Farewell

My last post.

To the person who first planted the seed to write - thank you. 

To the friends who read, shared, and stopped in to check on me - your care means so much.

To the travelers passing through - I hope you found something worthwhile.

To each soul who touched my life through this blog, my utmost gratitude for sharing something of yourself and expanding my life in such a magnificent way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blog began as a way to organize my own thoughts, remember the important events, and catalog information in an easily accessible manner. I never dreamed others would be interested in those thoughts, information, or my life. 

To close this chapter ... well...

Beginnings...endings. They're illusions, really. Moments transposed. Wistfulness and anticipation vacillating in the midst of...transitions. 

Choose joy. Cherish the now. Shine.

And even though our paths diverge for now, it is my heart's desire that we should meet again, one day.

Song of Good Hope

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence. 

As far as possible, without surrender, 

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others,

even to the dull and ignorant;

they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;

they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain or bitter,

for always there will be

greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career

however humble;

it is a real possession in the 

changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you

to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals,

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.

Especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love,

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,

it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit

to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life,

keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham,

drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

by Max Ehrmann

©1927 by Max Ehrmann, all rights reserved. © renewed 1954 by Bertha Ehrmann.

Reprinted by permission Robert L. Bell.

Obstacles

On March 3rd, 2012, I accomplished something I never thought possible.

You see, at the age of one, I had a serious case of pneumonia. The doctors couldn't help me anymore, and my parents were up day and night for a week straight watching and waiting for me to pull through it.

Scrappy here recovered. With impaired lung capacity.

As a result, serious running has never, ever been considered. Attempts at jogging here and there were made, but never stuck longer than a day or two.

Thanks to a couple of really encouraging friends, I decided it was time to deal with this little issue. So run I did. It was slow going, but endurance and speed gradually increased.

Then my friend said, "Hey, let's run a 5k!" My first thought was... hmm...soon to be former-friend is trying to kill me.

But, never one to be called a chicken, I signed up.

And I did it. My friend (I decided to keep her around) was the perfect combination of peer pressure and cheerleader and I ran 98% of the 5K.

You guys have figured out by now that the last several months have been life-altering for me anyway, so what's throwing a 5k in the mix gonna hurt, right? It turned out to be one of the highlights of the year so far, and the goal is to continue.

And you know what?

There is one less obstacle in my life now.

One more accomplishment I can draw strength from when the good times are a little lean.

So if you're going through it right now, set a goal. Whether it's running, or losing 10 pounds, or meditating daily. Something positive for you to focus on. When you're working on a goal, you're not staring at everything else that might be going to hell in a handbasket.

It's easy to get overwhelmed. By life. By circumstances. By the tiny things that multiply and before you know it, block your view of the sun.

So, identify an obstacle to progress. And overcome it. No matter how small you think it is - it's important. And, it's hard - maybe just as hard as the circumstances you are dealing with, but it's a different kind of hard. It's positively charged difficulty that adds fuel to your fire instead of snuffing it out.

Getting across that finish line felt better than I could have imagined. And provided some perspective and momentum for all the other life issues that were temporarily set aside while I reveled in the victory.

Courage