Family Day

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

I love fresh blueberries. Yesterday we went blueberry picking. It is the end of the season and it took twice as long to get a bucket full of sweet nature's candy because most of the big juicy ones were already taken. It was hot and tiring on the body. Maya and I had to go in to cool off way before her Dad was done. Babies and heat don't mix. Nonetheless it was fun to get out of the house. 

Here are some pictures I took from my phone. 

Since it was so hot we decided to take a last minute detour to the grandparents' house for a dip in the pool to cool off.  The pool was cold and it took Maya a while to get used to the water, but she loved it anyway. It was a great family day. 

On the way home we were able to see the sunset and it was the biggest sun ever. You know the one that signals that fall is pretty much here? I tried to take a picture but my phone camera just didn't do it justice at all. 

Watching the sun with Maya sleeping in the back, and us on our way home, I started reflecting on the day as it ended.  It really got me thinking to just how lucky I am that I can do these things with Maya. Not everyone is as able bodied and fortunate. It made me realize that the saying "your body is your temple" really rings true. I really want to take care of myself so that we can create many family memories together and be active as a family. I want to be able to be right in there, part of the action with Maya, and still be active way into my senior years to do things with my grandkids too when I get older. So today I am motivated to take care of myself and never take my able bodied self for granted. 

RANT OR RAVE

Just my opinion. It somewhat bothers me when people say that others should accept themselves for who they are even if they are overweight. Yes I agree that you have to love yourself on the inside and there is more to life than looking great in a bikini. Yes, life would be a lot less stressful if some could achieve a level of acceptance of who they are inside and out. Losing weight is not about calories, but about changing your perspective on yourself and the world. But they also don't understand that most people want to lose weight so they can feel better, be healthy, and be able to do more things. If anyone has ever been pregnant, they know how limited they become towards the end with not being able to go up the stairs without getting out of breath, or not being able to bend over to tie their shoe. Well that's what it is like for some overweight people, only it's all the time. Being pregnant gave me insight into that and I don't want to ever get like that in my life. So yes, I would like to get rid of nasty sausage arms and neck blob. I don't like my back fat. But really when it comes down to it I am not aiming for perfect body, I am aiming to look healthy and feel healthy. And I'm sorry, but having neck blob is just not healthy.  I am learning to have a deeper love for myself and that means taking care of myself as mentioned above. 

NOTE TO SELF

Live To A Hundred

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

One thing that really seems to motivate me these days are things that I observe in others that I don't want to become -  like, for instance, when I see how much other people's extra weight gets in the way of their day to day functioning and their relationships. One example: watching someone not being able to play catch with their grandson because they have a hard time bending over to get the ball. Another example may be watching someone declining an invitation to go to a show because they are worried they won't fit in the seats. Some people even struggle just to go up and down stairs and have a myriad of health problems.  

These people are all genuinely good people who are very loved by others, but it breaks my heart to see their day to day struggles because of these types of physical limitations. Whenever I see this in others, I say to myself, "God please don't ever let me get to that point in my life". So there you have it. Today I am motivated to live to a hundred and to be able to run, jump, and play with my sweet precious baby for the rest of her life and to be able to do the same with my grand kids some day.  Maybe I will even go sky diving with them like this guy:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1167557/Daredevil-97-year-old-man-skydives-10-000ft.html

RANT OR RAVE

Today I would like to Rave about one of my dearest friends. My husband's job often requires him to work overtime un-expextedly like yesterday when he was supposed to be home at supper time but didn't return until two thirty am.  On days like these I am stuck and cannot go to my cardio kickboxing class because of Maya. Now, usually I would just shrug my shoulders and say, "Oh well, guess I will just go tomorrow", but instead this time I decided to ask for some help. I am really trying to live each day as if it is my last instead of my old "worry about it tomorrow" mentality. The thing is, everyone I know works full time and then has a family to go home to at the end of the day, so I struggled with who to call. I decided to call one of my best friends who came over with no notice and no questions asked. She did everything under the moon to entertain my sweet Maya for an hour and a half so that she wouldn't cry, which is not always easy.  She could have went home and had dinner with her own family but instead she helped out a friend in need. Thanks my bestest! I owe ya one.

NOTE TO SELF