Monday, May 25, 2015
Irony
Irony is defined as "the incongruity of this". What is "this"? Jesus eating with sinners is one example. Lately, I tend to think it's me...my life. God seems to be handing me a lot of situations filled with irony.
Is it possible that God uses irony to teach us lessons? It certainly seems so. For instance, He has taken a job I love and made it exceedingly difficult this year. The kids are tougher than any I`ve faced in my career. Yes, I work with special needs children; a job I've always been passionate about. But of late, it just seems like a job. I've been given so many tasks, the enjoyment I once had has somehow slipped away. It's taken the flames in my heart and made them smolder.
The teens of today have a sense of entitlement and I find myself wondering more and more, how are they ever going to survive in this world? Worse yet, their parents encourage this behavior. Sounds harsh but there is a definite irony there; God gave me a heart for special needs kids and I am powerless to do anything to prepare them for the world as we know it. I can tell them how it is out there in the world but the truth is, they have to learn by experience. The irony? One day, they will have to face the world on their own terms as they understand it, and without their parents to help them through it.
What about romance? Is there irony there? My personal experience? I went on dating websites seeking a friend to have coffee with -- perhaps see a movie and share stories. In short, a buddy; someone to hang with -- not a deep, romance. Yet, the man I would have that type of relationship with lives across the country. We talk and share stories but not coffee or movies. Yet here, I have found myself in a deep, relationship; one that I wasn't looking for and am struggling with the timing of it all. Irony? Definitely.
What about money? I have worked my tail off for over two years trying to prevent myself from having to declare bankruptcy. Yet, I find myself in a circumstance where I don't want to but have to...is there some sort of irony at play here? Absolutely.
What about family life? It's ironic that when we have our children, we can't wait for them to grow up. We want them to be productive adults. Yet, when they leave home and are productive adults, we suffer from "empty nest syndrome". Cruel irony, in my humble opinion.
What about church? Is there some sort of irony in churches that we come across people who behave less than Christ-like? Or that some Christian faiths believe theirs is the only way to get to heaven? What would Jesus say about that? We all fall short...one of the biggest ironies of being a Christian, I think.
And so, I find myself hoping that there isn't a cruel twist of irony to every instance in life. However, the longer I'm on this journey, the more I learn. God's humor takes a backseat to the fact that he wants us to trust in Him. We are in the place we are supposed to be at the exact moment that we are here. We are living in His glory, so regardless of what I think are the ironies in the circumstances of my life? He's got it covered.
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
My Oola Journey: From Fat to Fabulous
You have probably noticed I have not written on this subject in a long while. There is a reason -- or excuse -- however you choose to look at it. I was rolling along with my fitness plan -- great guns, in fact -- when in December, I had a car accident. Rear-ended after a pedestrian jumped in front of my car (jaywalking) and I slammed on my brakes to avoid hitting him. Not uncommon in Vegas; in fact, the guy who hit me, suggested I should have hit him! When I asked him if he was a local, he admitted to being one. You can always tell! In spite of the accident, I did not let that stop me...at least for the first couple of weeks. And then, back pain set in. I was not fine and that took some time to heal. Thankfully, with a few weeks respite in my routine, it did.
I then got back into exercise and began playing tennis. Now, I want you to imagine this; my first day of playing tennis after not having been on the court in over 20 years. However, I am doing some pretty fancy playing for someone who hasn't done so in forever. Suddenly, a ball is hit across the opposite side of the court from me. Believing nothing has changed and in my mind, I was 20 years younger, I ran like no other to get it. Except, I'm in cross-trainers -- not bona fide tennis shoes. My toe catches on the court and I land, going down in what seems to be in slow motion, flat on my face. I laid there for a couple of minutes because, my pride was bruised considerably and I couldn't face my opponent. I eventually got up and did not appear hurt. Thankfully, just skinned up my hand and the rest of me was intact. Or so I thought. It has now been 2 1/2 months since that fall and of pain in the foot that caught on the tennis court. After a month, I went into the doctor. I figured enough is enough! I had an x-ray that showed nothing. So, what I appear to have is some sort of injury to the tendons that run across the top of my foot at the base of my toes. Tough to walk, let alone play tennis. Yes, it is the I've-turned-a-year-older-now-what-else-can-fall-apart syndrome. I think I can still walk and chew gum -- no wait, I take that back! I can sit and chew gum!
I miss exercising and as soon as it warms up a bit more, will be hitting the pool. I refuse to let these aches and pains stop the progress I was making. My weight is the same as it was in December; exercise is key to my losing weight and without it? Well, I just stagnate. I know this. My metabolism at 55 years of age after four kids is gone! I take that back -- it's been on a long hiatus. But it needs a swift kick in the rear to get jump-started again.
So, as the OolaSeeker and OolaGuru wait with bated breath to see if I will make my goal before OolaPalooza 2015, let me just say this; I will not disappoint. I will do this and although I've had setbacks, I refuse to let them hold me back any longer; A) because it's hard as heck to lose weight without exercise and B) life always has setbacks and you need to find a way to deal with them. Clearly, my foot isn't going to get better anytime soon and so, I have to do a major "course correction" in order to reach my goal. Swimming? Bicycling? Yoga? I definitely miss tennis but better to let my foot heal than have more problems later. Fall is coming and I can always play then.
In the meantime, I will write periodically to update you all on my progress. At the risk of sounding trite; remember, small steps do add up. Perseverance is key. Never give up on your dreams. And if you have to sidestep a few boulders in your way? Try to do so without landing on your face!
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Saturday, May 2, 2015
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