Five Minute Friday: "Decide" [Lose Your Quit Quest 01]

Our Mistress of Ceremonies for the Five Minute Friday is Kate over at Heading Home.  Hope you link up with us and join the fun.



Well thanks, Kate, for providing the perfect prompt to get this quest started.

GO! 

I have decided to go on a quest, my friends:  A 30 day quest of necessary proportions.  I invite you to join me.

It has been said that it is rare for an individual to meet his yearly goals or fulfill his New Year's resolutions.  In fact, by now those least committed and with the least amount of stamina have already said, "screw it."

Not us, children, not us!

Each day for the next 30 days, I'll present a step that helps us get back and stay on the right track.  These ideas are not my own, but I am expanding on them with my own experiences.  The idea came from a blog I read on Nerdfitness.com.  I got the title from Danny Cahill's book Lose Your Quit.  The 30 prompts I got from Jon Acuff, who, by the way, I did ask for permission to use, but never heard back.  So I supposed I'll have to ask for forgiveness later.

STOP!

Clipart courtesy of
 www.clker.com

First, a bit of encouragement to join me:

"No you are not too old, too fat, too weak, or too far gone.  No, you are not too stupid, too lazy, or too tired.  You just have to wake your heart up and get yourself back in the race!  That dream is there, and it is up to you to make it happen." - Danny Cahill

Second, the first step.

Step 1:  Pick a "What."

What is it that we want to conquer in the next 30 days?

My "what" is to lose 10 pounds in the next month.  This is a small goal on the way to the larger goal of getting to the healthy weight of 150 lbs.  I've been bouncing back between the same weight for too long;  losing one week, gaining the next, losing again, staying the same for a month...you get the idea.  I've got a doctor's appointment at the end of the month and I would like to show some real marked progress.  Plus, this feeling great one week and like nine miles of bad road the next is getting really old.  I'm better than this.

At my last weigh-in on Monday was 238 lbs.  We'll use that as the starting place.

Your quest doesn't have to be the same as mine  Choose something meaningful to you.  Now let's get started.

Who's with me?  What is YOUR "what"?

Straight and Narrow...Not Kilimanjaro

My friend Carla gave me some back issues of Runner's World magazine to glean some knowledge from.  While many of the articles seem to speak to the professional runner instead of the average Joe (or the ultra-extreme novice paw-paw runner like me), many tidbits of knowledge were helpful, and the human interest stories were my favorite.

It wasn't all New Balance running shoes and kale though.  One of the most disturbing articles I read was by Charlie Engle in the May 2011 issue (read the complete article here).  Engle chronicles a trail marathon series called the Barkley.  He describes it as "Brutal, terrifying, inhuman[e] (sic).  The organizers...don't care what you call the toughest trail-running competition in the world, as long as you don't finish it."

The course is a little over 100 miles, divided into 5 loops of approximately 20 miles (depending on whether the participant can stay on course), each of which must be completed in a 12 hour period.  Whichever way a runner chooses to run his first loop, he must run the next in the opposite direction and switch directions until the run is completed.  The race course is full of steep inclines, treacherous descents, unpredictable weather, no clear course markings, and no guides or provisions, save a jug or two of water somewhere on the course, if the runners can find them.  It's marathons, marine boot camp, mud runs, obstacle courses, Survivor, and Shark Week all rolled into one.

 

Out of the hundreds of runners who've attempted this mayhem, at the time of the article, only nine had finished.  The author was not one of them.  Extreme fatigue and hyperthermia set in, and he dropped out after only completing two loops of the course.

As horrible as this is, and the fact that people actually sign up for this torture on purpose, it's much more sinister than that.  The selection process for this race has the complexity of trying to sign up for Obamacare (yes, I said it).  If a runner is selected for this very excusive race, this is the e-mail they receive:

Our heartfelt condolences on your recent selection into the Barkley Marathon field for 20--.  Even though the odds were all in your favor, with six applicants for every slot, in any drawing someone must lose.  This time, it was you.  Should you come up with any plausible excuse to avoid the painful failure that is the Barkley, please let us know as soon as possible.  As incredible as it might seem, those other five people still want your slot.  Otherwise, there is a very bad thing waiting for you.

At the beginning of the race, the coordinator lets each runner know that he expects them not to finish, and actually celebrates when they fail.  With sadistic giddiness, he actually plays Taps on a bugle to let the other participants know that the trail has clamed another victim. If someone does have the audacity to finish, he's disappointed that he didn't make the course hard enough.

Now comes the commentary...

I've not been running very long, but I don't care if I've been running 50 years, I wouldn't run that thing if you paid me $1,000,000.00--I'd spend it all in the emergency room.  So, what has this to do with my journey?

Like many Christ followers, I've said that if people really saw the true Jesus and how much He loves them, no one would turn away from Him; they couldn't help but love Him.  Just like my dissertation on marriage, maybe the problem isn't in the reception, but in how the Gospel is presented.

• Is God presented as a sadistic ogre, just chomping at the bits waiting to pounce on failure?  Or, is He presented as the Father who is jealous for us; who continues to warn us, draw us, love us, and take care of us (Romans 2:4)?
• Is the pathway to Heaven presented as a the straight and narrow path with clear instructions from the Word on how to navigate it (Psalm 119:105).  Or, is it preached as a path like the Berkley; no clear direction, no help, no provision, no nothing?
• If someone has the audacity to actually come to Christ, do we let them know that they are not alone and now set in a new family (Psalm 68:6)? Or, do we turn away in jealously and like Prince and tell them "in this life, you're on your own."?
• Do we make the path to salvation harder with our own personal list of do's and don'ts, or do we set up clear path markers of the ease of salvation and walking with Christ?  No, being a disciple of Christ isn't easy, but the Lord Himself puts an anointing of ease on those who want to obey Him (Matthew 11:29-30).

Unfortunately, this problem is not just with those who don't yet know Christ.  Many Old Testament ideas get brought into the New Testament church and we end up with a passel of Christians with no joy, who think God is mad and only pleased when they fulfill and impossible list of rules and church activities.

I am in the throws of a paradigm shift.  I've been a Jesus freak for 28 years, and I'm just now getting a small taste into the ease of obedience and the freedom of walking with Christ.  It's a tough shift to make.  Most days I feel like the Barkley runners--preprogramed to fail and having to overcome tremendous opposition to even hope to succeed.  God didn't do that; control freaks who try to mix God's grace and the Old Testament law together did that. I don't blame them for my choices.  They gave me the recipe, it was my choice whether to mix the ingredients, cook it up, and gobble it up or not.

The good news is that there is hope.  The truth of the Gospel is right there in every page of the Bible.  Like Kenneth Copeland says, "The Bible is easy to understand.  It takes a highly paid theologian to mess it up."  True that!

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
    and a light for my path.

 

Psalm 119:105 - New Living Translation

Get 'er Done!: 101 in 1001

I was reading stalking sweet Joyce's blog over at From This Side of the Pond (yes, the Hodgepodge lady).  I saw where she and several other bloggers had done a list of 101 things she wanted to do in 1001 days (about 2.75 years). Hmmm.  Sounds like a good idea. So I took up the challenge.

Picking was difficult because I had to try to choose things that didn't necessarily require another person (though that would be more helpful if I did have some of my crazy friends in the mix).  This is not a "gotta do" list under pressure; it's a freeing list to try new things, stretch my boundaries, broaden my horizons...Ok, enough with the fluffy talk.

In no particular order:
Time frame:  February 1, 2014 - October 29, 2016

As I finish each item, I will cross it off the list and if I blog about it, it will appear as a clickable link.

1. Finish the Bible Correspondence Course I started ages ago.
2. Learn how to use the GPS my sister gave me years ago.
3. Attend a taping of the Rick and Bubba Show.  Got a job where I'm working the same hours the show is live.
4. Attend a taping of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson *
5. Make 1000 pairs of baby booties for Sav-A-Life. (108/1000)
6. Make 100 Christmas stockings for Operation Holiday Stocking. (17/100).  The organization says that don't need any more stockings, so I will repurpose these.
7. Run a 5k in 45 minutes or less. 
8. Run a half marathon.
9. Use up all the yarn in the closets.
10. Get down to my goal weight AND STAY THERE.
11. Go to a fancy restaurant or event that requires dress up.
12. Buy a fancy outfit for said event.
13. Go to an Atlanta Braves baseball game. (Completed 05/30/16)
14. Learn to play tennis.
15. Buy a new(er) car or truck.
16. Pay off all my debts and do my debt free scream on the Dave Ramsey Show.
17. Publish something...even if I have to self publish it.
18. Give my Celebrate Recovery Testimony in a church NOT in my home county.  (Thus item #2)  *
19. Move -- preferably to California (Thus item #2).  (Moved in May 2014)
20. Totally redecorate my living quarters...wherever they are.
21. Have a real spa day:  mani/pedicure, massage, facial, hair, the works.
22. Buy a kilt (red tartan).
23. Buy a black leather jacket with fringe like I've always wanted.
24. Wear a 60's batgirl costume for Halloween. (Thus Item #10)
25. Go to a University of Alabama football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
26. Learn to dance.
27. Go on a clothing shopping spree somewhere other than a thrift store.
28. Workout with someone I admire.
29. Bike ride the entire length of the Chief Ladiga Trail. (Completed 05/30/15)
30. Have an arts/crafts exhibit/sale.
31. Go to Walt Disney World & Epcot.
32. Go on a missions trip.
33. Go to a comedy concert.
34. Blog about the completion of the major portions of this list.
35. Go to another Celebrate Recovery Summit. *
36. Knit a pair of socks.
37. Get my ACE fitness certification.
38. Do a mud run.
39. Play at a Marching Southerners reunion and get closure.  (Completed 11/21/15)
40. Find meaningful work. (Completed 06/29/15)
41. Update all my Doctor and Dental check ups (thus #40)
42. Have good pictures taken.  Not just, "Hey dude, can you take my picture with this crappy digital camera?  Yeah, you've got to snap about 16 photos to get one good one.  Thanks."
43. Go to a farmer's market.  Went to our local farmer's market and the vendors were extremely rude, didn't offer much, and complained about the market's organizer the whole time.  Not a pleasant experience at all.
44. Learn to scrapbook and complete one. If not, make one on Shutterfly--I've never done that either.
45. Go on a train trip.
46. Stay in a Bed and Breakfast.
47. Go on a mini retreat to Cheaha State Park.
48. Buy a full-sized keyboard and reteach myself to play.  Was given a keyboard but haven't had the guts to turn it on and play it.
49. Learn to make hand painted greeting cards.   (Completed 04/09/16)
50. Read a Jane Austen novel.  Started Pride and Prejudice but never finished it.
51. Learn to shoot a gun and get a pistol permit.
52. Go deer hunting.  Guided instructional hunt, of course.
53. Go on a picnic.
54. Take a photography class.
55. Get my passport.
56. Start a podcast.
57. Watch a sunrise or two.
58. Learn to horseback ride.
59. Participate in Jon Acuff's Empty Shelf Challenge. (Completed 12/31/14:  12 books read - Links to book reviews here.)  Did my own Full Shelf Challenge (Completed 12/31/15:  21 books read.)  Also did my own Bookworm Challenge (Completed 12/31/16. Read 26 books)
60. Go to the zoo.
61. Take a Bob Ross painting technique class.
62. Get paid for playing music.
63. Take a trip on the interstate--thus #2
64. Get paid for writing something.
65. Pay for the person's order behind me in the drive through. (Did this one a couple of times.  It's fun, and usually the person behind me passes it on.)
66. Get a paid speaking engagement gig.
67. Get a tattoo.
68. Take a ride in a limousine that doesn't involve a funeral.
69. Visit a friend in another state.
70. Do a photo a day blog project for 30 days. (Completed 05/31/14)
71. Learn to quilt.   (Completed ... sort of.  Read the post and you'll understand)
72. Play music for someone I admire (and they like it).
73. Go on a zipline.
74. Learn how to make Rosie Johnson's homemade lemonade.
75. Buy a rattlesnake mug--might drink Mrs. Rosie's lemonade from it.
76. Go blueberry picking.
77. Go to the batting cages.  No point going by myself when there are no pitch machines.
78. Learn to surf.
79. Go on a cruise. 
80. Complete a coloring book.
81. Do the "Table, Plate, Chair Challenge" for one week. (Completed 02/14/14)
82. Learn a new hair style that I can do myself.
83. Create an inspiration notebook.
84. Finish an A to Z blog challenge. (Completed 04/30/14)
85. Go to a circus or state fair.
86. Visit my Dad's grave.  I haven't been there since he died.  (Completed 07/26/14)
87. Restart my craft business.  (Restarted 05/26/14)
88. Go to the library at least once a month for a year. (Completed December 2014)
89. Learn to make the elements of an English tea.
90. Take a stroll and/or play in the rain.
91. Make my age in salary or better.
92. Set up an artificial tree and decorate it for each season/holiday for a year.
93. Go to the beach and learn to build a sandcastle.
94. Have a fun day at a water park.
95. Buy a video camera and learn digital video editing.
96. Visit a dairy.  If possible, milk a cow.
97. Eat vegan for a week. (Completed 02/28/14)
98. Learn to do chin ups.
99. Complete Anniston Runner's Clubs MAD, 2 a day, or 1200 club challenge--or all three. (MAD:  Completed 12/30/14, Completed again 12/30/15  Completed yet again 12/30/16)
100. Inspire someone to make a list of his own.
101. Celebrate finishing this list and start a new one.

Honorable mention:

• Fly a kite
• Learn to do a cartwheel
• Get good enough at hula-hooping to make it all the way through a song.
• Go to Noccalula Falls and do the tour. (Completed 05/19/14.  Went again 07/13/14)
• Go skinny dipping (no photos please--and no cops either).
• Learn to ride a motorcycle.
• Go skydiving.
• Slow dance with someone I care about.
• Fall in love.  Buy a dog.  Buy a drumset.
• Eat sushi...once.
• Tip a server $100.
• Get a new cell phone with a data plan. (Completed October 2015)
• Get cable.  Did a free trial of U-verse and hated it.
• Perform random acts of kindness every day the week of my birthday.
• Be a secret sister/pal for someone for a year. (Completed December 25, 2015)
• Drink champagne at New Years.
• Learn to do a handstand.
• Write my will.
• Learn to draw.
• Go kayaking.
• Start a ladies' Bible study.
• Try comedy at an open mike night.
• Relearn sign language.
• Relearn Spanish.
• Learn to play the violin or cello.
• Volunteer for a Habitat for Humanity build.
• Go to a Monkees Convention.
• Get Photoshop and learn to use it.
• Finish a crossword puzzle book.
• Learn to play poker.
• Finish a Sprint Level Triathlon
• Go to an aquarium.
• Attend Greg Proops' podcast. 
• Have a technology free weekend.

*UPDATE:  (04/29/14) About #4.  Yesterday Craig Ferguson announced that he would be leaving the Late Late Show in December.  So, if someone has some pull and can get me to the show before then, let me know.

UPDATE:  (January 2015) About #4 - Sadly, I did not make it to see the show before Ferguson left.  :(

UPDATE:  (July 2015) About #18 & #35 - I am not a part of this program anymore.  Read here for the explanation.

OK, so I didn't finish much of the list.  Cut me some slack.  I got a job in the midst of all this and didn't have time (or money) to do very much.  Working on a new list.  Maybe I can do better next time.

Auntie's "Progress Dress"

I recently reread some posts on the A Black Girl's Guide to Weight Loss blog.  I don't agree with many of the author's views and I think her site is very racist at times, but she does make some good points about fitness.  Like a good horse, I eat the hay and spit out the sticks.  Her post about the "Progress Dress" caught my eye:

My progress dress helped me to actually see what the changes to my body meant for my wardrobe possibilities. I mean, be honest – we look at ourselves naked every day. Especially for those of us who might criticize ourselves [unnecessarily] every day, it may be hard to see our progress because we expect to wake up one morning and see [insert "problem" area] gone away. Having one dress to turn to every couple of weeks makes a great deal of difference in appreciating our progress.

A while back, I attempted to have a progress dress.  I lost weight, tried the dress on, and it didn't fit right.  I lost more weight, tried the dress on, and it still didn't fit right.  I lost even more weight, tried the dress on, and, you guessed it, that puppy was still not fitting properly.  I finally figured out that no matter how much I lost, that dress was still not going to look well on me.  My mistake was that there was no "wow" to the dress at all--nothing to keep me motivated.  No, it was not "certified hoochie wear" like my girl's progress dress.  In fact, the dress was the direct opposite:  very matronly, stodgy, and downright butt ugly.  I liked the cut of it, but the coloring was something my nearly 80-year old mother wouldn't ever wear.  Oh snap!  I let the dress go to the happy hunting grounds.  Oh, I forgot to mention that this dress was so old that the inside and lining of it was all stringy and not fit for anything, so I wouldn't give it away.

I had a pair of progress blue jean shorts for a while.  I literally had to pack my ample belly in them to get them on and I had a hard time breathing in them.  I lost about 20 pounds and now they fit well enough to wear outside the house.  So, what's next?

Well, I was blessed with some clothes from a friend and in them was this little number.  As you can see, I can at least get into the dress, but it's not ready for public consumption by any stretch of the imagination.  No, I do not know where I will be wearing it once it fits well.  Heck, if it looks half as good as I think it will look on me, I'll wear it to WAL-MART.  Yes, I realize that it may be cold weather again before I get down far enough for that, but I don't care; I'll wear it ANYWAY.

The reason I wanted a progress dress is because, like the blog author, I could see progress in the numbers on the scale, but not really see them when I looked at myself in the mirror.  I try to take my measurements, but I end up wondering if I am doing them correctly, or am I sabotaging myself with too big measurements.

I'm not sure how I feel about the trying to feel "sexy" or "look hot naked" thing the blog author talked about.  I'm not married, nor am I trying to "catch a man."  I do want to look nice and feel good about going out in public.  I care deeply about being a good example to those around me.  No, I'm not trying to be a fitness guru or anyone's food police, but Celebrate Recovery's Principle eight states:  "Yield myself to God to be used to bring this good news to others, both by my example and by my words."  If I am going to be that example, I can't just talk a good talk.  I've got to walk it out.  I've got to live it out.

So, every few weeks, I'll try the dress on again and update y'all.

Do you have any "progress" wear you are working on?

 

UPDATE: I'm not progressing as fast as I would like.  Maybe in another few months I'll have something to report.  For now, me and the dress still look the same.  (12/28/13)

UPDATE #2:  Still can't wear it.  (04/20/16)

UPDATE #3:  I'm sure I could wear it now...if I had it.  I've moved several times since this post, so I didn't have room to keep the dress.  (01/12/18)


Tuesday Inspirations and the Stinkin' Thinkin' Challenge, Week 02

A little mojo for the day:
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Rohn

"There's no such thing as luck.  Luck is preparation that meets up with opportunity."  - Rush Limbaugh

"If anybody tells you that a workout should be easy, you should walk over to them and slap them in the face." - Billy Blanks

Take back your life so your life isn't taken from you.  --Biggest Loser Season 12, episode 4.

Better to have a big goal and reach half of it than to have no goal and reach all of it. -- Joyce Meyer

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What I learned from last week's Stinkin' Thinkin' Challenge:

I struggle with the question of "earning the right" to be loved and cared for.  After all, I've not done anything spectacular or heroic to garner that type of care and concern.  However, as I read John 1:12 (NIV), I caught the phrase "... he gave the right to become children of God."  Did you catch that?  He, Jesus, gave us the RIGHT to become children of God. His love, his care is a free gift, ready for us to open and enjoy.  In other words, I don't have to earn the right to love and care; Christ GAVE me that right.

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Now, the Stinkin' Thinkin' challenge for the week:

Write on Side one of your card/paper:

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." - John 15:15

Side two of card/paper:

 I am Christ's  friend!

Read over this several times a day for the next week, and let God speak to your heart. Please feel free to share any insights, questions, or prayer requests you may have in the comments.  

(Listen and receive)

In Defense of "Mojo"

Sitting on the couch, laptop perched on my knees.  A sigh breaks the deafening silence that permeates my apartment.  What’s wrong with me?  I’m not lazy; I work hard.  So, why, oh why, can’t I get myself together?  I just need some motivation—I need to get my mojo  back.

That has been the crux of my sliding toward relapse concerning my health.  I’ve been waiting for some outside force to propel me to try again—to be committed again.  I’ve been aching to know someone cared before I started to care about myself.  However, I’ve recently (as in yesterday) learned that it doesn’t work like that.  The word mojo is defined as “an uncanny personal power or influence.”  Hmm, personal power, personal influence.  Reminds me of a scripture:

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.  - Psalm 42:5, King James Version

Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?

Why are you crying the blues?

Fix my eyes on God——

soon I'll be praising again.

He puts a smile on my face.

He's my God.  - Psalm 42:5, The Message Paraphrase

My lack of motivation, or mojo, was because of misplaced hope.  I had placed all my hope in others rather than in God.  I hadn’t given myself enough credit for having the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit within me (see Galatians 5:22-23).  Part of that fruit is patience (longsuffering) and gentleness.  These are not just attributes to develop towards others: they are the way we should treat ourselves as well. 

Now, I am not saying that we don’t need others for accountability and fellowship, because we do need them for mental and spiritual health (see Ecclesiastes 4:8-12, I John 1:7).  But there is a difference between motivation and inspiration.  Inspiration from others is essential for our minds, motivation is what takes the inspiration of our minds to create action in our bodies.  Only we can truly motivate ourselves to action. 

I am inspired in my health walk by the success of others.  I like watching The Biggest Loser to be inspired by the success stories of the contestants.  I like reading health blogs, and listening to inspirational messages.  They keep me from giving up in my mind.  They remind me that it can be done.  I only need to take the inspiration and use it to fuel the motivation I get from God’s Word and His Spirit.

 So, what or who inspires you?  How does it help you motivate yourself to action?

(I know it's a little crass, but it's so funny...and true)