Mom and dad came for Christmas this year. It was a surprise for several reasons.
First - sometimes they don't plan ahead much, and so travel this time of year is difficult.
Second - they're getting older and both had surgery in the past month so driving here in winter weather wouldn't have been a great idea. Lack of planning means flying would be too expensive.
This left the bus - yep. They got on the bus and rode more than 20 hours to spend Christmas with us. The kids loved having them and so did I.
When was the last time someone did that for you? That doesn't even mention the things they did for us while they were here, but simply getting to and from us for Christmas was more than I'd ever ask of them and they did it, and it was their idea.
Whatever you did for Christmas I hope it was meaningful to you. Family is something we're stuck with. Some are better than others and some are fantastic. Irreplaceable even. That's my parents - irreplaceable. I wouldn't trade them for any others if I could. Sure was nice having them here. Those times are too few and far between - and the kids loved every minute of them being here.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Rules for Living
So I've read several lists, by notorious and famous people, of rules for living. After some thought I decided there's some validity to creating such a list.
Indeed the value isn't in the list itself, but rather in the self-discipline of actually living by the list...and if it's a list of rules to live by I really need to be mindful of living by it right?
My list isn't those things I do automatically each day, and some of them I don't even do well on a regular basis.
Grandpa always said "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise". I know this wasn't grandpa's saying, but he's where I heard it. Not something I'm great at, but there's value to it for sure.
Exercise is good for your body of course, and your mind and even your emotional well being. Exercise gets your juices flowing and keeps your body healthy and feeling alive.
Eat well. Three meals a day isn't eating well. If you're overweight and cutting meals in your attempts to lose weight what you might not realize is that you're destroying your efforts. There's no good to come from skipping meals and not eating enough food during the day. Your body is an engine that needs fuel. Food is your fuel - don't cheat yourself of 6-8 meals per day.
Work hard. It doesn't matter what you do, work hard at doing it. I've always been told it doesn't matter what you do be the best at it. If you're a boxcar hobo be the best boxcar hobo there ever was...and if you're a doctor be the best doctor ever.
Play. What's life without some enjoyment? Don't get me wrong, I love working and I love working out. I might enjoy both of those things more than I like sleeping even.That said there's nothing like a break from normal, or reality, and taking some much needed time off.
There's an acronym - HALT - that fits for maintaining your emotional health and stability. Never allow yourself to get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. One of these things is easy to maintain a sense of sanity. Two of them is more difficult. If you're three of them all at the same time I'd say seek a friend and do it now. Do whatever you need to do in order to protect yourself from these things, and do your best to never even be 2 of them at any given time.
It's not an exhaustive list, but it's a start. Do these things faithfully and then add what you feel is important to you. Drink in moderation, don't smoke or do other drugs, play and work equally hard, dance like nobody will ever watch you and love like there is no tomorrow.
Indeed the value isn't in the list itself, but rather in the self-discipline of actually living by the list...and if it's a list of rules to live by I really need to be mindful of living by it right?
My list isn't those things I do automatically each day, and some of them I don't even do well on a regular basis.
Grandpa always said "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise". I know this wasn't grandpa's saying, but he's where I heard it. Not something I'm great at, but there's value to it for sure.
Exercise is good for your body of course, and your mind and even your emotional well being. Exercise gets your juices flowing and keeps your body healthy and feeling alive.
Eat well. Three meals a day isn't eating well. If you're overweight and cutting meals in your attempts to lose weight what you might not realize is that you're destroying your efforts. There's no good to come from skipping meals and not eating enough food during the day. Your body is an engine that needs fuel. Food is your fuel - don't cheat yourself of 6-8 meals per day.
Work hard. It doesn't matter what you do, work hard at doing it. I've always been told it doesn't matter what you do be the best at it. If you're a boxcar hobo be the best boxcar hobo there ever was...and if you're a doctor be the best doctor ever.
Play. What's life without some enjoyment? Don't get me wrong, I love working and I love working out. I might enjoy both of those things more than I like sleeping even.That said there's nothing like a break from normal, or reality, and taking some much needed time off.
There's an acronym - HALT - that fits for maintaining your emotional health and stability. Never allow yourself to get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. One of these things is easy to maintain a sense of sanity. Two of them is more difficult. If you're three of them all at the same time I'd say seek a friend and do it now. Do whatever you need to do in order to protect yourself from these things, and do your best to never even be 2 of them at any given time.
It's not an exhaustive list, but it's a start. Do these things faithfully and then add what you feel is important to you. Drink in moderation, don't smoke or do other drugs, play and work equally hard, dance like nobody will ever watch you and love like there is no tomorrow.
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