Last week we took a broad view of life balance as a bicycle journey. We mentioned in particular that the transitions associated with midlife call for re-evaluating the balance that has worked before and taking a hard look at what it calls for now. Today I want discuss the needs of changing bodies.
Few girls my age played sports in school. I became more active after college, and began to hike with friends. In my 30’s I tried running, but stopped after giving birth. When I started again 15 years later, I it was more fun than ever. Then I discovered a condition that limited my heart rate and slowed my pace. Knees and hips may someday complain of the impact and guide me to a walking habit.
These experiences echo in the stories of my peers. Some who were injured as athletes in school have been living with limits for many years. Others are seeing a gradual decline in their Personal Best. Yet others, the “late bloomers,” are discovering the joy of sweat for the first time. In all cases, we are balancing desires, expectations, and goals with the bodies we have now. We test the boundaries, exceed them, and determine whether we are entering a zone of increased capacity or impending damage.
Physical training at any age entails a cycle of exertion and recovery. We push, challenging ourselves to do more; then we stop, and allow the system to rebuild a stronger, faster, more enduring version of itself. At midlife, recovery is especially critical. Not only must we allow for physical recovery, but we need to rebuild our minds and hearts as well. We may need to adjust our version of success and welcome the chance to run or ski or play ball into the second half (or final third) of life at a slower pace, for fewer hours, with more rest built into the mix.
What is the challenge and where is the balance for you? Do you celebrate the capacity you have to move, at whatever level of duration and intensity? Do you respect the real physical changes that call for a re-mix of options and re-definition of Personal Best?
Until the next time, go well.
Pam
www.wellbuddies.com
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Back on the Bike
Regular readers remember “Flamingo and Bicycle,” the January 26 Reflection that dealt with life balance. We contrasted balancing on one foot (flamingo) with balancing in motion (bicycle). The subject of balance comes up so often, that I am drawn again to the dilemma of staying upright in a changing world.
It begins with a trike. We learn as toddlers to pedal, avoid obstacles, and stop. The first two-wheeler challenges us to start, accelerate, slow, and stop without collapsing. Adult bikes have gears to power us smoothly on changing terrain. Tandem cycles promise that two can ride stronger than one. A cargo bike hauls the new trash can home from Walmart. Recumbents offer the comfort of an armchair on wheels. (I covet a recumbent!) Some recumbents, with three wheels, take us back to the beginning of our travels.
Why take this morning’s trip through the bicycle shop? Balance changes as the circumstances around and within us change. Life is like riding a bicycle through a changing landscape. We may long for a balance that worked in the past, or idealize the balance we envision ahead. In the process, we miss the chance enjoy the present by adapting today.
I was born early in the Baby Boom. Our generation is now hitting midlife head-on, confronting the need to re-balance our lives in myriad ways. Kids move out—and move back in, sometimes with kids of their own. We retire, or wish we could. We lose our jobs, and wish we hadn’t. Bodies change and new health issues arise. Parents need help. What does balance look like now, and how can we get some?
What roles and responsibilities are you balancing? How do you manage both to serve others and to restore your own reserves? Do you pay attention to all dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual? How do you invest your time, money, passion, and energy? Does your bicycle need a trailer? A motor? A padded seat? A new paint job?
The journey from one life stage to another is rich and rewarding if we pay attention to balancing as we go. The alternative is to careen downhill, lose our brakes, blow a tire, and land in a heap, wondering what happened.
Until the next time, ride well.
Pam
www.wellbuddies.com
Sunday, March 14, 2010
End Task
A recent computer tune-up revealed that my 5-year-old workhorse would benefit from additional RAM. I have not yet invested, and am more and more commonly greeted by a pop-up window and the message: “The program you are using has stopped responding. Click End Task.” Out of RAM.
I recently discovered that Explorer could host not just one, but many simultaneous sign-on pages. I did not have to choose between the newspaper, the weather page, my inbox, Facebook Home Page, or favorite blog. I could have them, all at once! Having all that information in one place...constantly updating itself...uses RAM. It means the screen will often freeze, and the dreaded pop-up will appear.
RAM. Random Access Memory. We take it for granted, in our computers and in ourselves. RAM is the active part of the brain. It takes things in, sorts them out, and responds thoughtfully. Like a computer, my personal RAM often fills up, stalls out, and freezes. Important thoughts, activities, and decisions go unfinished, take longer than they should, or come out garbled because I have filled the space heedlessly. Garbage in, garbage out.
I recently read that the brain can process 60,000 thoughts per day; and, that 90% of those thoughts repeat the ones we had yesterday. Some thoughts gnaw on disappointments, resentments, and failures, as if we could change the past by fretting. Other thoughts obsess with what lies ahead: we plan, we worry, we decide to be happy only if things turn out a certain way. We hold the worry close as if we could control the future by doing so.
I can’t buy more RAM for the brain as I can for the computer. Instead, I must make careful use of the capacity to reflect, evaluate, and decide. I want use my active mind to celebrate the positive and recall the past with gratitude. I want to set a course for the future with confidence and optimism. Most of all, I want to embrace the present. I want to fully absorb the joys of each day and respond creatively to things that don’t turn out as I intended. I want to be alert in the moment of choice so that I can respond with insight and wisdom unburdened by regrets for the past or fears of the future.
Your brain has stopped responding. Press “End Task.” Breathe. Allow the extraneous programs to shut down, one by one. Allow the screen to go blank. Breathe again. Press the button. Re-boot. Bring up a fresh new batch of RAM. Start slowly. Open one program; focus on one task. Close it before opening the next one. Breathe again. Pay attention. Leave the multitasking behind. Be present. See beauty. Offer love. Experience peace.
What works for you when your internal RAM hits overload, lights blink, and the screen freezes? What helps you return, fresh and energized, to the Present Moment?
Until the next time, go well.
Pam
www.wellbuddies.com
I recently discovered that Explorer could host not just one, but many simultaneous sign-on pages. I did not have to choose between the newspaper, the weather page, my inbox, Facebook Home Page, or favorite blog. I could have them, all at once! Having all that information in one place...constantly updating itself...uses RAM. It means the screen will often freeze, and the dreaded pop-up will appear.
RAM. Random Access Memory. We take it for granted, in our computers and in ourselves. RAM is the active part of the brain. It takes things in, sorts them out, and responds thoughtfully. Like a computer, my personal RAM often fills up, stalls out, and freezes. Important thoughts, activities, and decisions go unfinished, take longer than they should, or come out garbled because I have filled the space heedlessly. Garbage in, garbage out.
I recently read that the brain can process 60,000 thoughts per day; and, that 90% of those thoughts repeat the ones we had yesterday. Some thoughts gnaw on disappointments, resentments, and failures, as if we could change the past by fretting. Other thoughts obsess with what lies ahead: we plan, we worry, we decide to be happy only if things turn out a certain way. We hold the worry close as if we could control the future by doing so.
I can’t buy more RAM for the brain as I can for the computer. Instead, I must make careful use of the capacity to reflect, evaluate, and decide. I want use my active mind to celebrate the positive and recall the past with gratitude. I want to set a course for the future with confidence and optimism. Most of all, I want to embrace the present. I want to fully absorb the joys of each day and respond creatively to things that don’t turn out as I intended. I want to be alert in the moment of choice so that I can respond with insight and wisdom unburdened by regrets for the past or fears of the future.
Your brain has stopped responding. Press “End Task.” Breathe. Allow the extraneous programs to shut down, one by one. Allow the screen to go blank. Breathe again. Press the button. Re-boot. Bring up a fresh new batch of RAM. Start slowly. Open one program; focus on one task. Close it before opening the next one. Breathe again. Pay attention. Leave the multitasking behind. Be present. See beauty. Offer love. Experience peace.
What works for you when your internal RAM hits overload, lights blink, and the screen freezes? What helps you return, fresh and energized, to the Present Moment?
Until the next time, go well.
Pam
www.wellbuddies.com
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Booting Up for Life
This morning, I am clutching a paper towel to my fingertip. I am out of Band-aids (it is not the first time), and I remember why my Lenten observance is to meditate first thing every morning. I want to practice mindfulness. I want to spend more time in the present, and less in the future and the past. That practice would come in handy while slicing onions.
When I went to bed on Fat Tuesday, I did not have a Lenten practice in mind. I make a habit of self-improvement projects, and don’t often use occasions like New Years or Lent to do more or different things than I do the rest of the time. However, when I woke up on Ash Wednesday, a little voice suggested, “practice daily meditation.” My little voice is wise, and I said, “OK.”
Over the years, the first steps of my morning have varied. They almost always begin at the coffee pot. The second step might head for the treadmill or out the door for a pre-dawn run. It might lead to a chair for reading and journaling. More often, it takes me to the computer for e-mail, Facebook, the calendar, and a to-do list. A day that starts (even before coffee) seated quietly in the “space between thoughts,” is something new. The practice has caused me to step back and reflect on engaging with life each day.
The following stream of consciousness from a recent journal entry is entitled, “Booting Up.”
Meditation launches the Present and awareness, falling awake on center. Fireplace and blanket warm the body. Coffee peels back the melatonin. Reading opens the mind with positive thought. Writing makes it my own and embeds the insight. Journaling engages the past with learning and gratitude, the future with intent and trust. E-mail and Facebook engage community, reaching out with inquiry and compassion, encouragement and celebration. Breakfast nourishes. Thinking engages the rational mind; doing engages the world. Physical activity charges the body. Naps restore. Snacks replenish. Happy hour savors and re-connects. In reading, listening, watching I learn and en-joy. The Spirit ignites and in-fuses.
How do you “boot up for life” and set off confidently on the path you intend for the day ahead? Is there anything about mornings that you would like to do differently?
Until the next time, go well.
Pam
www.wellbuddies.com
When I went to bed on Fat Tuesday, I did not have a Lenten practice in mind. I make a habit of self-improvement projects, and don’t often use occasions like New Years or Lent to do more or different things than I do the rest of the time. However, when I woke up on Ash Wednesday, a little voice suggested, “practice daily meditation.” My little voice is wise, and I said, “OK.”
Over the years, the first steps of my morning have varied. They almost always begin at the coffee pot. The second step might head for the treadmill or out the door for a pre-dawn run. It might lead to a chair for reading and journaling. More often, it takes me to the computer for e-mail, Facebook, the calendar, and a to-do list. A day that starts (even before coffee) seated quietly in the “space between thoughts,” is something new. The practice has caused me to step back and reflect on engaging with life each day.
The following stream of consciousness from a recent journal entry is entitled, “Booting Up.”
Meditation launches the Present and awareness, falling awake on center. Fireplace and blanket warm the body. Coffee peels back the melatonin. Reading opens the mind with positive thought. Writing makes it my own and embeds the insight. Journaling engages the past with learning and gratitude, the future with intent and trust. E-mail and Facebook engage community, reaching out with inquiry and compassion, encouragement and celebration. Breakfast nourishes. Thinking engages the rational mind; doing engages the world. Physical activity charges the body. Naps restore. Snacks replenish. Happy hour savors and re-connects. In reading, listening, watching I learn and en-joy. The Spirit ignites and in-fuses.
How do you “boot up for life” and set off confidently on the path you intend for the day ahead? Is there anything about mornings that you would like to do differently?
Until the next time, go well.
Pam
www.wellbuddies.com
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