Pulling My Weight

I am not afraid to admit that I have never been able to pull my own weight... body weight that is. Even when I had a stick-like-pre-adult-body, I was never strong enough to pull my own body weight.

This was something I set out to change late last year and I am pleased to see progress. According to my training log, in October 2011 I was only able to pull 30% of my total body weight (TBW).

In January 2012 this increased to 50% of TBW. Today, as I write this quick entry in the gym locker room, I am happy to report that I can now pull 75% of my TBW. Progress..makes me happy :)

I also want to get faster. My fastest timed mile in high school as a 17 year old was around 7 minutes 45 seconds. My goal this year as a 33 year old is to make it under 8 minutes. Today I clocked in at 8 minutes 16 seconds. Progress, again. Another happy face ;D

I'm not trying to be Wonderwoman. I just want to mold a better me, one turtle step at a time.
Goals make us better. Setting out to reach them makes us great.

Here's to defining what is truly important to us and being laser sharp on what our goals are. And most importantly, putting in the work to achieve them. Not for our significant others. Not even for our children, but for OURSELVES.

Why? Because we flippin' deserve it. Shoot, at least I know I do! LOL.

YOU DO TOO!!

Have an awesome week friends & stay dry out there! :)

Just Be Present

It's scary how things can change quite easily for the worse when we're not fully engaged and present.

Minutes ago I witnessed a car accident that I thankfully was not apart of. I was approaching an intersection where two sedans were speeding and before I knew it they collided and all I heard was the loud banging of metal on metal.

Had I not kept a safe distance between these two cars or had I been momentarily distracted, I could have easily been apart of that accident because these vehicles were directly in front and to the side of me.

Accident averted, thank you God.

I had a very light-hearted post planned for tonight, but accidents, whether you are a part of them or not change things.

Whatever you are doing, Just Be Present and He will handle the rest.

Have a safe week friends.

Watching Trains

de-funking

***

I woke up yesterday in a funk, worked out hard, and felt phenomenal!..I even ran into an old middle school and high school classmate. I thought twice about saying hi because I was literally drenched in sweat but I'd seen her a couple times at the gym and running around Coyote Hills so I said hello. She was surprised to see me and despite me warning her that I was all sweaty, she still totally gave me a hug. Sweet. We chatted a bit and I went along my day.

But then around mid-afternoon, the funk came back! WTF? I thought I worked it off. Most of the time if I'm feeling out of it or grumpy or lethargic or <insert another negative feeling here> I just work out and its gone. But this time it was gone...only temporarily. That's when I knew I had more work to do...

This kind of work, however, is different. For me, I know that I need to do some emotional unloading. When I'm in a funk, I don't like it, and I attack the feelings head on. I don't put any blame on anyone and take full responsibility for what it is I'm feeling. Then, I figure out why I'm in a funk, process it, and move the heck on!!

Over the years I've become better at managing my own negativity so that I do as little damage to the people around me. This way, after I've processed my baggage, I move on feeling buoyant and light..my natural default, my homeostasis which I most definitely like :)

(Yes! A spontaneous happy face after a sentence is a good sign. I'm making progress.)

Too many big changes happening at once I think takes a toll on us. For me, the current changes I am going through coupled with my responsibilities are weighing me down in a way that is not productive so a change in perspective is definitely in order.

De-funking for me always includes a Q&A session kind of like this:

*****

Let's run through a made-up scenario shall we?

*****

What are you feeling badly about? (Define the problem)

Pretend Client says: "I feel badly that over the last year I've been putting in overtime and delivering quality work but I am not being recognized for it. I feel conflicted because I really want a promotion but how do I get a promotion if my work is not being recognized?"

**Below are more questions and answers that aid the problem-solving-process**

How can you change this?

1) What do you mean by not being recognized? Be more specific, please. Do you want to be verbally recognized? Do you want to be publicly or privately recognized? How often do you want recognition..after each major task/project, annually during your review period, or bi-weekly? This question will vary depending on the kind of work of you do and who your supervisor/boss is."

2) You say you really want a promotion. What kind of promotion do you want? Do you want added responsibility and pay? How do you go about asking for a promotion? How much upward mobility is in your current company and how have people in the past "moved up"? If there is little to no means for upward mobility you can (a) suck it up and stick around and wait or (b) find employment elsewhere ."

If you cannot change this situation, how can you make it better? How can you feel lighter?

(a) Sucking it up and sticking around.

Do you generally like the environment where you work and what you do? If the answer is yes, then stay. Focus on a good attitude, manage office politics astutely, and deliver quality work. With a little luck, something may open up.

If you don't like your work environment and what you do, but you need to stay..how can you make your day better? 

I suggest doing things you love interspersed throughout your day.

Here are some ideas:

1) work out during your lunch

2) nap during your lunch

3) call/text someone for a quick hello who makes you smile

4) look at pictures of people you love

5) watch something that makes you laugh

6) read motivational quotes on perseverance etc

7) re-live a moment where your incompetent boss/co-worker was utterly embarrassed or humiliated..HAHAHA ;D

8) TAKE a lunch

9) remind yourself why you do what you do

10) meditate

(b) Leaving.

Do you equally loathe your environment and what you do?

Then its probably time to explore your options. Meet up with your trusted whomever, have lunch, and talk about your options. As much as possible, be professional and give at least a two-week's notice if you are going to leave unless you really, REALLY cannot take it anymore and you might inflict some workplace violence on someone or have a panic attack or some other horrible outcome by you staying.

Most of all, do your best to access your situation and most importantly figure out what it is you really want and once you've got that figured out, GO FOR IT!

GOOD LUCK!

*****

Alrighty then. 

I think my Pretend Client feels better, and now, so do I. Quadruple smiley face is in order.

:-) =) :) ;-D

De-funking successful.

Have a good rest of the week everyone!

Everyday Escapes

Last Wednesday I took the kiddies to Coyote Hills.

Here they are checking out the map above and Gigi asks me where we are.

I show her and she says excitedly, "Here we are!"

In case you want to make your own visit or use their toilets instead of the porto-potties on your run/hike or are hungry and need a snack/drink, this place has it all.

Pleasantly surprised, we found the Visitor's Center to be visually stimulating & museum-ish. Definitely a good thing in my opinion :) Gigi will be four in June and Gavin two, so our "tour" needed to be brief and hands-on.

Here go the dynamic-duo opening drawers and learning a little bit about Native Americans.

They really appreciated the nature displays of animals in their habitats, most especially Gavin!

He would shriek in delight at the sight of an animal, point at them, and ask me what they were..that alone made the trip worthwhile ;D

I picked up my 2012 Trail Challenge t-shirt and picked up a couple of granola bars and water for our hike.

We chose a kid-friendly uphill stroll that had wooden steps.

Of course we were going at the pace of turtles because stepping up each one of those wide wooden planks was not easy for my boy.

We had ourselves some fun making the slow trek up with Gigi singing her hiking song...

and Gavin a total champ making his way up those planks...

And finally! We get there and make some memories ;D

My kids are definitely getting used to all my picture-taking because they sat themselves down and posed here on their own with only verbal prompting from me.

A definite scrap-bookable moment :)

And, he's off!!..

Impromptu-photo shoot coming to a close.

They take in the beautiful views....

..learn how to enjoy nature...

..and enjoy an active lifestyle while spending time with mommy :)

***

Here's the thing. I don't believe in waiting until the weekend or vacations or special occasions to celebrate. With some creativity, energy, and resourcefulness everyday escapes can be found very close to home and can lead to extraordinary adventures. 

Here's to livin' it up! One turtle step at a time.

Happy Monday Friends! 

Synchronicity, Intuition, and Birthdays

This is a random post about random things because, you guessed it, I am random.

Synchronicity

A few months ago my sister in law Lorna and I were at the grocery store. She did her shopping and I stayed in the car with the kids. She got the items she needed and we were off to take her home. As we approached her driveway, she realizes she's accidentally left her wallet/wristlet inside of the grocery cart.

We quickly go back to the store (about a 5-7 minute drive), she locates the section where she returned the grocery cart, and comes back empty handed. She's upset but goes inside the store hoping to find it. She meets an elderly man who just wants to help. I stay back with the kids and park at the front of the store.

Meanwhile, these two ladies parked next to us begin unloading their groceries. One of them had a confused look on her face as if she was looking for someone. A thought popped in my head, "Ask her if she found a black wristlet.." I felt weird but did it anyhow. And guess what? SHE FOUND IT. She said that it was inside the cart and was hoping to somehow, find the owner. Just as I was thanking her, Lorna emerges from the store with the helpful elderly man and I share the good news that we found her lost item. We were all celebrating and hugging as if we hit the lotto or something...it felt like a Fringe moment sprinkled with Holy Water.

To top it off the elderly man said, with tears in his eyes that this was a "miracle" and that he had not felt this happy since his wife was alive. He shared with us that his wife passed away a couple of months ago and said that he was beginning to doubt the goodness in this world and that he really needed to experience this "miracle."


Intuition

I think we all have a little bit of psychic intuition. Some call it gut instincts, luck, divine intervention. Whatever you want to call it, I find this phenomenon difficult to explain and even more difficult to quantify.

Going back to the above story, what were the turning points here? I think there were two: 1) Driving back to the store as quickly as we did 2) Listening to my intuition and asking one of the ladies if they had seen the black wristlet.

Who was lost and found that day? I think we all found something we needed through each other that day.


Birthdays

The original venue for my pre-bday hoorah was originally at City Beach. I wanted something quieter but circumstances changed and we ended up at the Saddlerack (one of my fave places). Gerald even assumed an alter ego that night and went by the name "Mater G"..lol. We hooted and hollered and had a good ole' time. 

On my real birthday I set up a playdate with another mom from Gigi's preschool. She and I had met at a birthday party where our daughters really hit it off and we ended up chatting away.  At the end of the party, our girls were begging for a playdate. I have to mention that I am brand new at this whole playdate thing. And networking with other like minded adults is pretty frickin' cool.

So we get to Gigi's classmate's house and while the girls were playing dressing up, I shared with the other mom that we needed to cut the playdate a little shorter because we had family coming over for my birthday. Surprisingly, the other mom said, "Really?! Today is my birthday as well!" Wow, I thought.. what a way to break the ice :-) We talked about promoting healthy eating with our kids and even talked about starting a parents group for the preschool. Very interesting..my first playdate on my birthday with a birthday twin. Weiirrrrd...a little Fringey..but mostly COOL ;D

Throughout the day I received text messages, phone calls, and sweet FB birthday greetings. All brightening my day all the more ;D In the evening, we had dinner with the clan and had a good time. Mama decided it was going to be a karaoke night. Gerald, my parents and I sang till 3 am. LOL. The last time we did that was several years ago, pre-G times (pre Gigi & Gavin).

What's my message in this long post? That we're all interconnected and that we can affect positive change in each other's lives in seemingly small ways but yielding tremendous, unquantifiable results. This month I want to focus on connecting with a purpose.

There are three that I've committed to:

1) It is National Down Syndrome Awareness month. I dedicated my donation to a woman I worked years ago with Downs. All she wanted was to be independent and she did that before she passed away from health issues. Sue Hernandez, you will always be in heart.

http://www.kellehampton.com/2011/01/pay-it-forwardrock-oneder-fund.html

2) I became acquainted with Louisa Arcas, Jojo's sister who lovingly created a non-profit organization in honor of her brother. They are having their first fundraiser later this month. I'm helping out by spreading the word here and will be visiting the Prickly Pear during the day.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=333773916661944&set=a.333773913328611.75881.316941875011815&type=1&theater


3) A woman I worked with is doing her darndest to save her home. I've signed her petition below and hoping they are able to save their home from foreclosure.

http://signon.org/sign/help-a-middle-class-hard.fb1?source=s.fb&r_by=2705885

Please consider doing something simply for the sake of helping. Whatever your heart wants to do, please do it. I believe we are here on this planet for a reason. And one of those reasons is to help and inspire one another.

Please affect some positive change, however small or large you feel comfortable doing, within your own circles and let's see what we can do. I bet it's great. And on that note, have a wonderful and blessed weekend.

Happy Friday Friends!