thirtyoneblog

I never used to think I had wanderlust. I liked being at home, where things were familiar. But it seems the more I travel, the more I want to see everything that God has created.

I’m on vacation at the beach, and as it always does, the beach gives me a tremendous feeling of relaxation. I just stare out over the water and all the problems I left behind seem so much smaller. I don’t know why that is, but it soothes me. And I’m not even a real beach person. I don’t lie in the sun all day. But I love to walk on the beach in the morning and at night, and watch the waves.

And I want to see so much more. I want to see the mountains and the ocean. I want to see the leaves turning in the Northeast, and the desert of the Southwest. I want to see Australia and Russia. I want to see Rome, Prague, Madrid, Amsterdam. I want to see Argentina. I want to go all over Canada. There’s seemingly no end, really, to the places I want to go. God created them all with unique beauty and if I could take a year or two off and just travel to places unseen, I would do it.

I travel a lot for work, and I know some people consider that a burden, but to me it’s a great blessing. I get to see all kinds of places that I wouldn’t otherwise have traveled to. Now, some of them are not garden spots and wouldn’t have been my first choice, but all that means is that I’m broadening my horizons even more. I’ve traveled to upstate New York, San Jose, Detroit, Connecticut, Cleveland, someplace remote in Kansas, Phoenix, and plenty of other places that I might not have chosen on a vacation, but which I was glad to have gotten to see. And some of them were really great. I liked upstate NY so much that I’m planning a whole week’s vacation around the Finger Lakes area. Who knew?

Ah yes, early January. The time of year when the gym suddenly becomes the place to be. All those “loseweightNOW!” new year’s resolutions are showing up in droves. I went to work out last night and there was hardly a treadmill to spare. A month ago you could fire a cannon down the middle of the building.

Which brings me to some observations I have made lately. It seems that everyone who is really into their workout routine is convinced without a doubt that their way is THE way. Not that being into what you’re doing is wrong; it’s just amusing to see the types of folks that exercise creates.

First you have the gym rats. The guys (and girls) who spend 2 hours in there pumping iron. They’re deadly serious. And convinced that nothing else will do for you what lifting will. At my gym orientation a while back I spent an hour with one of these people. Classes? Yeah, whatever, if you’re bored you can go to pilates or something. Cardio? Pfft, that only works one part of your body, and by the way do you know how wrong the calorie counters on those machines are? But free weights, that’s where it’s at. If you do this then you will burn more calories than you can imagine just sitting still, thanks to all the lean muscle you’re building. It’s all true, of course. I actually am finding myself lifting more than I ever have in the past.

Then you have the runners. Actually many of these types don’t care to go to the gym at all. They’d rather simply find a trail or sidewalk in the neighborhood and just take off. They can go for miles and miles. I actually envy these people because I wish I liked running more. In point of fact I hate it. I do about 20 minutes on the treadmill (and much of that is walking), then I’ve had all I can stand. It bores me to tears, TV or no TV, iPod or no iPod. But the benefit to your heart can’t be denied. The runners couldn’t care less about the social aspect of working out. They have no use for classes, and certainly no use for weights. They just put on their shoes and go for it, wherever they happen to be.

Then you have the yoga worshipers. They can go on and on about the strength you build and the muscles you tone, just from these classes. They’d never dream of doing running or weights; in fact many of them go to strictly yoga studios that have nothing else, rather than a more all-around gym. I think they probably have a point, though I’ve never been to yoga. I probably will try it just for something different, now and then. I recall a funny scene from that movie The Next Best Thing, with Madonna and Benjamin Bratt, where he wanders into her yoga studio looking for a “real” gym, and gets talked into staying for the beginner’s class, and is in some incredible pain by the time it ends. Not to mention, I do think there’s a lot of stress relief involved, and who can’t use that.

And all those people think they’re right and that’s the only place to be. It’s amusing when you think about it. Actually it’s a good thing we have so many choices. Maybe that way I’ll actually stick with it. Because I’m none of the above people. I’m just someone trying to stay motivated, and to me that means mixing it up and doing something different all the time.

Thought it might be appropriate to note some goals for next year on this New Year’s Eve. I prefer to call them “goals,” not “resolutions.” Not sure why; well, maybe I am, goals is what they are. I may post from time to time on where I am in relation to these. Interestingly, after I drafted these I realized there are 8 of them. So, 8 for ‘08!

1. Keep up my routine at the gym. I’ve started working with a trainer, plus DH and I often go together and he enjoys it too, so between those I have a good amount of accountability. Plus I like this gym. People are really friendly and it’s a better facility than what I have belonged to before.

2. Read my Bible through. Yesterday at church they had some brochures with daily readings. It’s interesting because it’s not just starting at Genesis and going all the way through. It moves around, but has specific readings listed for each day. This will be a big commitment but I really want to do it.

3. Take a real vacation. We haven’t gone anywhere for a solid week since our honeymoon. We have taken some long weekends but never set aside a significant block of time for a family vacation.

4. Get another car. I have wanted to replace my piece o’ junk for a few years now, but since it’s paid for I am loath to take on another car payment. However, with a 50 mile a day commute, I really need something better than my current aluminum can, aka Kia Spectra, and we need a better family car.

5. Get a housekeeper. Life is just too short with two very full-time jobs to spend the evenings and weekends with a mop. The money spent will be worth it in terms of the time we get back in our lives and frankly, neither of us is good at house cleaning and a professional will do a much better job than we could anyway.

6. Be more committed to excellence at my job. I have been in a real funk the last several weeks for a variety of reasons and I don’t feel like I have put my best out there. Much of the frustration is justifiable, I think, but I need to realize there’s a limit to what you can change about some things. You have to just deal, make the best of it, and move on. In this business, things change so fast anyway that I need to focus on that and the fact that no difficult situation can last forever. I have prayed a lot about this - about the wisdom to know what is changeable and what is not, and when to make a stink about something and when to shut up, and how to move above the frustrations and focus on the actual task at hand.

7. Be more committed to doing things for my husband without thinking about what he might have done for me. Marriage is about giving and I need to focus on that as my goal, rather than complaining about what I am not getting. Just really thinking of him more and myself less.

8. Remember people’s birthdays. I used to be really good at sending cards, etc. and wishing people a good day but I have slacked off the last several years.

I think if I focus on these things I will be on track to have a much better year to come.

I’m a bit of a funk today. Had a nice weekend, a good and productive day yesterday, enjoyed dinner and time at home after work, and got to bed at a decent hour. But today, even though it’s not a bad day, is still one for being in a funk.

First, as we all know it’s the 6th anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks and since it is a Tuesday today, the same day it happened, that’s a little unsettling. I’ve been thinking about that a lot and it doesn’t seem possible that 6 years have passed.

Then at work today, someone forwarded me an email with a news story about a co-worker of mine in Canada. He went to the river for some water sports on Saturday but never showed up to meet his wife for dinner afterwards. Then on Sunday someone found his jet-ski abandoned in the river, and his usual life jacket was at his house (so, they assume he wasn’t wearing one Saturday). The police have been searching for him for two days and called it off this morning. While a miracle is always possible, I’m fairly sure he’s gone. He was 44, had a family, was a terrific co-worker, and it ends like this? I’ve been in a funk over that all day.

And I heard this song and it just made me want to cry. How true this is. Don’t blink.

Don’t blink, just like that you’re six years old and you take a nap
Wake up and you’re 25, and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife.
Don’t blink, you just might miss your babies growing like mine did.
Turning into moms and dads, next thing you know, your better half
Of 50 years is there in bed, and you’re praying God takes you instead.
Trust me now, 100 years goes faster than you think.
Don’t blink.

All I want to do is go home and hug my sweet husband a little tighter, and be thankful we have what we have.