1. Stress reduction
2. Better sleep
3. Improved overall mood
4. Cardiovascular health
5. Increased awareness of what I eat and how I otherwise treat my body
6. Realistic, concrete goal-setting
7. Competition against self ("personal best") as opposed to others
8. Can be done while listening to music
9. No gym membership or special equipment required (other than shoes)
10. More time spent outdoors
11. Potential for new friendships
12. Self-confidence boost
13. Possible redemption from unathletic youth and dropping out of cross country
Sunday, January 15, 2012
No! Drama!
A lot of people say they're "not into drama". You see this a lot on dating sites and what have you. It sounds nice, doesn't it? No drama...no worries....freedom from the messiness that is human conflict and emotion.
But is it realistic?
The more I think about it, the more I think, not so much.
Maybe "drama" is like the common cold. No one likes laying around, sneezing and coughing and watching daytime TV while in a Sudafed fog. And there are certainly things we can do to avoid the frequency and intensity with which we get sick. (Everyone else washes their hands after using the loo, right?) But sooner or later, everyone gets a cold, if only once in a snotty green moon.
I can't help but think that drama is like that. You can do things to avoid getting involved in frequent (and unnecessary) drama. You can steer clear of self-proclaimed drama queens (and kings), practice active listening and positive thinking, not sweat the small stuff, etc.
But sooner or later, even if you strategically avoid drama, it's gonna find you.
Sooo....I think the focus needs to be, not "no drama", but how you deal with drama. Do you fuel the emotional fire? Throw a spaz on social media? Or do you step back, refocus, reframe, and determine how to deal with the situation from there?
The same can be said, I think, for "baggage". We all have baggage. We all have issues. The question is, what are you doing to deal with, live with, or rid yourself of what holds you back or weighs you down?
P.S. -- This is as much a note to self, if not more so, as it is to anyone else reading this.
But is it realistic?
The more I think about it, the more I think, not so much.
Maybe "drama" is like the common cold. No one likes laying around, sneezing and coughing and watching daytime TV while in a Sudafed fog. And there are certainly things we can do to avoid the frequency and intensity with which we get sick. (Everyone else washes their hands after using the loo, right?) But sooner or later, everyone gets a cold, if only once in a snotty green moon.
I can't help but think that drama is like that. You can do things to avoid getting involved in frequent (and unnecessary) drama. You can steer clear of self-proclaimed drama queens (and kings), practice active listening and positive thinking, not sweat the small stuff, etc.
But sooner or later, even if you strategically avoid drama, it's gonna find you.
Sooo....I think the focus needs to be, not "no drama", but how you deal with drama. Do you fuel the emotional fire? Throw a spaz on social media? Or do you step back, refocus, reframe, and determine how to deal with the situation from there?
The same can be said, I think, for "baggage". We all have baggage. We all have issues. The question is, what are you doing to deal with, live with, or rid yourself of what holds you back or weighs you down?
P.S. -- This is as much a note to self, if not more so, as it is to anyone else reading this.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Goals Update and Unicorns
Okay, just kidding about the unicorns. I just wanted my title to look less boring.
Goal: Try to look my age: Specifically, try to dress less like a teenager and more like an adult.
Progress: Doing somewhat well, thanks to the Christmas gift of heeled boots.
Goal: Run at least one 5K in 2012.
Progress: I'm currently on Week 3 of the Couch to 5K program. So far, I'm really enjoying it. It's gradual yet challenging. Yesterday I walked/ran 4K in about half an hour. Also, I've talked at least one other person into running the Firefly 5K with me at the end of March. If I stick with my current regimen, I should be able to run the whole thing in a respectable amount of time. On the days I don't run, I try to work on some simple strength training (side plank, crunches, push-ups, yoga). I have to keep it simple since I lack strength, and I won't end up sticking with anything that's too complicated.
Goal: At least once a month, participate in some sort of community outreach.
Progress: Not yet met for January. : /
Goal: At least once a month, go on a date or do a MeetUp.
Progress: I attended a fantastic MeetUp last night (DFW Words and Wine). We discussed The Night Circus, which is really an amazing book if you're into fantasy or magical realism.
Goal: GET A JOB.
Progress: Still searching and shooting out ye olde resume...
Goal: Gain 12 more pounds over the course of the next year so I can give blood.
Progress: Will discuss with my doctor once I get health insurance again. In the meantime, will focus on maintaining 100 lbs. (Please don't tell me you wish you had my problem, or that if you were me you'd eat cheeseburgers all day, etc.) Will also focus on eating more healthy food and less crap, and drinking more water.
Goal: Try to look my age: Specifically, try to dress less like a teenager and more like an adult.
Progress: Doing somewhat well, thanks to the Christmas gift of heeled boots.
Goal: Run at least one 5K in 2012.
Progress: I'm currently on Week 3 of the Couch to 5K program. So far, I'm really enjoying it. It's gradual yet challenging. Yesterday I walked/ran 4K in about half an hour. Also, I've talked at least one other person into running the Firefly 5K with me at the end of March. If I stick with my current regimen, I should be able to run the whole thing in a respectable amount of time. On the days I don't run, I try to work on some simple strength training (side plank, crunches, push-ups, yoga). I have to keep it simple since I lack strength, and I won't end up sticking with anything that's too complicated.
Goal: At least once a month, participate in some sort of community outreach.
Progress: Not yet met for January. : /
Goal: At least once a month, go on a date or do a MeetUp.
Progress: I attended a fantastic MeetUp last night (DFW Words and Wine). We discussed The Night Circus, which is really an amazing book if you're into fantasy or magical realism.
Goal: GET A JOB.
Progress: Still searching and shooting out ye olde resume...
Goal: Gain 12 more pounds over the course of the next year so I can give blood.
Progress: Will discuss with my doctor once I get health insurance again. In the meantime, will focus on maintaining 100 lbs. (Please don't tell me you wish you had my problem, or that if you were me you'd eat cheeseburgers all day, etc.) Will also focus on eating more healthy food and less crap, and drinking more water.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Retro-Blog 2007
I wrote this four years ago:
Now is the time to love you beyond the lined spaces and into the margins. I do this for days that marginalize us. Today I will pour out my love until your cup runneth over. Later you will need this to quench your thirst. Hold on to these leftovers; I will not have you begging for scraps. I love you richly today to prepare us for a lean and mean tomorrow. My love causes walls to tumble, boundaries to crumble. It throws everything off balance, off kilter, out of orbit, and out of whack.
I don't know if I still believe in any of this. I'm not even sure to whom, if anyone, I was writing. Just more questions I get to live...
Retro-Blog: Chile 2009: The Bulleted List
· Jumbo – The Chilean Target
· Casuelo de invierno – chicken soup with rice, corn, potato, cilantro, carrots
· Once -- Chilean dinner – usually a light meal (bread, meat, cheese ,fruit, tea)
· Lemon soda
· Juliana and Michel, the Colombian couple who took us in
· Sofia, their adorable 1 ½ year old daughter
· Different meanings of the word taco: traffic jam, food (obviously), heel of a shoe, notepad/Post-Its
· “When I think of Texas, I think of religion and guns.”
· Riding the acensor in Valparaiso and feeling like a character in The Motorcycle Diaries
· Ocean Pacific, a submarine-themed restaurant
· VIkingos, a Viking-themed restaurant where they light your soup on fire
Monday, November 28, 2011
2012 Goals
I figured for this upcoming year I'd focus on setting tangible goals, rather than abstract or vaguely formed "resolutions" that I may or may not keep. Here are a few that I've come up with so far (and yes, I'm open to suggestions):
1. Try to look my age: Specifically, try to dress less like a teenager and more like an adult. Maybe rock heels a little more often. (Might as well take advantage of the fact that I'm short.) Also, make more of an effort when it comes to wearing eye makeup.
2. Run at least one 5K in 2012. Even if it's just the Turkey Trot. Currently, I can do a little over 2 miles on a treadmill, so this seems like a realistic goal. I'm also determined to do at least a few yoga poses and crunches on a daily or near-daily basis.
3. At least once a month, participate in some sort of community outreach.
4. At least once a month, go on a date or do a MeetUp. (This would be an attempt to broaden my horizons, since I can be cautious to a fault.)
5. GET A JOB.
6. Gain 12 more pounds over the course of the next year so I can give blood. Do so in a HEALTHY manner.
1. Try to look my age: Specifically, try to dress less like a teenager and more like an adult. Maybe rock heels a little more often. (Might as well take advantage of the fact that I'm short.) Also, make more of an effort when it comes to wearing eye makeup.
2. Run at least one 5K in 2012. Even if it's just the Turkey Trot. Currently, I can do a little over 2 miles on a treadmill, so this seems like a realistic goal. I'm also determined to do at least a few yoga poses and crunches on a daily or near-daily basis.
3. At least once a month, participate in some sort of community outreach.
4. At least once a month, go on a date or do a MeetUp. (This would be an attempt to broaden my horizons, since I can be cautious to a fault.)
5. GET A JOB.
6. Gain 12 more pounds over the course of the next year so I can give blood. Do so in a HEALTHY manner.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Life or Something Like It
What defines a life? Is it the sum of one's experiences, the quality of one's relationships, or something in between? As an introvert, I've never thought of myself as a people person. But when I look back on my life so far, I realize it hasn't been so much about what I've done as who I've done it with. I think we forget that sometimes as a species. We want to quantify things. We set goals and make bucket lists, we convince ourselves that if we can just accomplish ABC, then we'll be happy, or that we need to do x or visit y before we die. But what about the small town citizen who doesn't make it out of her home state, or win a Nobel Peace Prize, but has a supportive and close knit circle of family and friends? Assuming that person is happy, even through sheer willpower, can you really say that such a person never lived because she never stood in Times Square? I wouldn't.
Please understand that, in no way am I knocking experiences. I'm incredibly grateful, for example, that I have had the opportunity that I've had to travel abroad and see certain bands live. Even some of the more painful stuff I've been through has been beneficial in terms of helping me to appreciate what I still have and increasing my reliance on the Creator.
I guess one of the questions that I'm currently living is, at what point do you say no to a new experience, no matter how appealing it may seem? I'm not talking so much about choosing not to experience, say, cocaine, but more gray area stuff...experiences that might bring you a sense of ephemeral happiness but at the expense of existing relationships? Where does one draw the line?
Please understand that, in no way am I knocking experiences. I'm incredibly grateful, for example, that I have had the opportunity that I've had to travel abroad and see certain bands live. Even some of the more painful stuff I've been through has been beneficial in terms of helping me to appreciate what I still have and increasing my reliance on the Creator.
I guess one of the questions that I'm currently living is, at what point do you say no to a new experience, no matter how appealing it may seem? I'm not talking so much about choosing not to experience, say, cocaine, but more gray area stuff...experiences that might bring you a sense of ephemeral happiness but at the expense of existing relationships? Where does one draw the line?
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