know, me with extreme emotions...weird! ;-).   The meditation technique they taught me consisted of picturing one item in your mind, and trying to block everything out...which is exactly how I was taught to meditate in yoga.

I've been practicing yoga (inconsistently) for about 3 years now...and I LOVE it!  The deep breathes soothe me, the stretches nourish my muscles and the state of mind helps me focus and calm down.  When I take the time to breath in yoga I take the time to focus on the systems that God put in place in my body.  I'm more aware of my muscles and my lungs, my heart and limbs...just thinking about it is soothing.

While I practice yoga I pray, and it has become one of my favorite times with God.  Our lives move so fast these days, that slowing down for 1 hour is a great opportunity to listen to God speak.  I almost always leave my session feeling closer to God than I did when I went in.

Furthermore, I don't see ANY scriptures in the Bible that talk about Yoga and don't understand how such a line can be drawn in the sand against something that isn't specifically mentioned.  I will continue adding to this post the more I study about it.

Afterthoughts after I watched Mark Driscoll's video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhcoBLdM8CQ

Mark did not quote ONE scripture during this video.  How can you make such a decision without any scripture?  He says, 'that (in yoga) you don't go out to God, you go into self, and it's not about connecting to God. It's about connecting to the universe through meditation'.  It says in the Bible:

 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Col 2:16)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

If the Word is in you, and God is the Word, then God is in you.  If God is in you....why can't you look internally to speak with God?

 I will sing to the Lord all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

May my meditation be pleasing to Him,

as I rejoice in the Lord.

(Psalm 104: 33 & 34)

Get close

All seems perfect from far away,
small imperfections discovered lead to love.
Realized and accepted they are cherished,
Unaccepted or denied, they turn into petrified pieces
dropped in a bucket of bitterness.
People are loved because of imperfections,
not in spite of them.
Get close
and learn the imperfect
and love

I'm sailing...I sail...I'm a sailor.

 

'Guess what...ahoy...I sail now out on a boat on the lake way far away from the dock into the wind and the sky and everything'

Today I went on a sailing trip with my department at work.  It was sooo much fun!  We were cruising at 20 knots...okay...I don't actually know what that means or if it's true but it sounds cool.  It was a beautiful fall day out on the sound.  The beginning of the trip was pretty intense, we were tipping over so much that I thought we might tip all the way over, but of course the crew knew what they were doing. 

It would be so much fun to start sailing more in the summer.  I hear that if you're out in the sea for an extended period of time you can smell the earth when you approach shore, just like you can smell the ocean when you approach it.  I want to experience that sometime in my life.  New goal: go on an extended sailing trip!

What a blessed person I am, to have the opportunity to do fun things like this, and in such a beautiful place.  Seattle is so gorgeous!!!!

p.s. if you have a sail boat and are reading this I wouldn't mind an invite to go for a spin :-)

uuuuuhhh CHEW

Hills and valleys

The local topography is never more evident than when you are on a jog.  The Seattle area is EXTREMELY hilly.  Those who rarely walk, run or bike do not know the realities of the situation.  For those of us who experience the outdoors outside of a car this knowledge is a fact of everyday life.

Recently I was on a run on Capitol Hill.  Before I left my house I mapped out a 5 mile route, which I thought was relatively flat.  Once I finished my first mile I started a steady climb which continued for 2 1/2 miles...whew...what a shocker!  I had driven the route many times, but had never experienced it with the pavement beneath my feet.  The run was more challenging than expected, but I finished one step at a time.

I feel like this is similar to the way that many people in today's society experience the world.  Some people choose to sit in their comfortable lives, unaware of the real world around them.  The truth is that most lives are filled with peaks and valley, only those who are simply along for the ride instead of experiencing life in a real way think it's a flat road.

If you haven't had a challenge lately I think it might be time for you to exit your lofty 'vehicle' and experience the ground beneath your feet.