Growing Lifestyle

The other day a friend came over to visit with her 6-month-old baby boy (that’s him above, except now he’s bigger). He slept a lot of the time he was here, but when he woke up, he got right down to the task of being extremely active. With a little adult assistance, he did non-stop sit-ups, squats, and even planks as we held him high in the air. Of course, being a baby, he did all of this with a smile on his face, and countless squeals of delight (babies are awesome)!

That same day was my dog’s birthday (that’s her above, too – isn’t she cute?). She turned 10 years old. They tell me she is officially a senior citizen now; 65-70 in “dog years.” But come to my house and watch how she wiggles when she’s excited, barks when she’s hungry, and chases & chews on toys when she’s feeling playful – you’d never know she’s an old lady. Heidi still has that vim and vigor that we all hope to be blessed with.

I’m reading a book that my doctor recommended: Younger Next Year, by Chris Crowley and Harry Lodge. It talks about aging and how what we think of as aging in America isn’t really aging at all. The sluggishness, the aches and pains, and the gradual onset of problems like high cholesterol are symptoms of an un-natural lifestyle, not age. Our bodies aren’t designed to sit in front of a computer or relax in front of a TV, or even drive a car for long periods of time. Even with our plentiful food and shelter, our bodies interpret our inactivity as a sign that times are bad, and we gradually decay. The lifestyle has become so commonplace that we’ve begun to associate the downhill progression with age – but the only thing truly caused by the passage of time is saggy skin and grey hair! If we change our behavior and create an active lifestyle for ourselves, our bodies follow suit by generating dense bones, strong muscles, pain-free movement, and a general optimism in our mood.

Since I started reading this book, I’ve been looking at my life with a new perspective. I noticed the active baby, and wondered why I don’t allow myself to wiggle and bounce when I’m feeling peppy. I also began to wonder if perhaps my dog is still full of life because she spends lots of time outside each day, chasing squirrels and sniffing around for food and critters. Since she still has a connection to nature, her body continues to replenish itself and stay strong. I’ve recently been doing some physical therapy for intermittent and chronic back pain. Doing the exercises each day brings about a deep feeling of satisfaction, and I am easily observing the changes it is creating. It’s making me want to be playful again! There are numerous examples out there, and I’m noticing them every day.

All of this highlights my appreciation for children as examples of how to live our lives as adults. Kids are still connected to their natural state of growth. They run around and move their bodies every single day. They play games and do active things constantly – often until we adults pull them away and tell them they have to stop. They squirm in their chairs, and they get up from their seats at dinner. Their bodies are growing at a rapid pace, and physical movement is a direct partner in this process!

Once again, I say let’s look to children for inspiration! When we behave youthfully, our bodies respond by being youthful. These are amazing machines we each possess. Let’s act like kids. Let’s play games, let’s ride our bikes, and let’s head outside in the cold if the sun is shining! Not only is it fun, but it does the world a lot of good.

How do you live your life youthfully? Do you look to kids for inspiration too? Please comment!

Too Much Pressure

Pressure. What’s that about? The holidays are coming. There’s lots to be done. Do you feel the pressure yet? I know I do. Only, for me, it’s not about the holidays. It’s about all the things on my list that I’m supposed to do TODAY that will likely get put off until tomorrow.

Why do we fall into the habit of putting pressure on ourselves? Is it really all that important that these things we hold in such high regard happen on time? When you boil it down, what’s really going to happen if your tasks are not completed?

I found myself in a frenzy of stress and pressure when the calendar flipped to October last month. I was in the midst of back-to-school adjustments, resolved to exercise early in the morning a few times a week, and wanting to really push forward with work now that the kids weren’t home all day long. My calendar was booked solid, with barely enough time left for me to sleep and brush my teeth.

Then, one morning, as I woke up in the dark and started to get ready for my activity-filled day, it dawned on me that I’m the only one in the house who is awake. I asked myself why? What was it that I cared so much about that I would deprive myself of basic needs like rest and enjoyment? I thought about this for a couple of days, and do you know what the ultimate answer was?

Nothing.

There was nothing compelling me to work so hard. The only thing really at stake for me was my sanity and my relationship with my family. But the problem was, all the effort I was expending was working directly in opposition to what mattered. So it was time to re-think my commitments and to re-adjust my routines.

I sat down to write out all of the commitments I had agreed to, and the responsibilities associated with each one. Then I decided exactly what I needed to do in order to fulfill my obligations sufficiently. After reviewing my list, I realized that to follow through on the commitments I had made, all I needed was about 3 hours per week. That’s it.

So why was I so swamped?

It turns out, I was forgetting to maintain my focus on my own well-being. I was allowing other people’s wants and needs to come before my own, and as a result, I was unable to help or serve anyone very well at all. This is a lesson I’ve learned many times, as I’m sure many others have learned too. Now – as the holidays approach – is a great time to notice whether you are focused on your needs, or the needs of others. Make plans for relaxation and play this season, so you can live a lifestyle that will support and nourish you. Then the efforts you give to others will be magnified and appreciated so much more.

Einstein Time

Einstein time. What is it? I read in a book (The Big Leap, by Guy Hendricks) about an idea called Einstein time. It’s based on the concept that time is what we make it. The Newtonian explanation of time assumes that it is linear and constant, ticking by endlessly, without regard to anyone or anything. However, we have all experienced situations where time dragged on endlessly, or time flew by so quickly that we hardly knew it had gone. Is this just a feeling, or is it really time changing its speed?

When we tie ourselves to the clock, and focus on its ticking, then there never seems to be enough time in the day to get things done. But when we focus on our activity, not worrying about how much time has passed on the clock, it’s amazing what we can accomplish in just a short interval of measured time.

If you are engaged in life, enjoying what you are doing, yes the time flies by. But even so, there is plenty of time available to complete the project you are working on. When you disengage, and wish the time away, it takes seemingly forever for only a few minutes to pass. If you work on projects with this mindset, it’s nearly impossible to get anything done, and simple things can drag on incessantly.

I don’t have an explanation for this that I can put into words, but I do know that when I consciously engage, time does open up for me. I think this is another thing in life that we can learn from children. Kids always have time for a snack. They always have time to smell the flowers. They have time to tend to boo-boos, time to hug their moms, time to sleep for hours on end. Kids have time to do it all because they don’t care what time it is on the clock.

It can be difficult to put this into practice because schedules and appointment times are part of life in our culture. My goal is to be like a child, and do meaningful things between scheduled events. It’s not always easy to make it happen, but the stress it relieves and the openness it creates makes working on it very worthwhile.

How can you learn from the children in your life, or the child within you? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Cutting away the dead stuff

What is important to you? When you look at your life, what are the things that stand out? Do you have a lot of dead weight that you carry around?

I have a fuchsia plant hanging over my deck in the back of the house. It was a beautiful plant on mother’s day. Someone had given it everything it needed to thrive before I took it on.

I’ve been watering it faithfully, and even fertilizing it as the label instructed. But after a while, my enthusiasm waned, and I began to neglect it a bit. When I came back from my 12 days in the Midwest, the poor thing was all but dead. There were shriveled up leaves, brown stems, and overall dilapidation. It was thirsty, and I was distracted.

When things like this happen to a plant, the best way to handle it is to cut away the dead stuff. Let it put its energy into the healthy parts, so it can grow again. So, that’s what I did. Now, when I look out the window, I see a fuchsia that is bright and healthy, despite its lack of volume. It might not look the way it’s “supposed” to look, but it still communicates life and beauty.

We all know that more is not always better. In fact, sometimes more is a burden and can bring you down. I think our lives are like my fuchsia. We can create big, lovely, brilliant lives. And people might look at us in awe. But sometimes pieces will get neglected, and as they die, we need to cut them out. There are times when we lose track of the important things and get caught up in the little details, only to find ourselves in a tangle of dried out stems and leaves.

I believe when those times emerge, we need to cut away the dead stuff and go back to what’s important. Go back to the things that are bright and healthy, even if that means our lives have less volume and don’t attract so much attention. After all, what is important? It’s family, friends, community, and relationships. That other stuff is just extra fluff. It might be beautiful and awe-inspiring, but maybe that’s because it’s more than what we can really sustain. It’s sensational, so it makes people look. When it comes down to it, if we just prune it back to those few stems and nurture them, we will see that our lives are beautiful even when they’re simple. No volume needed.