Family In Shape

Staying in the Now

Photo by SpinDiva 

"Surrender is the simple but profound wisdom of yielding to rather than opposing the flow of life. The only place where you can experience the flow of life is the Now, so to surrender is to accept the present moment unconditionally and without reservation... It is to relinquish inner resistance to what is." ~ Eckhart Tolle

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Life. It has been somewhat complicated these past two weeks. We've been packed, the vehicle has shipped, we live in a hotel suite smaller than my old bathroom but the kids are happy. I was a little worried about their reaction to moving and leaving dear friends behind. I must have done a really good job somewhere along the way (yes, padding myself in the back right now) because I expected trouble all the way to the end. Instead they are excited, sad to leave friends, as am I, but excited for this new adventure to begin. A few more days of this craziness and we're on our way from 45 degrees and foggy to 85 degrees and clear. I can live with that! I can't wait to share our adventures and life in Guantanamo. I have a feeling we will have some interesting stories to tell. I do hear you saying "I don't know how you do it all." Well I have friends reminding me that I should forget about the statement "it is what it is" and remember that "it is...what you make of it." So I choose to make it a positive experience, even in the midst of stress and chaos. 

I admit there were a few moments I thought I'd loose my mind and the stress monster tried very hard to take me down (i.e. when I thought I lost my wallet one week prior to moving) but I resisted, talked myself out of an anxiety attack and guess what, I found my wallet exactly where I left it, under the bathroom sink.  

WHAT? Doesn't everyone use this space for their wallet? Surely you must have put the cereal in the fridge and the milk in the pantry at some point in your life!!

OK call me crazy. Well, then again, don't. That would just be mean.

I will continue to remind myself that right here, right now is really all that matters so I will continue to only focus on that which I can control, everything else will fall into place nicely.

Stay well people,

 

Could be overwhelming - refocus

Photo by me... out of focus flowers

Out of time. Out of energy. TIME TO REFOCUS!

The Kids. My School. My Job. The Big Move to Cuba! Our House! It's a lot to think about. It's a lot to plan without loosing my mind.

We have a big move coming up in about six weeks and I wish I could say that I can just sit here and wait until the day comes.  NOT SO! A lot has to be done in between and with hubby already gone, it's all on me, again!! (not feeling bitter at all).  Part of my service to our country, to make sure his family is moved smoothly from the comfort of our home to a foreign country, as long as he is not stressed and can do his job well, that's all that matters.  (If you feel a little sarcasm in my *voice* you got it right).  Truly, I'm sure he would rather be here helping us get ready but he's not so I must adapt, right?!

Over the next few weeks I have to de-crap my closets.  Isn't it amazing how much stuff we accumulate over the years.  We have never been stationed in one place more than two years, needless to say, the 'toss-keep-donate' process happens easily and with much, much less hassle. This time we were blessed and stayed here four years -- a long stretch for us.  However, I have more stuff to 'store-toss-donate-keep' because during out stay we added a baby and sent a child into the grown up world.  He had a lot of stuff crap in his room.  Amazing how much I had to throw away, mostly school stuff.

As I was reorganizing the closets and going through our clothes I realized that half of our clothes would be unsuitable for our new home..ya know... winter clothes in a tropical country, probably a good idea to let these sit in storage until we return to a place with more than one season.  Then there are the toys, kids clothes, shoes, old coats, baby items...wow.  By the way, if you hate to throw out the stuff you don't use you have a few options.  One, of course is your local thrift store.  Another option is www.freecycle.org.  I offered several items, left them on my driveway and later whomever wanted them came over and picked them up. How cool is that.  Recycling is the way to go.  I know another option is having a yard sale but to be honest, I hate hosting yard sales, I don't have the patience, it's a lot of work so if I have something worth selling I go for Craig's list, where I sold my Van by the way or eBay.

So finding the time and energy to clean up the house and get it ready for the packers, write my papers for school, get the kids where they need to be on time and still manage to laugh has been a bit of a challenge these days.

Well, a few things help me stay focused regardless of how tired I am or what chores need to get done:

I am keeping my date at the gym constant - it is my place to find sanity and the one thing I can control. I have also added a 2 -3 mile walk at night with one of my neighbors, Maria.  We have a chance to talk without kid interruptions and I have a chance to clear my head.

I am going to bed at a reasonable time so that I can be well rested to take on the next day.  It's not all that uncommon for me to stay up late and get up super early just so I can catch up, but in the end, I end up so tired that I get less done.  So I'm working on 7 hours of sleep being my norm, not four or five.

I am being careful about what I eat and when because I already know that when I'm stressed I could easily breakdown the walls and go for whatever I'm craving - that could be really ugly.  So I just don't buy the stuff I know I'll crave and stick with my healthy foods.  It's easier to avoid my potential stress related train wreck with food.

Last, but not least, keeping up with my to-do list and calendar.  They are my compass right now.  I like the idea that I don't have to store anything in my head or try to remember if or when I did something. Just write it down and set a little electronic reminder, done!!

I'm committed to stay motivated and treat myself well because if my (mental, physical, spiritual) health fails I can't take care of my precious little people.

Stay Well,

"This is it."

"Blue Heron Taking in the Sun" by Teresa Cornelio (c) 2009 

“We are forced to speak in metaphors because the process of life is mysterious.  Does it happen right now if right now you are filling your car with gas, changing a baby diaper, or sitting in the dentist’s chair?  Does it unfold to a glorious conclusion on a date you can circle on your calendar?  The mingling of the visible and invisible, the sublime and the distressing, is inescapable.  The only viable attitude you can take is “This is it.”  Sometimes “it” amounts to nothing; you can’t wait for it to end.  Sometimes “it” feels as if the heavens have parted; you can only hope it will last forever.  But “it” is a bird on the wing.  You’ll never catch it.  The miracle is that the greatest creations, such as the brain, were made by chasing after the bird.  We weave ourselves into a tapestry of experience that grows more exalted as time passes, yet each thread is nothing but a wisp of thought, desire, or feeling.  Every moment lived adds another stitch, and even if you cannot envision what the final pattern will look like, it helps to know that the thread is golden.”

Taken from—Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul by Deepak Chopra

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Everyday we embark on a journey that we hope will give new meaning to why we're here and to hopefully find that which defines who or what we are.  Everyday we seem to find people around us who are struggling to find themselves.  We waste precious quality time looking for what we already have.  Look within yourselves and realize you were never really lost and need not be found. 

Lance's latest post in the Jungle of Life reminds us that within every journey we have so much to gain and I strongly believe that to be true.  This excerpt from Deepak Chopra reminds us that we don't have to see an end or a "final pattern".  It is best to continue the process of growing and maturing in this journey with no end because the fact is, every day is a day of discovery and a day of personal growth.

Stay Well,