Groovin' Girlies

I am not a fitness fanatic. I am not an exercising enthusiast. I am not a healthy habitue'. What I am is a lazy lady who likes food. Now, don't get me wrong, I want to make better choices. I just seem to always find something better to do when it comes time to get my body moving.

I decided this week that I'm going to once again try to get into shape. My first step was to join the Presidential Challenge. The Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) is a six week challenge that is supposed to help you add activity to your life, and reward you when you do. I'm hoping this will keep me motivated. My daughter Laura has committed to join me in this adventure. To be honest, she is better about motivating me than anyone else. We started our challenge last night. We set up our login online, invited a few friends to join our group: "Groovin' Girlies" and logged our first days worth of activity. We were instantly rewarded with a gold spoke on the first week's star. One spoke down, four more to go this week.

Along with this commitment to exercise, I'm hoping to change my eating habits. I have struggled with my weight for years and know that if I ate right, my struggle would be over. I am determined that I won't give up this time.

Do you want to join me in this challenge? All it takes is making the first step. Join my group and perhaps we can stay motivated together. If you don't have an account, create a free account at http://www.presidentschallenge.org/, choose which challenge you want to participate in, and look up our group in the activity tracker using the group number below.

Group Number: 100707
Group Name: Groovin' Girlies

They say if you do something for 21 days that it turns into a habit. Let's hope I make this a habit.

Shades of Gray

Some people have a very "black and white" idea of the world . . . They see "right or wrong", "yes or no", "good or bad", "liberal or conservative". In many cases, there is no room for shades of gray. I appreciate other opinions and gain both intrigue and wisdom by listening to differing points of view. As I get older, I find that my range of gray is expanding. Where I once was set on certain principals and thoughts, I have learned that sometimes I gain more respect of other people by just opening my ears. Now, that doesn't mean I've shed my core values and beliefs. It just means that I'm open to the possibility that my opinion isn't the only right answer.

I was reared in a time when it was advised not to speak politics, religion or money. I always thought it was because it was nobody's business to know how you feel about these things. Now I clearly understand that it was because these topics electrify conversations and cause division between people. It is very dangerous when people believe that their way is the "only" way. Not only does it cause division, but in many cases it causes hatred and violence. Judgement and condescension breeds an unhealthy approach between seemingly sensible humans.

I don't know the answers to life's questions. I don't know who is going to heaven. I don't know who makes the best political candidates. I DO know that when I allow shades of gray into my thought process, I am more likely to find bits of knowledge that help me become more patient and kind to others. At the end of my life, I'd rather people remember me for being gracious and accepting, rather than bitter and close-minded.

So anyway, that was on my mind today,
Robin

Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you become "fools" so that you may become wise.
- 1 Corinthians 3:18