Two things:
1.) I need to exercise my body more.
2.) I need to exercise my patience more.
I believe this can be accomplished in a parking lot.
Like a scene from an old western, I watched as the driver of the car opposite me squinted his eyes, gripped his fingers around his steering wheel, and slammed the gas pedal so hard smoke and squeals could be seen and heard miles away. All so he could fly into the parking space I had been patiently waiting for. (The nerve.)
I admit, it got under my skin. Isn't there proper parking lot protocol that says, "He who waits gets the space?" And that's when I realized I was getting upset because someone obviously really, really, really needed this space more than I did. Maybe he had a good reason. Maybe he didn't.
Perhaps there had been times when proper parking lot protocol had been followed and I got the prime spot... causing an elderly man to walk further than he should have to. Or a mother to have to guide her three toddlers through a maze of holiday parking hell longer than she would like to. Or a student getting over a sprained ankle wishing he could drive right up to the pharmacy counter for his pain medication rather than walk this far through an icy lot.
And what's so wrong with walking anyway? It makes your body move. It allows you to breathe in fresh air. It gives you a second to just walk, perhaps thinking nothing at all.
The challenge this week is "Minus 10 Prime Parking Spaces." Consciously decide to give up the 10 best parking spaces for someone else to use. Pass by 10 empty spaces in one aisle and walk to the store. Give your mind a break and allow your legs to work. Avoid the gunfighter drama and just drive by. Take ten deep breaths on your way in to the store, and another ten on the way back to your car. Trust me, it'll be worth it.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Minus 10 Negative Thoughts About YOUR Life
Let's see...
I need to lose weight. My teeth could be whiter. I don't have all my debt paid off yet. My car needs a new radiator tank. I'm not even sure why. I drink too much soda and don't have nearly enough energy to get through my day; don't get me started on my job - we'll be here all night. My kids are whiney, my dog is destructive and my eyesight is failing. I'm going to need a stronger prescription soon.
What? Not enjoying my company? I'm happy. Really. I appreciate life. I do. Don't I?
Sometimes we find ourselves tangled in a web of negativity. Have you ever watched someone after walking through a spider web? Arms and legs flailing, spitting out imagined grossness. It's hard to be happy, enjoying life when wrestling with all the things wrong with it.
Sometimes the things we feel are wrong with our lives are loud, relentless. Much like that kid poking his mother: "Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. I need to talk to you. Mom. Mom." You can try to explain that you'll gladly be with him in a minute but he just doesn't give up, following you from room to room until finally you give in. And he wins. And you're exhausted and all you want to do is sit there and cry because no matter what you do nothing is right.
The trick is to try to pay more attention to what's right in your life than what's wrong.
Your challenge this week is to get rid of 10 complaints and replace them with 10 positive statements about what you appreciate in your life. Do this every single day. 10 good things each and every day. Written down on a piece of paper. Kept in a place you can see them. Taped on the bathroom mirror. Or refrigerator door. Or on the steering wheel in your car. Anywhere that you will see them and be reminded of how many good things you get to experience in life.
It might be hard at first. You may find yourself writing down, "I can breathe on my own." But, trust me. That really is AWESOME that you can breathe on your own. If you don't believe me, talk to someone on a medical ventilator. I'm almost positive they'd agree with me.
1.) Reading a good book that leaves me slightly exhausted at the end because I've lived several lives while reading it.
2.) Waking up to the smell of freshly cut grass.
3.) The sounds of toads croaking in the distance during a lightning storm.
4.) Finding forgotten money in the pocket of a coat I haven't worn in months.
5.) Hearing a great song on the radio just after I thought it would be absolutely impossible for another great song to be recorded.
6.) The sound of a cello.
7.) Laughing out loud unexpectedly.
8.) The sound of those little round air vents inside an airplane.
9.) Really crisp bed sheets.
10.) Finding a great pen to write with, especially if it's heavy.
I need to lose weight. My teeth could be whiter. I don't have all my debt paid off yet. My car needs a new radiator tank. I'm not even sure why. I drink too much soda and don't have nearly enough energy to get through my day; don't get me started on my job - we'll be here all night. My kids are whiney, my dog is destructive and my eyesight is failing. I'm going to need a stronger prescription soon.
What? Not enjoying my company? I'm happy. Really. I appreciate life. I do. Don't I?
Sometimes we find ourselves tangled in a web of negativity. Have you ever watched someone after walking through a spider web? Arms and legs flailing, spitting out imagined grossness. It's hard to be happy, enjoying life when wrestling with all the things wrong with it.
Sometimes the things we feel are wrong with our lives are loud, relentless. Much like that kid poking his mother: "Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. I need to talk to you. Mom. Mom." You can try to explain that you'll gladly be with him in a minute but he just doesn't give up, following you from room to room until finally you give in. And he wins. And you're exhausted and all you want to do is sit there and cry because no matter what you do nothing is right.
The trick is to try to pay more attention to what's right in your life than what's wrong.
Your challenge this week is to get rid of 10 complaints and replace them with 10 positive statements about what you appreciate in your life. Do this every single day. 10 good things each and every day. Written down on a piece of paper. Kept in a place you can see them. Taped on the bathroom mirror. Or refrigerator door. Or on the steering wheel in your car. Anywhere that you will see them and be reminded of how many good things you get to experience in life.
It might be hard at first. You may find yourself writing down, "I can breathe on my own." But, trust me. That really is AWESOME that you can breathe on your own. If you don't believe me, talk to someone on a medical ventilator. I'm almost positive they'd agree with me.
10 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY LIFE
Day 1
1.) Reading a good book that leaves me slightly exhausted at the end because I've lived several lives while reading it.
2.) Waking up to the smell of freshly cut grass.
3.) The sounds of toads croaking in the distance during a lightning storm.
4.) Finding forgotten money in the pocket of a coat I haven't worn in months.
5.) Hearing a great song on the radio just after I thought it would be absolutely impossible for another great song to be recorded.
6.) The sound of a cello.
7.) Laughing out loud unexpectedly.
8.) The sound of those little round air vents inside an airplane.
9.) Really crisp bed sheets.
10.) Finding a great pen to write with, especially if it's heavy.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Minus 10 Tech Filled Evenings
The cell phone bill came the other day. No big surprise - I've got everything "unlimited" so it's pretty much the same fee every month. But this time I looked at the detail.
My fourteen year old daughter made 5,547 text messages this past month. That's about 185 text messages per day. That, my friends, is way too many.
I quickly reviewed my usage: 298 texts (not bad), but, based on my call usage, the actual amount of time I spent talking was probably the reason why the text messages were so low. I thought about when I use my cell phone... mostly in the car, coming and going, dropping kids off here and there. And it hit me: here I am in a car with my children and I'm talking to someone else. As if they weren't all that important to me. Which reminded me of how I feel when I snuggle up close to Matt to watch a movie on TV and his phone rings. And he answers it. And he talks to someone else about some unimportant-to-me college basketball game. And I feel unimportant-to-him.
Here we are, surrounded by people we can interact with - that we should interact with - and yet we're on some sort of quest to find a voice on the other end of that cell phone or tapping on a keyboard hoping for a thrilling IM conversation to fill the time.
The challenge this month will be this: 10 Tech Free Evenings. Unplug the cell phone. Turn off the computer. Vow not to text, type or talk to anyone not physically in the same space as you. Got a quick question for your sister asking what church she reccomends with excellent youth ministry programs? Write a quick note to call and ask tomorrow. Suddenly remember the adorable to-do list your youngest wrote and how she included "tell grandma I love her" -- make a note to call grandma after you drop the kids off at school.
Get to learn the people in your home again. Be an example to your children about how to hold a conversation. How to listen. How to make someone you care about feel important. When your spouse is talking to you and your phone rings, hit ignore and say, "I'd rather keep talking with you."
My fourteen year old daughter made 5,547 text messages this past month. That's about 185 text messages per day. That, my friends, is way too many.
I quickly reviewed my usage: 298 texts (not bad), but, based on my call usage, the actual amount of time I spent talking was probably the reason why the text messages were so low. I thought about when I use my cell phone... mostly in the car, coming and going, dropping kids off here and there. And it hit me: here I am in a car with my children and I'm talking to someone else. As if they weren't all that important to me. Which reminded me of how I feel when I snuggle up close to Matt to watch a movie on TV and his phone rings. And he answers it. And he talks to someone else about some unimportant-to-me college basketball game. And I feel unimportant-to-him.
Here we are, surrounded by people we can interact with - that we should interact with - and yet we're on some sort of quest to find a voice on the other end of that cell phone or tapping on a keyboard hoping for a thrilling IM conversation to fill the time.
The challenge this month will be this: 10 Tech Free Evenings. Unplug the cell phone. Turn off the computer. Vow not to text, type or talk to anyone not physically in the same space as you. Got a quick question for your sister asking what church she reccomends with excellent youth ministry programs? Write a quick note to call and ask tomorrow. Suddenly remember the adorable to-do list your youngest wrote and how she included "tell grandma I love her" -- make a note to call grandma after you drop the kids off at school.
Get to learn the people in your home again. Be an example to your children about how to hold a conversation. How to listen. How to make someone you care about feel important. When your spouse is talking to you and your phone rings, hit ignore and say, "I'd rather keep talking with you."
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Minus 10 Blank Walk-bys.
I’ve become quite automatic in regards to my day. I wake up, shower, dress, head out the door at the same time every morning. I get to work, grab my morning dose of caffeine and settle in for the day. I answer the phone the same way every time it rings. People come in, drop off papers, I take them; stamp the received date on the top. I go home on the same roads I’ve driven that morning.
I claim I don’t “see anyone.” Ever. Today, no less than five people have stopped in and I couldn’t tell you what they were wearing or how they wore their hair. I stopped at a drive-through for lunch. I remember handing over money, but I couldn’t tell you what the person looked like that took my money. More than likely they were wearing a name tag. I didn’t bother to look at it.
We’re always in such a rush. Get in the store. Get out of the store. Pick up the bread. Drop off the water bill. I’m not exactly sure I even know what I’m rushing for. To get done fast. To cross things off my list. To have more time. I’m with a thousand other people rushing around me, only I never take the time to see them.
This week’s challenge is to reduce those blank if-I-stare-straight-ahead-then-I-don't-see-you-and-I-can-continue-on-my-way walk-by's we're so used to. Instead of rushing past, it is your goal this week to see if you can purposefully make eye contact, smile, and say hello to TEN complete strangers. Instead of holding the door and silently whisking by seconds later, hold the door and say, “Good Afternoon” or “Don’t worry, I’ve got that for you,” while you smile and look them in the eye.
Does it change how you see the people rushing by? Do you think it changes their attitude? Does it change yours? How many positive responses did you get? And were there any negative? How did you feel when you walked away? Did you walk any slower?
I claim I don’t “see anyone.” Ever. Today, no less than five people have stopped in and I couldn’t tell you what they were wearing or how they wore their hair. I stopped at a drive-through for lunch. I remember handing over money, but I couldn’t tell you what the person looked like that took my money. More than likely they were wearing a name tag. I didn’t bother to look at it.
We’re always in such a rush. Get in the store. Get out of the store. Pick up the bread. Drop off the water bill. I’m not exactly sure I even know what I’m rushing for. To get done fast. To cross things off my list. To have more time. I’m with a thousand other people rushing around me, only I never take the time to see them.
This week’s challenge is to reduce those blank if-I-stare-straight-ahead-then-I-don't-see-you-and-I-can-continue-on-my-way walk-by's we're so used to. Instead of rushing past, it is your goal this week to see if you can purposefully make eye contact, smile, and say hello to TEN complete strangers. Instead of holding the door and silently whisking by seconds later, hold the door and say, “Good Afternoon” or “Don’t worry, I’ve got that for you,” while you smile and look them in the eye.
Does it change how you see the people rushing by? Do you think it changes their attitude? Does it change yours? How many positive responses did you get? And were there any negative? How did you feel when you walked away? Did you walk any slower?
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