22. On Vacation

Walking every day, also enjoying fine dining.  Going to the gym in the morning, also enjoying fine dining.  Hope it balances out.  Advice from a friend:  Find some steps!  Ok, easy to do...right next to "Serendipity!" (Known for their huge frozen hot chocolate drinks!!)

Pray for me :)   lol

21. Tis the Season

My goal was to get this done by Tuesday...just made it!

Thankful for this ritual which gives a glow to our evenings every year at this time.

Drinking lots of hot tea

with cinnamon & honey,

ordering gifts,

planning holiday events

and

thinking about what to write in our Christmas cards--

in this shimmered room

of expectation.

Snuggled

in

joy.



20. Back on Track

After losing track of my work outs for several days, after letting myself indulge in sugar and fat laden foods for a week over the holiday, after frankly not feeling very well as a result...I'm left wondering where I went wrong?

I missed Pilates when I drove to St. Louis for my uncle's funeral.  I managed to get in a couple cardio, workouts in the gym over the last eight days, and I did meet my goal of climbing 280 steps last Saturday (50 more than the week before.)  However, overall, these last ten days I've gone way off track.

To meet my goal for the year of reaching a whole new fitness level, there's no way around it, I have to change.  I can't become something different by staying the same!

I registered for a six-week fitness camp in San Diego, to begin on January 1, 2011.  (I posted FitcampSD's link to their website at the right.)  This is a good idea for many reasons: 

1)  Weather-wise, who wouldn't rather spend Jan. 1st through mid-February in San Diego instead of Chicago?

2)  What a way to begin the New Year--six weeks of daily supervised and supported workouts!  If that doesn't set the stage for a year of dedication to my goal, then nothing will.

3)  The training instructors are people I know, admire, trust and find to be most inspiring.  The way they live their own lives, truly inspires and motivates others to join them in their fitness quest.  Six weeks with them is well worth traveling all that way.

4)  I will have absolutely no distractions.  I'll be single-focused for six weeks.  How often does that ever happen?  Never.

So why the tinges of anxiety, the wondering if I can do it, the moments when fear of the unknown grows?  I lose sight of my goal in the midst of to-do lists and expectations.  I stop trusting that there is a plan for my life and all I have to do is take little action steps each day.  When I let that lack of trust stop me from taking steps forward, I revert back to old comfortable habits and ways.  Doubt creeps in, then fear, then disappointment...a spiral downward instead of up! 

When I set the goal of climbing/hiking the mountain in October of 2011, new doors began to open almost daily.  I walked through them and now will climb to the 52nd floor of the John Hancock building on February 27th.  I will attend FitcampSD for six weeks at the beginning of the year.  This week I also discovered an opportunity to travel with Harold to Estes Park in Colorado in June (he's going for work.)  My next step is researching a preliminary hike/climb in the Rockies for June! 

All I have to do is keep taking steps daily.  If I'm not walking forward, I'll miss these doors of opportunity.  What good is an open door, if I don't walk through it?

It's time to get back to writing, to accountability, to taking the necessary steps each day.

We finished putting up our Christmas tree about twenty minutes ago.  I've put off my weekend climb up the stairs till now--Sunday at almost 6:00 p.m.  Adding 50 more steps this week--it's time to lace up my shoes and hit the 330 steps!

I'm out the door...

I'm back!


Cousin Carol, cousin Norma...I just checked and there are still openings for the "Hustle Up the Hancock" 52-floor climb.  Go to www.hustleupthehancock.org and register if you're coming along :)

Wednesday Woe

Woe is a bit strong.  My distress is not grievous, I have no deep misery.  However, some minor discouragement exists.

1)  The more I work out, the hungrier I am--seriously, sometimes ravenous.  It's one thing to watch calories when one is not hungry, or only mildly hungry, and another after expending so much energy.

2)  Picked up the results from recent blood work.  That pesky cholesterol!  I've been trying to get it down with diet and exercise, not wanting to take the prescribed Vytoren.  I even fell for an expensive "De-Tox" program.  The seller recommended two sessions of three months each on the supplements (of course.)  I completed the first three months two weeks ago and thought I'd at least see some improvement in my cholesterol and HDL count.  But no.  Now do I ante up the dollars to take the second three-month program and hope it works?  Or, given the results so far, realize this isn't working?

Really, is the only solution eating all those vegetables on the list that I don't like?  And taking more prescription medicine--chemicals?

I rarely eat red meat or fried foods. Cheese?  Yes, some, but I do not over do it.  We always buy whole grain products.  Do I have to adopt a severe diet?  It appears that I do.

Given my glucose and cholesterol counts, I have to become a person who does not eat sugar.  I tried it successfully prior to Harold M.'s wedding earlier this year.  It can be done.


Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Gym, hour workout, the usual.

18. What We Take For Granted--Material Possessions



Favorite Soap at http://www.mistralsoap.com/

 To think creatively,
we must be able to look afresh
at what we normally
take for granted.
~George Kneller

In addition to a roof over my head and clothing,  if I could only have 20 material possessions, what would they be?

A lap top, blank journal, good pen, comfortable bed, feather pillow, high thread-count cotton sheets, camera, blow-dryer, coffee maker, mug that feels good in my hands, a refrigerator, stove, hot-water bottle, car, garden shovel, jasmine candle, gardenia soap, spa tub, down comforter and a radio.

What are your top 20?  List them before reading further. 

When the hypothetical question came to mind, my first thought was, "If I could only have 5 possessions, what would they be?"  My first five did not include a stove or refrigerator--possessions so taken for granted.  I had to increase the number to ten.   A few more thoughts and I realized it had to be 20!

If a bed is on my list, what good is it, if it doesn't have bedding?  Sheets, pillow, comforter--3 more items out of only twenty!  However, they are musts.

Does the "Spa"  in Spa tub really make it two possessions?  Ok, take off the "Spa."

If a coffee maker is on my list, what good is it without a mug?  As it is, a blow dryer is on the list, but no hairbrush!  I had to eliminate the hairbrush in order to include the jasmine candle.  What kind of life would it be if nice hair took the place of ambiance and treating the sense of smell?  I'll settle for a blow-dry while running my fingers through it!

Now I'm wondering if running water is a possession? What good is a tub without it?  How about a toilet?  More I take for granted.  I'd have to remove the coffee maker from my list, to get the running water, take off the candle, to get the toilet.

What about a chair?  Or chairs for guests?  Better to have the bed and bedding.  We can sit on the bed or the floor, using the pillow and comforter somehow for seating.  We'll  take turns sharing the coffee mug for any food or drink, since dishes don't fit into my top 20!  Therefore, probably need to drop the "Gardenia" in Gardenia soap since the soap will be used to wash the mug too!

I take so much for granted.  Is electricity a possession?  A furnace?  There goes the journal and pen.  What about wireless Internet access?  A possession?  Without it the laptop is useless.  Have to give up the blow dryer for wireless.   And what about gas for the car...a possession?  There goes the garden shovel.

Radio is an old habit, totally not necessary with Internet access. Take off radio.

What about a pot to cook in?  Take off the camera...and a utensil to cook with?

What's left of my 20 possessions?

1.  Running water
2.  Toilet
3.  Tub
4.  Soap
5.  Electricity
6.  Stove
7.  Pot to cook in
8.  Utensil for cooking
9.  Big mug
10. Furnace/heater
11. Refrigerator
12. Wireless Internet access
13. Laptop
14. Comfortable bed
15. Feather pillow
16. Down comforter
17. High thread-count sheets
18. Car
19. Gasoline
20. Hot water bottle for aches & pains

It just occurred to me,  take away 18 of those 20, and that's what the villagers in the Congo have left (where my husband visited last month.)

Creativity,

as has been said,

consists largely of

rearranging what we know

in order to find out

what we do not know.

~George Kneller

Monday, November 14, 2010
Cardio warm up, 30 weighted wall squats, 30 squats with side kick, 30 squats with front kick, step workout with leg lifts and kickbacks, chest and shoulder weight work and seated rows--all 3 sets of 12 reps each, plank, ab work, stretches

Tuesday, November 15, 2010
Light stair workout--80 (Calves just recovered yesterday from the 233 steps last Friday!)

17. Moving!

Decisions, decisions.  "Is it life-giving, or life-taking?" 

For instance, fried foods--life giving?  To some extent, one can find some nutritious value.  In another vein, the emotional attachment to good times and comfort can feel life-giving, and, a well-prepared fried chicken leg or breast can provide a life-giving smile and sense of satisfaction from the delicious taste. (Believe me, I experienced this last weekend!)  However, in another vein--one's actual veins--it can lead to clogged arteries.  The leading cause of death in the United States is heart disease!

Many days I have the will to pursue healthy eating. 

Many other days, I use my will to bring me back to a healthy eating plan which I've departed from! 

If I am not doing one or the other, I eat the wrong foods, often too much of them. I go with the flow, eating whatever comes my way.  Where is my will on those days?  Am I using it?

Some would argue, yes of course--I'm using it to willfully overeat unhealthy foods!

I would argue I've turned off my conscious thought process, my conscious will, and let my sub-conscious rule the day.  That place in the sub-conscious which controls involuntary actions (like breathing) and which stores countless messages and patterns from my past, is incredibly willful!

Becoming aware is the first step. 
Step two is quieting the sub-conscious. 
The goal is moving from desiring with great intensity to do what's right (regarding food choices and every other kind of choice,) to simply doing what is right. 

Many years ago I was raised with the idea that, "practice makes perfect."  Through elementary, junior high and high school, I practiced the piano many long hours.  I experienced the result of all the practicing, when performing in recitals or passing performance exams.

I'm practicing again. Practicing in a very concrete way, I will move from the intense desire to climb the mountain next October (and the desire to climb the steps of the John Hancock building Feb. 27th) to simply climbing--physically moving way beyond the desire, to the doing.

In the moment, consciously involved and fully aware, life-giving decisions take place, as one foot rises to take the next step.

 

16. ...There's a Way

As I left her office on Wednesday afternoon, my chiropractor's last words were, "I'll let you know, but I'm thinking of joining you in the Hustle Up the Hancock!"

While the reality of walking up 52 flights of stairs is sinking in, at the same time, the desire to meet the challenge is growing stronger.  Further, the desire is spreading.  Cousin Norma in Florida wrote that she is also thinking of making the climb!


Sweet Cousins!

My fitness quest is not uncomplicated however.  Three years ago I was diagnosed with a degenerative arthritis called Facet Joint Disease.
Facet arthritis refers to the inflammation of one or more of the facet joints, which are the linking joints positioned along your spine’s vertebrae. The role of facet joints is to provide stability and motion between the vertebrae. With age, facet joints can thicken and their protective cartilage can harden, leading to pain, swelling and tenderness.

Facet joints are located behind, and between, your spine’s vertebra and are responsible for your spine’s motion and flexibility. After undergoing millions of turning motions every year, however, these joints and their layer of cartilage can break down as you get older.

Contributing causes of  facet disease can include general wear and tear, genetics, poor posture, age, trauma, and obesity.

Symptoms mimic stress fractures, strained muscles and slipped discs, and can include inflammation, lower back pain, muscle spasms, swelling and joint or muscle stiffness.

Isn't that a lovely series of facts! 

My diagnosis coincided with the first time I began going to the gym, the first time I became serious about addressing my fitness.  Not great timing, to say the least.  It has been important to trust my trainer, physical therapists, and the chiropractor over these years, as they have each guided me step by step in a quest to strengthen and align everything around the problem areas, in order to function at the best possible level.

This included setbacks, time-outs, discouragement, and not a small amount of discomfort, but most of all, I learned to work around it all.  I approach preparing for this challenge as one more step in this process. 

While I may be sitting here typing

with a hot water bottle on my back,

while I may have perfect posture some of the time

yet I hobble around stiffly at other times,

 while I may be unsure

how the training to climb almost 1,000 steps will go,

I know what I've learned. 

I can carefully push through it all,

I can rebound

and

I can meet my goals.

While I can,

I will. 

...and anyone who wants to join me --one step at a time--is most welcome, most welcome indeed!

15. "Hustle Up the Hancock"



From "Hustle Up the Hancock" website.


One thought, one second in time, one conversation, one click...that's all it takes, to walk into the next challenge!  To change your life...to change anything.


It was a beautiful sunny morning after a great weekend with friends, my home was completely cleaned up, everything in order. I was one step away from going to the gym.  All I needed to do was change into workout clothes.


But no, it didn't happen yesterday.  One hour passed, then two, and I knew I had to do something.  "Ok, I'll work out at home," I told myself.  Weights?  No problem--have those.  Ab work and stretching?  Have the mat--no problem there either.  That left the cardio workout.  I was feeling very silly trying to jog in place in my living room, and sillier yet, trying to jog around my coffee table....when I suddenly saw our flight of stairs in a new way.  They became my cardio workout.


Seventeen steps, I trod down and back up, down and back up, down and back up.  Then at the top I added a quick walk around the unit, then down and back up--till I completed 120 steps up.  It felt like an accomplishment.  However, I also thought, "Perhaps this is really just a meager workout.  I'd better think of it only as a start.  I'll add more steps/flights each day."


Later that afternoon, while describing the Eiffel Tower in great detail, one of the facts my French teacher mentioned, jumped out at me--the steps to the second level of "la Tour Eiffel" number just a little over a thousand.  I thought, "Oh, there it is!  I'll set my goal at being able to climb 1,000 steps comfortably."


Until yesterday I'd never given stairs a second thought!  This morning I found myself googling "stair races in Chicago," and discovered a race up the stairs of the John Hancock building.  Set for February of 2011, the race to the 94th floor is already sold out! (1,000-foot vertical climb up 1,632 stairs.)  However, the race to climb the tower steps half way--to the 52nd floor--still has openings.


I registered.


February 27, 2011 is the day I will climb 52 floors of stairs in the skyscraper known as the John Hancock Center.  In the process, my goal is to raise at least $200 for lung disease research and programs (and anything over will be great too!) 

Though we take it for granted most of the time, I believe we should be thankful for every breath we take.  So, while I can, I'm going to be sucking in that air and climbing those stairs for a good cause, while I use this opportunity to keep on track with preparation for the mountain next October...

...one step at a time, literally!

Link to more information: 
http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=289102&langPref=en-CA


Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Worked out at the gym--elevated treadmill, weights, squats with med ball and lunges.

14. There will be times when...

                                                    (Stock online photo)

Abundance, it happens!


Long animated discussions into the night, gift catalogues in my mailbox, selections on a buffet, 17-year cicadas in Illinois (one year estimated at one million and a half per acre)...there will be times when we accept the unusual, embrace the unexpected, or enjoy a fullness of blessings.

Last Friday morning was the beginning of  72 hours of  abundance--time uncluttered by routine or responsibilities, shared with two friends I've known since elementary school.  Conversation and laughter definitely reached the abundance level.  When the plethora of food options did also, guilt began to creep in. One friend leaned over, earnestly advising,  "There will be times..."

She did not need to finish the sentence.  Immediately and peacefully, I accepted the situation for what it was, and proceeded to enjoy the cheesecake.  We still have a life to lead, even when working toward a goal.  When  fitness routines or healthy diets are thrown off track by something as wonderful as the love and suppport of close friends who only get together once a year having so much fun, then so be it!
 
So be it, that is, as long as some adjustments are made.  For instance, visiting the hotel fitness room first thing in the morning for a workout before breakfast will serve much better than not!

And, so be it, that is, as long as the revelry is followed by getting right back on track. 

For me, it was briskly climbing 120 steps today, alternating brisk walks or weight work on each landing.  For me, it is knowing that even though I will eat steakhouse leftovers tonight, tomorrow it's back to granola, yogurt, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, turkey and chicken... most importantly, not in huge portions and not all at once!

Looking forward to increasing the number of steps with each workout.  This is just a start.
Learned in French class today that the steps from the base of the Eiffel Tower to the second level, number just over 1,000.  My first goal for steps--to comfortably climb 1,000 steps.

13. New Thoughts Thursday

First New Thought:

Second Pilates session today. Imagine such a strong core that everything above it simply sits on top of it...the core does all the work. Head, neck, shoulders, arms, chest, upper back, mid-back, lower back, just relax--NO leaning, no slumping, no twisting, no clenching, no straining--simply resting there in perfect posture, while your core does all the work!


Of course one needs a strong core, or the wrong areas try to take over its work.  Whew, new concept!

Even newer for me...actually isolating the function of all these muscles in an awareness of each one and what it does (or shouldn't be doing!)

Second New Thought:

This thought is actually a few days old, but fits in with Thought #1 today. One day years ago, a co-worker came up to my trainer, Donna, and said, "You greet everyone with your chest!" Then she demonstrated how she perceived Donna walked, by proceeding to walk while leaning forward, slanted from the waist up.

Even an ever-so-slight lean forward, not only ruins your posture, but puts the work of walking onto the wrong muscles and can (will) hurt your back. She then told Donna to concentrate on her glute muscles doing the work of bringing each leg forward when she walks. When you concentrate on your walking coming from your glutes, suddenly your back straightens up.

I see this tying in to Thought #1--back and upper body positioned straight and simply sitting on the core (working) and the movement coming from the glutes (working!)  Your back is free and unharmed!

Third New Thought:

My son, Matt, had several friends participate in Chicago's "Urbanathlon" this year.  Now he is planning to train this coming year to join them in the event next year! 


I had never heard of it, but evidently they run a course through Chicago, completing challenges--obstacles set up at Navy Pier, DuSable Harbor, Soldier Field (the Bear's stadium) and McCormick Place.  http://www.menshealthurbanathlon.com/obstacles.cfm

Yeah Matt!  Go for it!

12. Rally: The Event

I won't try to explain Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. If you know, you know. Comedians, entertainers, they put on a show--good music, interesting comments, in part serious, in large humorous. Irony is their tool and they are especially appreciated by the young, but also admired by the old. The in between are just as avid fans.

One poster said, "I get my comedy from Fox News and my news from Comedy Central." Another, "Where are the moderate Muslims?"--with an arrow pointing down to the two sign holders that said, "Right Here!" Another said, "The People Behind Me Can't See," and another, "Where's the bathroom?" The signs expressed "...humor, frustration, hopes and dreams." Some were brilliant, some to the point, but all were tame and civil.

The music was varied, with John Legend and The Roots, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy, Ozzy Osbourne, The O'Jays and the controversial Yusuf, formerly known as Cat Stevens. If one googles "The Rally to Restore Sanity" one can read numerous articles about the program, or review hundreds of the signs. One can learn that no litter was left behind, at Jon's bidding. And one can listen to Stewart's final speech of the day.

He begins the speech thanking everyone for coming, even though no one knew exactly why, or what they were coming to. He ends saying the only thing he'd ever wanted for the day, was for people to come. Comedy Central estimated an expected 60,000 attendees on their permit application. Over 250,000 came.

His words mirrored my thoughts--not necessarily knowing why I went, I simply knew I wanted to be there. One can also read criticism of the rally, of Stewart, Colbert, and the crowd. Some are disappointed they did not urge the attendees to vote, others express inaccurate descriptions or less polite negativity.

I suggest listening to Stewart's speech if you haven't already. (A link to the speech is posted on the right.)

No matter which side of the political aisle one is on, no matter what you think of two comedians drawing 250,000 people to Washington last Saturday, you can find a very reasonable inspiration in his words. We all live together each day, working side by side, to do what needs to get done. We simply need our politicians to do the same. We need our media to calm down. That's the sanity we rallied to restore.

The rally came to an end around three p.m. only to have the monumental disbursement of the crowd begin.

Everything was over. Or, was it....

The next morning on my plane, the first question I posed to the passenger on my left was, "Did you go to the rally?" He began to tell his story, about coming from New England, getting caught in the mass of walkers moving forward at the rally, but then deciding to turn around to attempt finding a seat on the grass. He and his friends made their way further back, then found themselves too far back. They actually ended up so far back in the crowd that they could not hear or see anything. But they sat with everyone around them who also could not see or hear, for the full duration. He shared how glad he was to have been there. He said every minute was worth all their effort.

Today I read an account about busloads of people from New York City who were two hours late for the rally and only caught the last hour. They could hear and see very little, and even they, were very satisfied to have taken part in something that made such a worthwhile point.

250,000 people (the population of Madison, Wisconsin, or St. Petersburg, Florida, or Birmingham, Alabama) are now telling their stories from last weekend. At least 250,000 people walked together, laughed together, jumped, clapped, sang and reasoned together.

They now... again... hope together.

A step in the right direction.



Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Weight training, core work and stretching at home today.

11. Rally: Getting There

A typical hotel breakfast starts the anything but typical day. Not many minutes left for making decisions which are completely up to us today. Oatmeal or omelette? Winter coat or fall jacket? I lingered over each thought, delaying the inevitable moment when a shuttle ride to the Metro would begin our journey to the unknown.

We settled into the back seat, while fellow passengers asked--is everyone going to the rally? Where are you from? One proudly proclaimed, "Oklahoma!" to which we each gave smiles and words of praise and encouragement. Another joked about himself after saying he was a Republican from Oklahoma, by exclaiming, "Oh, look there's a moderate Republican from Oklahoma... and, oh look... there's a unicorn!" The ride bouyed our already high expectations, and we were off!

Standing in the midst of eight long lines for Metro tickets, we observed each person arrived at the machine unprepared for the transaction. How would we have known ahead of time that a machine only gave up to $5.00 change, or which machine was cash only? The sign listing fare amounts also seemed to present a challenge to each purchaser. In spite of confusion slowing down the process, all these new Metro riders retained their good cheer and helped each other making change, or offering condolences when one had to start all over again in another long line for a machine which accepted cards!

To navigate the Metro, we followed a color and a destination. The destination was the station at the end of the line in our desired direction. While our desired stop was near the Mall between 3rd and 7th, the directional signs only gave us a choice between the end of the line in either direction.

I think now of the every-day implications--each stop along the way is really taking us to the end of the line, in one direction or another--politically, academically, socially, spiritually... it's important to have our eyes on the final destination to be sure we're headed the right way!

At each stop, the number of riders waiting to get on increased, until we did not know how another person could possible enter our car, yet they did...many in fact. We reached our stop at L'Enfant Plaza. From there on, we became part of the collective. No need to wonder where to go, or ask directions--we joined the early morning crowd of anticipation, moving as one, up stairways, across streets, and past venders. The fall chill in the air was tempered by clear sunny skies, as some stopped to buy hats, commemorative towels, t-shirts, and badges.

I was reminded of a walk I made with father in Poland on this same weekend almost ten years ago. Though not having lived in Poland, though not being Catholic, and not practicing the annual cultural visit to the cemetary on All Saints Day, I told Joanna how I felt the historical Catholicism and Polish roots in my blood that day in Warsaw. It felt entirely right to be there in the midst of their pilgrimage, moving as a collective that day too.

We reached the mall two hours before the rally was scheduled to begin, yet every bit of lawn was already taken, so we continued forward with the walkers along the side, hoping for a clue what to do next. Instinctively, I stopped along the edge of the lawn, one jumbo-tron back from the stage. In the next few minutes I realized the walking crowd along the edges had become a mass, body to body, almost impenetrable. Joanna had gone to find cell phone reception and I asked a young woman if she would mind if I sat in her husband's chair while he was out looking for food. She said, "Sure," and I knew we'd found the right spot!

Similar to times I've been caught up in a creative project, when many hours go by without any realization of time, hunger, or thirst, I was about to experience five hours in this sunny crowd with no realization except the experience itself. Every age was represented, from young children to teens, twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings, and everything higher--through middle age and beyond--all mixed up together, ethnically, socially, economically, with one thing in common...we all wanted to be there...we just knew we wanted to be there.

...to be continued.

November 2, 2010: Better today, was able to get the "Startrac" Treadmill to show my heartrate in the "Endurance Training" level (for me, 133-152) the whole time! Average heartrate for workout--137. Probably time to raise the speed and elevation a bit tomorrow.

10. Rally: It Begins

"Are you going to the rally?"


As I answered, "Yes," a young man reached out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Jordan, poet and philosopher, from the University of Southern Florida, Tampa. We have a group of students here along with another group from North Carolina." We stood in the Sheraton Suite's lobby in Alexandria, VA. Till that moment, I didn't really know what to expect of my weekend. From that moment on, one more introduction after another, I experienced one realization and validation after another--that Americans are indeed the hard-working, caring, creative, respectful optimists that I'd hoped they are.

As I waited for a shuttle to the "Fish Market" for dinner, a husband and wife of Latin origin sitting next to me spoke of their anticipation for the weekend. The father would run the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday in D.C. with his daughter who attends college nearby, but first they would all attend the "Rally to Restore Sanity" on the Mall on Saturday. In a very few sentences, our conversation progressed from pleasant expressions about the up-coming marathon challenge and mutual appreciation for the effort it took to be there in Washington for the Rally, to our respect and concerns for our President. The wife expressed her apprehension regarding Obama's safety in the current climate of our country's political scene. I said I'd been worried about that since his inauguration. The shuttle arrived and we were each delivered to our respective restaurants for dinner. However, the immediate openness we'd shared in our brief conversation left a slight feeling of exhileration as I ordered the fresh fish of the day.

After walking up and down King Street, browsing in stores and previewing a vast selection of restaurant menus on the way, I called for the shuttle back to the Sheraton. Still early evening, wandering into the lounge, I found Jordan, poet and philosopher, chatting with a family. He immediately introduced me, "Cheryl from Chicago," to an elderly grandmother, her daughters, and their children who awaited their pizza order. They had traveled far, to be here for the rally. "I am so impressed by the inter-generational representation I'm beginning to observe," I addressed to the grandmother.

She enthusiastically replied, "All my friends wanted to come. It's just that some of them could not make it because of health issues. But they all wanted to be here." The young boys began to make jokes about how they liked to "raise the roof," pumping their hands toward the ceiling, "because our father is a roofer!" Jordan was inspired and reached for his phone.

"I have to get this on a video," he said, and proceeded to shoot footage of every single person in the room as he asked them their names and where they were from--all ages from all parts of the country. I had moved to the other side of the room, but before finishing, he made sure to point his camera phone in my direction, "...and this is Cheryl..."

"...from Chicago," I yelled over to him before he finally turned it off.

Then with a grand announcement before leaving with his young friends he lets us know, "You'll all be on Youtube!" and explained how we could find it.

I lifted my drink and headed over to talk to a couple from San Diego, she a retired school teacher, and he, retired from a Naval career. They'd lived all over the world, including Hawaii, and now San Diego. So of course I had to tell them about my friends who are moving to San Diego in December. One story led to another and I discovered they'd attended a wedding the year before in the lodge at Mt. Charleston, nearby the hiking trails I'm contemplating for my 60th birthday climb! They'd traveled from San Diego to Washington D.C. for one reason only--the Rally. We exchanged names and email addresses, eager to keep in touch.

By the time my friend, Joanna arrived on her late night flight from Chicago, I was deeply engrossed in conversations at the bar. She joined right in as we proceeded to meet a woman from Oregon waiting for her husband to arrive. They would both be at the Rally, all the way from Oregon. They had served in the Peace Corps years ago, and we shared conversations of social and justice issues, theology and global concerns.

On my left I met a professor from Emery in Atlanta. We talked about the night Obama was elected and how everyone in the room had tears in their eyes--her friends in Atlanta and ours in Chicago. It was heartening to review this event again, and know that the power and emotion behind it, is as strong as ever.

We were joined by a mom from Long Island who had just driven her three teenage children all the way there after work that day. The teens were up in the room finishing their signs and costumes for the Rally. She was getting a much needed adult moment with us, and was very excited to share all the details of her journey from the first moment she heard of the rally till she drove into the hotel parking lot. Long Island working Mom, professor from Emery, minister's wife (that's me,) finance professional from Chicago, and activist from Oregon--there we sat, bar stool to bar stool, all on the same page--women warmed and lifted by the comradery, eager to share our immediate future together in Washington.

Before turning in, I double-checked my gear for Saturday. A little voice in the back of my head warned, "You're 59 years old with back issues, you don't like to be cold, and you don't really know what to expect."


However, that little voice, was drowned out by a huge voice saying, I'm Cheryl from Chicago, and I'm here to represent! I want to stand up and be counted.

Though I don't really know exactly what to expect, I know I want to be here. I will be counted as one reasonable voice who respects my president. I will be counted as one reasonable voice who accepts all kinds of people who are not like me. I will be counted as one reasonable voice who wants to make a positive difference, even though most of the time I don't have a clue how to go about doing that in any political sense.

Calendar in a shop on King Street

Right now my life has brought me here. Tomorrow morning I'll discover everything there is to discover.

I proceeded to slip in between some really fantastic bedding in the newly renovated Sheraton Suites, peaceful as could be.

....to be continued



Monday, November 1, 2010
Workout--difficult today, heavy, sluggish, and not at all flexible. Think it had to do with air travel, standing all those hours, etc. Donna advises: It's just one day...you'll feel better the next time. Look at your training as a whole...not one day. A difficult day will occur, it does for everyone. It's more important that you put that behind you today and focus on what's ahead of you. And so I will.

9. New Thoughts Thursday

Thinking brand new thoughts that you've never thought before...is wildly more conducive to creating big life changes than just thinking different varieties of the same old thoughts.

--from Mike Dooley's "A Note From the Universe" (www.tut.com)

I am happy where I live. I accept it completely.

We sold our home, purchased a two-story condo, moving to the next phase of our lives, at the very end of the housing boom. If we had fully comprehended what would come next, of course we would not have made this move. The economy has slowed necessary building repairs to a snail's pace and de-valued our investment.

My choices are limited. The following is Dooley's advice, however any wise advisor would council the same.

1) I can leave--not at all wise financially.

2) I can change things--possible up to a point, but not fully.

3) I can accept my situation fully.

Thus, my new thoughts this Thursday: I'm putting away, setting aside permanently, all thoughts of despair, disappointment, frustration, and anger about our building....instead, "I am happy where I live. I accept it completely!"

When I wake in the morning, prepare a meal in my kitchen, set a table for guests, DVR "The Event" or watch "Paris 36" on our flatscreen, dine on our cafe-like deck, fill the bathtub, offer our guest room to a friend, raise the blinds each morning and lower them in the night... it is true. In the moment I am happy where I live.

I remember a glow I discovered four years ago on the first night we moved in. Above the kitchen counter, orange globes around each light bulb cast a pale, yet shimmery, golden light in every direction. As I opened the newly-filled silverware drawer I called out, "Harold, come look, our silverware is glowing!"

It's the same glow we see from the deck on warm summer nights after hours with good food, good wine and good friends, when we walk back inside and say goodnight.

Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you have decided to look beyond the imperfections.--unknown

It's the same warm glow I feel when I imagine my fullness of heart, hiking up the mountain next October with friends and family at my side, one step at a time.

8. Wednesday Vignettes From The Gym

1) Oblivious runner with headphones on, singing out loud.

Every time he laps me, I get to play Name That Tune. Today he belted out, "Stopped into a church I passed along the way, Oh, I got.. down.. on.. my.. knees, and I pretend to pray." (I always thought it said, "...I began to pray." Looked it up though and he was right!) Next lap he's onto, "And I will always love you." Of course after his run, he slips on bright neon orange and yellow camouflage pants! He always makes me smile, but I have to say, there is nothing camouflaged about this dude.

2) Shout out for Technology!

New treadmills--I'm beginning to use the incline feature, and this new machine actually brings up a picture of a mountain on the screen--I can watch myself climbing up the mountain!! At this point I am at the very base, but it will be interesting to watch as I increase my incline and pace over these next months and get to watch my dream of climbing the mountain in living color as I workout!

3) More Technology

In addition to recording my heartrate while I'm on the inclined treadmill, four categories are posted, with my required heartrate for each one:

1) Low Impact workout 2) Heart Healthy 3) Endurance Training 4) I forget this one! (It's number three I'm going for anyway.)

As I'm working out, my recorded heartrate appears in one of these four categories. In the Endurance Training category, my heartrate needs to fall between 133 and 152. Easy to understand, it's a great tool to insure I'm working at the necessary pace!

4) My Favorite Couple

A husband and wife who work out together every morning--advanced seniors--provide ongoing inspiration. For some reason, she is only comfortable in a dress. Therefore, that's what she works out in! They row together, spin together, and stretch on the mats together. Then the best part--before they leave, they always go into the gym, and dance. There are no songs playing, but when I see the way they move across the floor in each other's arms, I know they are dancing to their own music.

My Dentist Climbed to the Top of Mount Kilimanjaro !

I was 31, a young mother with a four and five year old, when we moved to Chicago’s near north side--blocks from the Gold Coast, Cabrini-Green, Lake Michigan, downtown, and old town. Having grown up in a rural farming community in western New York State, it was an adventure in urban living for this country girl.

In my hometown of Bloomfield, Dr. Howard lived across the street from us and saw patients in his home office. As young children we were accustomed to walking to Dentist appointments, also in home offices nearby.

Not knowing where to start to find a family doctor and dentist in downtown Chicago, I followed an add for free examinations at a nearby hospital. It was there I met Dr. David Center. I immediately felt a connection. We are exactly the same age and I appreciated his gentle approach as well as his choice of music. From that moment on, he has been the only dentist that I trust. I followed him wherever his career has taken him. We’ve had grueling sessions over the years from time to time, but he knows to turn up the gas and turn up the volume on the classic rock!

My fear of dentistry kept me out of his office for years at a time, but when there, we always catch up on each other’s lives. Today I told him about my challenge to hike a mountain for my 60^th birthday next October.

He said his family recently returned from climbing a 14,000 ft. peak in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. He reported the very cold conditions freezing his fingers, and his wife and daughters having to return, only half-way up. Then casually he mentions, “Several years ago, I took my whole family and we climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.”

I couldn’t believe my ears at first. The questions were flying. Why? Because he’d always wanted to! How? He researched and prepared well, and hired several guides. When? When his two daughters were in high school. How was it? It was a three-day climb to the summit, and it took two days to get back down. His wife and older daughter succumbed to serious altitude sickness and had to turn around after having reached 16,000 ft! So close.

However, he had hired enough guides so that any one of them would be able to complete the climb with a guide, even without the others. He and his youngest daughter (in spite of severe blisters) proceeded on, making it to the very top at 19,300 ft.! I sensed the deep respect in his voice for his daughter’s mental will, her resolve and determination which took her to the top of that spectacular mountain at his side.

When it was all over, they all went on Safari as a reward. What a bonding experience!

There on his office wall, hangs the certificate authenticating his climb. I’d walked by it many times and not noticed. Today it came alive.

Each step I take in this journey awakens life all around me…awakens me!

One step at a time.

Monday Oct. 25^thTook Harold to the airport mid-morning and had French class in early afternoon. In the past, I would have said, “No time to squeeze in a workout today.” Priorities, priorities…I squeezed it in just fine! New mind set--just do it!
On my own: Cardio warm up, seated row 40lbs 3 sets 12x, same sets and x’s for chest press, (8 lb.) lateral shoulder raise, tri-ceps --all in a circuit (3 actually.) Biceps (also 8 lb.) balanced on one foot. Leg curl--heels on stability ball, etc. More cardio, core and stretching.

Sunday Treat

Fall, the best season...of raking leaves and swishing them underfoot, denim and corduroy jackets, homemade apple butter, crock pot meals, pumpkin seeds-pies-soups, and hot spiced apple cider!

Today's treat on my new breadmaker, is Carrot Bread.  Thick and warm, chewy and sweet!  However, there is flour and sugar in the recipe.  Currently the only way I have to make this a "healthy" treat, is to give most of it away so we only get to eat a small, limited portion!  Next Suday I will experiment with substitutions for the flour and sugar.   

Please send your substitution ideas for the 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 1/4 cup flour.  I can look them up online of course, but I'd rather hear from readers who know from experience what works best.  Thanks!              


Throw all ingredients into bread pan and the machine does the rest!






A Saturday Thought

A FABLE

             by Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

The mountain and the squirrel
Had quarrel;
And the former called the latter "Little Prig."

Bun replied,
"You are doubtless very big;
But all sorts of things and weather
Must be taken in together,
To make up a year
And a sphere.
And I think it no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I'm not so large as you,
You are not so small as I,
And not half so spry.
I'll not deny you make
A very pretty squirrel track;
Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut."

"All sorts of things and weather Must be taken in together, To make up a year And a sphere."  It's risky, perhaps fool-hardy,  to jump to obvious conclusions!

I imagine I will have plenty of conversations

with the mountain over this next year! 

I will meet it heart to heart,

as well as foot to trail.

Grateful for Inspiration--Palani and Carisse

A young friend’s status today on Facebook said, “It’s Friday, get your freak on!”

I read this sipping my coffee, and called out to Harold in the next room as he was slipping into a suit, preparing for work, “Harold, it’s Friday, get your freak on!” Then we laughed for the next few minutes, having never thought, heard, or uttered those words before, ever.

One is never too old to learn something new!

Something new indeed!

Only an hour from the desert climate of Las Vegas, winter snows can pile seven feet deep and elk graze in lush meadows. The Spring Mountains, and particularly their dominant peak, Mt. Charleston, stand like green alpine islands in a sea of sand and stone.

Because of the heavy winter snows, late spring through early fall is the best time to hike these mountains…Elevations range from 4,300 ft. up to 11,918 at Charleston Peak’s summit…

There are no bears in the Spring Mountains but there is plenty of wildlife including wild horses, mountain lions, and the desert bighorn sheep…                                                            
--From “Base Camp Las Vegas -- Hiking the Southwestern States,” by Deborah Wall
　
I had no idea this existed so very close to the glitz of the Las Vegas strip and the surrounding desert. However, one Sunday afternoon Palani posted a video he shot after he and Carisse reached the top of “Cathedral Rock” trail, in the Spring Mountains. Slightly winded, he highly recommended the climb, realistically described burning legs and breathing challenges due to the altitude, and finally spanned for the viewer to see the fabulous view.

I never would have known Palani, or caught that video, if I hadn’t called the Qua Spa at Ceasar’s Palace one day to ask about a session with their private trainer. The voice on the other end of the phone said, “What? We don’t have private trainers.”

From Chicago I said, “Yes you do, I’m sitting here looking at an article in your magazine that describes the training sessions and shows a picture of the trainer, Palani. I’ll be vacationing there soon and I’d like to train with him!” This was such a new feature to the Spa that all the staff didn’t even know about it yet.

From that day on, every time I visited, we worked several training sessions together. I knew I was in good hands as he studied all the angles of every move I made.  He led, adjusted, challenged and encouraged me throughout. Inevitably after two times through everything, I was ready to escape to the Spa sauna, steam room and pools, but there would always be a third circuit, and unbelievably, a fourth!

Over time we became friends and ultimately seeing his video at the top of “Cathedral Rock” trail was my inspiration for this year long challenge! He and Carisse, both top fitness instructors, are far more--they lead and inspire all those around them to follow their dreams, and to grab life and run with it, literally and figuratively!

Never too old to learn something new.
One step at a time.
　
　
Friday 10/23/10
Worked with Donna. Starting Monday, I will work the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday programs she prepared for me, on my own, until checking back in with her the second week in December. At that time, she’ll revise my workouts for the next six weeks. Today was the “Friday” workout: 10 min. cardio warm-up, weighted wall squat 60 sec., squat w/side kickout 60 sec., squat w/forward kick 60 sec.--repeat all, 3x…and it goes on and on with seated rows, dead lifts, lateral shoulder lifts, leg curls, etc……In the middle is another cardio workout…ends with core work and stretches. Each Friday the time of cardio sections is increased …..you get the idea!