Back in Shape

This week has been really great for getting the blood moving and having some exercise to spare. I got into some really good habits and I am hoping to keep them going!

It is important to me to stay healthy, especially since I sort of have a desk job. I know I probably won't ever have my drum corps body back, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try. Myfamily made the comment the other day while watching beach volleyball that the girls there look the way I used to when I marched! It can get embarassing when people compare me to what I used to be!

I started in on Sparkpeople.com, so I can track what I eat, track how much I exercise, etc. It is going to be rather intensive but I think once I get used to entering information in daily I will be able to do it rather quickly without trouble. I have already gotten into the habit of writing in my blog weekly, doing push-ups at least three times a week, and checking eBay daily (people have been buying things off of there like crazy for some reason!).

Wish me luck, I am going to need this.

The Bad Guy

I've been a busy little bee! As you may have noticed, Learning to Breathe is now available on LOTS of different e-reader formats instead of just Kindle! You are welcome, world!

On that note, I love when I don't have to be the "bad guy" in a situation. What do I mean? Well, there has been this girl in my life who I really was not a fan of for several years. However, being the soft-hearted and kind person that I am, I was nice to her. I was always nice to her. She thought she was being nice to me often, but she mostly just came off as a mean and overbearing person. I kept being nice, though, because I know that is just how she is and she can't help it. I'm sure it was something to do with the way she was raised.

Anyhow, she recently contacted me on Facebook to let me know how immature she thought I was. The thoughts in my head, of course, "Oh boy, here we go. Haven't had any contact with this girl in like 2 years and suddenly she feels the need to tell me something I am doing in my life is WAY out of line." So she gave me what-for, informed me that she knows everything about me, my personality, my character, and my life (suuuuuuuure you do, sweetie), told me everything I am doing wrong. Then I let her know that people who ACTUALLY know me really like me and think I am funny. I never said anything mean, never cut her down, and was just being informative.

Here is the part where I don't have to be the bad guy... She responded by informing me that I am wrong (again) and immature (again) and she doesn't even know why we are still Facebook friends because there is no reason for us to be. She also said (and I am imagining she is using her slightly higher-pitched dramatic voice for this) that "this will be the last time you ever hear from me because I don't really care what you have to say in return!" Then she blocked me. There wasn't even a pause before I threw myself a little party in my mind!! I am a nice person, like I said, but it is still really difficult to continue being nice to someone who continually treats you like a lower life form than themselves. For her to cut off communication and block herself from my life is the greatest blessing.

I hope you all have continually great blessings in your life as well. :-)

Life-Changing

What makes an exerpeince "life-changing"? We have so many experiences on a daily basis, all of which help us to make decisions that affect the outcome of situations or our lives every minute. Why, then, is every decision not considered to be a life-changing one?

I think the descriptive words to use here shouldn't be "life-changing" but "perspective-changing." Think about this! Your life is always moving along at its own pace, you are making decisions, doing the things you like, avoiding what you dislike, talking to people, etc. All of these things are constantly different, except for one thing: your perspective. You are always looking at things through your own eyes, watching the world work through the lenses that formed on your mind from past experiences. It is only once you stop and look at the world with the knowledge and experiences of another person that you can see it from a different perspective. The so-called "life-changing" part of this is that once you can see your life from more than one persepctive, you can make your decisions based on more information than just the information in your own mind.

I learned a really neat perspective test last week that I would like to share with you. Point your index finger at the ceiling, with your arm extended straight up above your head, so you have to look up to see your hand. Yeah, I know you look a little silly, but just stay with me here! Move your finger around in a clockwise circle (as if you were pointing at the hands of a clock on the ceiling and following their motion). Now, while still moving your finger in a circular motion, slowly lower your hand down, in front of your face, in front of your shoulder, in front of your chest, until you can look down at your hand as it continues its circling. What do you see? Comment if you had a cool experience with this!