It started with looking at the calendar and realizing I only have 30 DAYS LEFT until my one year "In Training Challenge" deadline. And I'm not where I want to be, physically or, as I quickly discovered, mentally. I've spent the past week getting over a cold, but I've been feeling better every day. So why did I suddenly run out of gas this weekend?
I woke up Saturday morning when the alarm sounded with grand plans to catch up on my lengthy to-do list to get my life back in "perfect" working order. I laid in bed for about 30 minutes pondering just how I would attack the day, then proceeded to roll over and go back to sleep. By 10 AM, I was finally up and moving, but all I managed to accomplish by noon was eating some cold leftover pizza and doing a little Facebooking. So much for productivity!
The more I thought about how much time I had already wasted, the more I lost energy. I figured I was just still tired and needed to sleep more, so I took a nap Saturday afternoon. When I woke up, I was upset I slept longer than I expected and wasted the majority of a perfectly beautiful day. And since my amazing productivity plan was now shot to hell, my brain sapped the last of my energy, and I didn't even want to get out of bed.
But I did get out of bed long enough to do one thing. I picked up a book from my ever-growing pile of unread gems. It wasn't on my to-do list for this weekend, but working through that pile was on the hockey off-season to-do list, so I figured it was better than nothing. And by the end of the weekend, I had finished the book and had the start of a new outlook.
Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral is a celebration of life, love and friendship as experienced by a group of women fulfilling the last wishes of a dear friend. I won't give you the rundown on the whole book, because I hope you'll read it and I don't want to spoil the fun. It's probably the most uplifting book about loss you'll ever read. But one of the other big themes in the book that resonated with me this weekend is the importance of taking time in our busy lives to just BE. As Annie writes in a letter to her friends:
"Just pause and remember....I should have done it more. Just pause, my loves, remember me, and then keep going..."
So instead of beating myself up for everything I didn't do, I decided to appreciate the gift of perspective this book gave me, and I felt some of my energy return. Once again, Coach Nadine to the rescue! She was the one that brought this book into my life and helped start to turn my lousy weekend around.
But my biggest motivation came on Sunday, as I was catching up on blogs of friends I follow. I came across an update from my former co-worker Tiffany Mather. About a year ago, Tiffany's husband Kevin was hit by a truck while biking with friends from his church. He sustained a serious spinal cord injury, lost the use of his legs, and ended up in a wheelchair.
But Kevin's story is one that demonstrates exactly how much power the mind can have over the body. He and Tiffany shared a video of his struggle to get back his mobility, and it's nothing short of awe inspiring.
As I sat there and watched Kevin give every ounce of effort he had to walk using leg braces and a walker, I felt ashamed. How could I let myself get demotivated so easily? Kevin has to overcome obstacles every day that I don't even think about, and here I am being basically lazy. Because I'm a little tired? Why am I not out making the most of all the opportunities I have?
It turns out that Annie and Kevin were just the kick in the head I needed to get going again. So now that my head is back in the right place, I've got 30 days left...and I've got work to do! Time to get to it.
I think I've said it to myself as well as so many people :) Maybe because I travel so much but life is about is often, not about the destination but the travels. Once you get there, its kinda overrated, anyway! :) Its what you learn along the way, that really matters. And who you meet and , effect and bring along for the ride :) All those things that have nothing to do with the end goal but mean so much! Just a thought :) Take care and hope to see you during my trip this weekend!
ReplyDeleteSusan
I'll have to add that to my growing list of books to read!
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds great. Motivation is just what I need, too! Thanks for sharing the youtube link. Kevin and Tiff are incredibly inspirational in their joy surrounding life despite the obvious obstacles this accident brought. Can't wait to see the video for some more get-off-my-butt inspiration. Thanks!
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