Slow Down, You Move too Fast

Taking time off, especially when it's unplanned, especially when I haven't "earned" it, is hard for me. I covered that the other day. However, once I do it, I so love the slower pace. Over and over I keep hearing that Simon & Garfunkel song in my head...

I am slowing down and appreciating, as a friend suggested, smelling the roses.  It feels healthier to me.  But how do we incorporate this into regular life?  Not feeling rushed?  Not constantly feeling like there is something we are supposed to be doing?  Is the idea of slowing down that of an era gone by, like the haircuts in the video?

I hope not but I am going to need to some help putting it into practice once I'm back from my sabbatical.

Today is Sunday...at least in the Americas (I am a little late for you over in NZ, Lisa)...good day to slow down, and feel some groovy! :-)

Time off

I hit my head.  Ok, I know I should rest.  And I was convinced not to exercise. But take time off from work?  What?  I "can't".  I "shouldn't".  Why not?  Some sense of obligation?   To my clients?   To some over developed work ethic?  Maybe an unwillingness to prioritize myself?  Or maybe I am just so tough that I can push through anything?  Is there an emoticon for eye rolling? ;)

Have I mentioned I am a very slow learner?  Very belatedly I have decided to take time off from work and rest my noggin. A very wise woman said to me last week that I should take care of myself...nobody is going to do it for me.  So simple. Yet funny that it took me so many weeks to give myself permission to take care of my health in this way.

My friend Meredith and I are keeping a list of all the lessons being learned from this slip and fall event!

Reflections of you

What are the words you would use to describe yourself?  Or what if you were to ask your friends?  What would they say?  I know I would be thrilled to share with my friends what it is that makes them fabulous.  

I am lucky enough to have some of the best friends in the world.  No judgement on how great your friends are.  I am sure they are awesome too.  But I just wanted to acknowledge mine and all they do for me.  

For my birthday a few years back, one dear friend ask the other women in my circle of "sistas" to give her a list of words that they think describe me.  Then she had them all etched on a mirror as a border, so that every time I look in the mirror, I have a reflection of what those who love me see when they look at me.  So incredibly cool, right? 

So hard to take a picture of a mirror, btw.  But you get the idea.

I have been thinking about why it is so difficult for me to do this for myself.  Or why it is hard for any of us to know our own strengths, and own them, and remember them when we are not at our best.  What would your list look like if you did one for yourself?  Or if your friends were to give you a lifelong reminder of your fabulousness? (I know it is not a word, but I like it anyway)

Grace

I like to think I give really good advice.  Taking that same advice is a whole different story!

I often forget to take smart advice, whether it be from me or others.  I need lots of reminders.  I am lucky to have friends who send me gentle reinforcements often.  One of my favorites was from my sister, Francesca, who wrote in a card to me a few years ago that although she knew I was going through a difficult time, I was moving forward with grace.  I love that.  It resonated so deeply within me that I felt it would guide me through most any challenge in life.

But I still forget at times.  Hell, I even have it tattooed on my wrist and I forget.

  Grace.  I want to always remember that no matter what happens I will move forward with grace.  Life hands each of us many challenges.  Some big, some seemingly small.  But I believe it is how we handle these that speaks to the strength of our character.  So it is not that I am telling myself that none of this should bother me.  But finding the positive in the situation, using it to learn something about myself.  Sharing my journey so it may help another feel less alone.  To me, this is grace.  And I am glad I remembered.  

Baby steps

I am allowed to workout at all?  Well, the neuro said I could walk.  (insert a raised eyebrow here).  

Seriously?  Walk?  Alrighty then.  

So I went for a walk yesterday, and will go today.  Yay that I get to do something.  But my head definitely sets the pace...grrrr (because it is slower than I would like).  

But here is the interesting part.  This is how I feel....."I went for a WALK!"  I would typically be the first person/trainer to call someone out if they were trying to pass off a walk as a workout, if their goals were to be getting fitter and seeing results.  Oh how perspectives change.  At the moment I would have to say that a walk feels like an amazing option compared to doing nothing.  

It is sunny out today.  Go for a walk.  Stop and smell the roses...or the vague hint of spring air ;)

What do I take for granted?

I saw a woman running this morning. I had such a rush of "oooh, I want to do that." Then I thought of all the days in my life I have exercised because I thought I needed to. Now that I am not able to choose how I move in my day, I realize I took for granted my ability to move when and how I wanted to. Luckily, hopefully, mine is a temporary respite, but I hope I do not forget this feeling once I am able to run and jump and hike and paddle again.

So I want to suggest you think about how this applies to you.  Please never take things in your life for granted.  What would you do if today were the last time you had the opportunity to do something you love?  My wish for you is that you figure it out without something having to be taken away in order to learn the lesson.

Sexy as...

What is sexy?

This is one of the questions that has been rolling around in my head the last six weeks.  What do I think is sexy?  In the past, if I had answered that question about myself, I definitely would have jumped to the physical body.  But now as I examine it more closely, I realize what I find sexy in others is not necessarily physical...

I think a man with a great smile is super sexy.  Someone with a playfulness behind his eyes.  A man who is confident, and has a little swagger without trying.  A man who is interested and interesting.  A man who is active because he likes adventure.  Who takes care of himself and has pride in his appearance.  Someone who knows his strengths but is humble.  That is sexy to me.  

And a sexy woman (yes, I think women are sexy) is someone who has a joy for life.  Who laughs and has a great smile.  Someone who owns her physical body and loves it (and this has nothing to do with size).  A woman who takes care of herself but is not overdone.  A woman who is not afraid to be confident and who knows what she wants in life.  That is sexy to me.  

Sensing a pattern here?  Nowhere in there is a 6-pack abs, or zero-percent body fat, or a person who in the gym all the time.  Of course, I am attracted to a fit body, but more so because it is a sign of a person who values themselves and their health.  And of someone that likes to move, be active, and explore new things. 

Can you picture that person who has a "perfect" body (whatever the hell that is) and yet is trying so hard or is so uncomfortable with themselves it is almost painful?  And standing next to that person is another who is perhaps not quite as fit but far more beautiful in their natural ease with themselves and enjoyment of life?  I know which one I want to talk to.  Interesting though that I would have said that for me to be sexy I would have to possess some version of that "perfect" body.  Hmmmm...if it doesn't matter to me when looking at others, why would I think it would be different when others are looking back at me?

So what do you find sexy in others?  And does it match the standard to which you hold yourself?

And I wonder why I hit my head...;)