picturingpositive

I love to exercise, I love to exercise, I love to exercise! (and maybe someday I’ll actually convince myself!)

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Beth F.

My Curves Smart tag which monitors my progress and keeps me accountable and on track!

Tomorrow will be my workout number 1050 at Curves which is a MAJOR accomplishment for me! Even after all this time (starting WAY back in 2006), I still don’t consider myself an “exercise person”. You know who you are, the ones who bounce into the gym with a spring in their step or the ones I see jogging with their ear buds in place and a smile on their face. I’ve tried jogging (ok, just on my Wii Fit game, but that counts!) and it’s not for me. I’m sure if I was threatened with death, I could probably muster the stamina to run, but for fun, I don’t see it happening for me 😉

I am very proud of myself, though, because I have managed to get myself to Curves at least 3 times a week (5 on the good weeks). Sure, I’ve taken a few vacations, but if I’m here in town, I’m at Curves in the morning. In the last year, I’ve started to do my workout at Curves before I go into the office in the morning. Somedays I REALLY have to make myself go and am mentally kicking and screaming the whole way there, but I always am glad that I did. When I put it in the scanner, my little Curves Smart keytag tells me each morning I work out the number of times I’ve been there and at the conclusion of my workout shows me which muscles I’ve worked and approximately how many calories I’ve burned. For me, this is the best part of the workout and gives me the satisfaction of starting the day out on the right track.

The most motivating factor for me, however, is my family’s health history of diabetes and heart disease. My mom had her first heart attack at age 49 and I am more quickly than I like approaching that age. I love my life and want to be here to enjoy it for as long as I can. I may not be an “exercise person”, but I’ve learned that (quoting the famous Nike ad) sometimes I have to just “do it!” I do give myself major kudos, though, for making it to workout number 1050!!!!! 🙂 Maybe by workout number 2000, I really WILL be excited about going! 😉

What in your life is a challenge for you?

Posted in Love Yourself, persevere | Tagged Curves, just do it, motivation, perseverance, Physical exercise, workout | Leave a comment

Karma At Work!

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Beth F.

Jim and Barb Powers of Rapid City, SD with their 2 million dollar win from the June 5th Powerball Drawing! (Photo from Black Hills Fox News)

Karma At Work!

So much of what we seen in the news is tragic, depressing and hardly worth viewing, so when I see good news about a fantastic event happening to fantastic people, I like to share it! Jim and Barb are the type of people who would do anything for anybody, so when I saw they won 2 million dollars in the June 5th PowerBall, I was thrilled!! I worked with Jim many many years ago and as happens, have fallen out of touch with him, but couldn’t be happier for him and Barb and their good fortune!

So, a huge congratulations to both of them! Goes to show that we never know where our good will come from (And it never hurts to buy a lottery ticket or two!)

Posted in Celebrate, Karma, thankfulness | Tagged good news, karma, million, PowerBall drawing | Leave a comment

Step Away from the TV and Nobody Gets Hurt!

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Beth F.

Crazy Horse Volksmarch, 2013 with my son Geoffrey and daughter Aurora. You can’t see THAT on TV!

Crazy Horse Volksmarch 2013 – At the top of Crazy Horse Mountain with Aurora! Another activity that definitely trumps TV!

Today I took my first small, maybe even baby step towards liberating myself from the television set. I downgraded from premium to basic cable. Maybe someday I’ll even be able to survive on limited cable alone, but for now, I’ve at least made a bit of progress. I relish learning that one of my (far too many) favorite series is nearing the summer hiatus. Last night as I was watching The Voice and fast forwarding through the performances I wasn’t crazy about, I nearly jumped for joy when I heard that the season finale is next week. I’m not sure why I have such a hard time limiting my television viewing. I feel better when I do more productive things, like read a book, bake some cookies, putter in mygarden. I do know that sometimes the escape from reality that the shows on television provide can be quite enjoyable and I like trying to anticipate what Don Draper is going to do next, whether Storybrooke will survive the Evil Queen’s wrath, whether my favorite contestant on the voice (Michelle Chamuel, btw) will advance to the next week and what Sheldon Cooper will say next! Sometimes, though, it gets to be too much. I know there were weeks this winter when we had shows on almost every night of the week. I try to be at least a little productive by using the television time to multitask and fill out entries for my mail in sweepstakes, but still it is time spent sitting on my butt, not interacting with people or nature. I have at the very least decided that if there is a show in the fall that I absolutely, positively HAVE to see, I have to give up one of the series that I’m watching now. It does seem like the networks give me a little help with this one, since it’s inevitable that once I start enjoying a show, the likelihood of it being cancelled increases.

According to this article by the NY Daily News (NY Daily News Article – American TV Watching), Americans spend nearly 34 hours a week watching TV. While I like to think I’m better than that, I think there are some weeks when I come pretty darned close to meeting that number. When I think of the things I could be doing instead of that, I feel ashamed, but apparently not enough to stop me from doing it. I am going to make a serious effort to start limiting my viewing to 2 hours a day or less. Already tonight, I’ll have almost the two hours in because I’m going to be watching the results show of The Voice and Sunday’s episode of Mad Men. Thankfully the DVR allows me to truncate it to less than two hours by fast forwarding through commercials. (God bless the person who invented that wonderful bit of technology!) I am thankful that both of those shows will soon be ending, so I will have time to enjoy the finer things in life, like:

Reading Harry Potter to Aurora (We’re about halfway through Book 5!)
Making my flowerbeds look beautiful by pulling the grass and weeds.
Watering my flowerbeds, my vegetable garden and my lawn
Reading from my own long list of books I’d like to finish (see my LONG list on Goodreads!)
Listening to music on iTunes, Pandora or Spotify
Cleaning the House (nah, that doesn’t count as one of the finer things!)
Baking cookies
Taking a walk around the neighborhood
Seeing a movie (yes, technically still sitting on my butt, but with a big screen and popcorn) 😉
Watching the birds at the bird feeders. (The adorable little yellow goldfinches are frequent visitors at the thistle seed bird feeder)
Playing a board game with Aurora (Sorry and Payday are current favorites)

And the list goes on and on 🙂

What non-TV related activities do YOU enjoy?

Posted in Limiting Technology, living life to the fullest | Tagged Crazy Horse, enjoy life, fun, limiting television, Television | Leave a comment

New iris blooming!

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Beth F.

“It pleases me to take amateur photographs of my garden, and it pleases my garden to make my photographs look professional” ~ Robert Brault

“I never had any other desire so strong, and so like to covetousness, as that one which I have had always, that I might be master at last of a small house and a large garden.” ~ Abraham Cowley, The Garden, 1666

Posted in gardening, thankfulness | Tagged Garden, gardening, Home and Garden, iris | Leave a comment

Do something today that nurtures your soul!

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Beth F.

My own little piece of paradise in my backyard!

The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.” – Alfred Austin

When I am working in my garden, all is well with my soul. Every time I see my garden, I feel a sense of pride and gratitude. It’s so rewarding watching the little seedlings sprout and progress into the mature plants that will provide me with fresh vegetables throughout the summer. I know there are challenges to come, those nasty little bugs that will try to take over the zucchini plants, the weeds that will try to choke out my tomatoes. I know too, though, that as in summers past, I will persevere and will overcome the challenges and enjoy the pleasure that comes in eating a salad topped with my very own cucumbers, tomatoes and radishes!

Find that thing for you that brings you contentment and take some time out today to do it! 🙂

Posted in gardening, thankfulness | Tagged gardening, gratitude, thankfulness, vegetables | 1 Comment

Iris blooming

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Beth F.

The kiss of the sun for pardon

The song of the birds for mirth

One is nearer to God’s heart in the garden

Than anywhere else on earth – Dorothy Gurney (1858 – 1932)

Learning Moment…….When I try to copy a photo from my phone to make accessible to my blog, apparently it posts an entirely new blog entry. Good to know! These are the iris that recently started blooming in one of my flower gardens and the quote is one that frequently goes through my mind as I am tending to my flowers and vegetables. Seeing the flowers bloom and hearing the birds sing, I am truly content!

Posted in thankfulness | Tagged gardening, iris | 1 Comment

It’s All About Me! (and sometimes that’s OK!)

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Beth F.

One of the aspects of my personality that I like (most of the time) is that I like to take care of people. The caregiver part of me is often concerned with the comfort and well-being of others. This can be a good thing, but I have to remember sometimes that just because someone is uncomfortable, it does not mean it is my job to intervene. Sometimes a better thing to do is to let people try to solve their problem(s) themselves before I offer assistance.

I remember a story I read about a child watching a butterfly trying to free itself from a cocoon. The child watched the butterfly struggle and struggle without making much progress. Thinking the kind thing to do was to help the butterfly, the child used scissors to cut the cocoon away from the butterfly and then watched as the butterfly emerged with a swollen body and small shriveled wings. The child waited for the butterfly to stretch its wings out and fly away. Unfortunately, the butterfly did not fly away. Because the struggle to get out of the small cocoon is how the butterfly pushes the fluid from its body into its wings, the child’s assistance didn’t help the butterfly; in fact it hurt it and destined it to a life of crawling on the ground with a swollen body and shriveled wings.

By stepping in too soon to offer assistance, we may sometimes be preventing the recipient of our help from learning a much-needed life lesson. I’m certainly not saying that we shouldn’t intervene if someone is in imminent danger of physical harm. Falling off a cliff or burning a hand on a hot stove is not a life lesson anyone will benefit from. Sometimes, though, the best help we can give someone is to step back and allow him or her to discover a solution.

Keep in mind also that when we are constantly focusing on fixing other peoples’ problems and concerning ourselves with their comfort, we often neglect our own. If we fail to take care of ourselves, we are no good to ourselves or anyone else. We can’t charge someone else’s battery when our own is completely drained. Sometimes we do need to focus on ourselves and our needs and wants. It’s completely OK to take time to do something that calms your soul and makes you happy. By doing this, your battery gets the charge it needs to perhaps provide a small spark for someone else when the time is right.

Posted in Love Yourself | Tagged Butterfly, caregiver, love yourself, recharge, struggle | 2 Comments

What’s YOUR excuse?

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Beth F.

“I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” – Etienne de Grellet (1773-1855), Quaker missionary

Who among us hasn’t been guilty of living as if we had an infinite number of days in front of us? We tell ourselves that we’ll play a game with the kids later, that we’ll visit our relative in the nursing home later, that we’ll take time to volunteer in our community later. It’s easy to find an excuse for living reactively instead of proactively. I’ve had a rough day at work and it’s the season finale of my favorite show, so I’m just going to sit in front of the television tonight. I’m tired and want to play on my computer instead of read a book to the kids. I’ve been cleaning the house all day, I’ll call that ailing family member tomorrow. The thing is, none of us is promised tomorrow.

What if you didn’t wake up tomorrow? Would you be satisfied with the way you left things with those you care about or would you wish you had done something differently? Earlier tonight, I was listening to my music on iTunes and the song “Three Wooden Crosses” by Randy Travis came on. One of the verses in that song is a good lesson for us all:

It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it’s what you leave behind you when you go.

Take that time to play a game with the kids, to listen to that friend who’s had a challenging day, to call or visit that family member who’s in a nursing home. It’s surprising sometimes to hear what memories stand out as memorable ones. I’ve found that my daughter remembers some of the little things that we’ve done together more than the big events. Just the other day she mentioned that she really loves to take walks together because she likes that I listen to what she has to say while we’re walking. To me, it’s such a small thing, but if I was gone tomorrow, it would be a memory that she has of me.

Make the most of the moments you have with those you love, because these moments are the memories that they’ll have when you are gone.

Posted in living life to the fullest | Tagged good deeds, making memories, tomorrow | Leave a comment

Put ’em up! Put ’em up! How to KO your fears!

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Beth F.

I’m currently reading “Everything Happens For A Reason” by Mira Kirshenbaum, a book that is totally up my alley and one I highly recommend.

In her book, Kirshenbaum gives a list of ten reasons that she has deduced give meaning to and for the challenging, even tragic events that happen to us. For each reason she details how we can determine if that reason holds the answer we need or the lesson we need to learn. All of her reasons are intriguing and enlightening, but today, one of her reasons, “To Show That You Can Let Go Of Fear” resonated with me. I have, in the past, used some of the tools she gives to work through my own challenging situations, but I like the method that Kirshenbaum developed and patented. She likens fear to a balloon and her method, a list of questions that are like darts to deflate that balloon.

When facing a fear, use the patented Kirshenbaum Seven-Step Method for Overcoming Fear by asking yourself the following questions:

What am I really afraid of? Fear, she says, likes to be vague, so get really specific.
What’s the worst that can happen?
How likely is it? Probably not very.
Can I prevent this? There are likely some actions you can take to lessen the chances of it happening.
Can I insure myself against this? Here she talks not of property or casualty insurance, but by doing something so you’ll be okay if that thing does happen. Kirshenbaum uses the example of the fear that a new relationship may not work out because the two of you may not be compatible. She says that maintaining relationships with friends is your insurance that you won’t be alone if the new romance fizzles out.
Could I cope if the thing I’m afraid of comes to pass? With this question, assume the best about yourself, not the worst.
Who can I talk to about this? Keeping fears to ourselves gives them more power. Kirshenbaum talks of speaking to a room full of people. By sharing with even the strangers in the room that you are nervous, you may discover a kinder, more empathetic audience that may in turn put you more at ease.

I think that going through Kirshenbaum’s list the next time you are facing one of your fears could be very therapeutic. In the immortal words of Christopher Robin to Pooh Bear,

“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A.A. Milne

Believe in yourself and your abilities! When you do that, fear doesn’t stand a chance!

Posted in fighting fears | Tagged bravery, Christopher Robin, Milne, overcoming fear | 4 Comments

I’m not going to be happy & you can’t make me!

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Beth F.

So true! Happiness is a choice we make or choose not to make. It is ours and ours alone. It can’t be forced on us and we can’t force it on other people. We can’t control what happens to us sometimes, but we always have the choice of how to react to the circumstances we are given.

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” – Dr. Viktor Frankl

Dr. Frankl was imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, between 1942 and 1945, the experiences of which he depicts in his book Man’s Search For Meaning “. This book touched me and really made me think. If the people that had to endure the atrocity of life in a concentration camp could find the courage and will to go on each day and to find meaning in their life despite the hopelessness of their situation, how can I whine about comparably tiny setbacks in my own life?

I think that the root of a lot of the unhappiness in the world stems from comparisons we make with those around us. It’s easy to find people that have better financial portfolios than we do, nicer cars than we do, bigger homes than we do. We can also, however, find many people that are not as fortunate as we are. When we focus on all that we do not have, we risk failing to see the many things that we do.

I admit that it is a challenge sometimes to find something positive when some days it seems that I’m going to fall apart if just one more thing goes wrong. On those days, I try to think of what I can learn from the events of the day. I believe that everything happens for a reason, so maybe the fact that I seem to have hit every single light just as it was turning red prevented me from being hit by a car a mile ahead that went through a stop light without looking. Maybe the internet being down was to give me the opportunity to read to my daughter for a little while longer. Maybe the garage door coming off the track gave me the chance to work through a challenging situation with my sweetheart, Todd, and to discover that sense of accomplishment when it was fixed.

We can choose to focus on the good things in our lives and the opportunities that we have to bring more good things, events and people into our lives and to find the lessons we can learn from the bad things. By looking down at the ground and cursing the rain, we miss seeing the rainbow on the horizon.

Posted in thankfulness | Tagged attitude, happiness | Leave a comment

Would You Trade Your Life for $ 1,000,000?

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Beth F.

I don’t remember where in the plethora of self-help/positive thinking literature I have that I read about the near miraculous power of being thankful, but I concur wholeheartedly. Seeing the movie, “Girl Rising” with my daughter Aurora this past Wednesday made me stop and think about how fortunate we are in the USA. I wouldn’t trade my life now for a million dollars if it was offered to me. I was, as was my daughter, lucky enough to be born in a place and a time where we do have the chance to control and to change our destiny. Next week I will be able to cast a vote to determine who will represent my city as mayor. Had I been born before 1920, that opportunity would not be available to me. Had I been born in many of the other countries in the world, some featured in the above mentioned documentary, I still would not have the right to vote, nor even the right to an education or to choose if, when or who I marry.

Taking some time to think about the privileges and opportunities available to me and the blessings that I have been given makes me feel rich. I may not have a million dollars in the bank, but I really do have so much to be thankful for. I have healthy kids, a good job, a roof over my head, plenty of food to eat, and the freedom to make decisions that can change my life. That is worth more than money! I can’t say I would pass up a million dollars if my lottery ticket ever had the right numbers, though 😉