Today, in honor of Father’s Day, I have a guest post from my son who just finished 7th grade.
His teacher sent his original exam question to us through the U.S. Mail. She included a letter explaining students had to respond to a prompt comparing two texts then added:
I have enjoyed reading these essays by my students, but your son’s was so heartfelt I thought you might enjoy reading as well.
As a gift to my husband on Father’s Day, here is my son’s answer to his semester exam question:
The greatest bond that can be created, the one that can never be broken, is the bond between father and child. I have one of these bonds with my dad. I love and admire him. These are the exact same feelings that the speaker and the narrator have towards their dads.
The main feeling that both the writers have towards their dads is love. You can tell because in Cheaper By The Dozen the writer says, “How we loved him then.” This actually says that they love him, the writer included. The writer of My Father Is A Simple Man also has great feelings of love for his father. You can tell because he says “I’d gladly give my life for this man.” That is a perfect example of unconditional love. The writer loves his father so much he would make the ultimate and final sacrifice for him. The bond between father and son sits on a gossamer web of love.
The other main feeling of the bond is admiration. To the writers and me a smile means success. A man who has everything from maturity to responsibility is so much higher up the ladder of life than you. When he reaches out his hand to help you up what else can you feel but admiration. The writer of My Father Is A Simple Man understands this and his admiration is shown by the quote “whose kindness and patience are true …?” The writer is talking about his father and the fact that he sees these two attributes shows that he respects and admires his father. The writer of Cheaper By The Dozen also shows admiration in the quote “… and then we’d throw our arms around him.” This clearly shows admiration and probably love. In total when you put admiration and love together it’s like the sun and moon, dark and light, and ying and yang working together with a conundrum so powerful that the bond cannot be broken.
There are things I will never understand in this world. Girls is one of them but if there is one thing I do understand it is the bond of father and child. It cannot be broken once it is made. If admiration is lost, love will bring it back. If love is lost, admiration will bring it back. In the end, love and admiration are the two most powerful forces there are and if a bond is made of them that nothing, not even a nuke, can break it.
I add all my love and send it along with my son’s.
This morning I went to a breakfast to talk about politics, development projects and our kids. Since it was a light summer day I threw on a sleeveless sundress and sandals. On the way home I decided to pick up a few things in my usual grocery store.
A few aisles into the store, a man stood, stared and said “You are sexy” in a perverted way. I ignored him. As I walked along I started to feel weak in my dress and sandals. Since I started kickboxing there have been a couple of occasions where I felt threatened and a solid, powerful confidence gave me determination. When I work out, sometimes it’s just exercise and sometimes I’m really beating on the bag. There is a difference. If something bad happened, I always believed in the strong version of myself.
As I walked down the next aisle, I felt vulnerable. I felt girlish and silly in a dress and sandals and completely unable to defend myself. The only strong thought I had was of Byron, my favorite instructor, showing us three ways to elbow strike during the previous night’s training. Then he was in my face again “Will you make me breakfast.” The pervert.
I’ve always found ignoring works best. Although he didn’t say anything, he kept going back and forth past me in every aisle with one thing in his hands.
When I checked out, I did the only smart thing in this entire episode. I told the cashier a man had been bothering me and making comments so that I felt uncomfortable. She asked me if I saw him and I didn’t’. While she was checking me out, I did see him leave the store but didn’t say anything. If something happened to me, hopefully they would recognize me and check the store video cameras for the guy who was bothering me.
I was glad he was outside because I could be in control. Since he should have been long gone and I didn’t see him, I went to load my car. Sure enough, he drove past me toward the store, away from the exits. I quickly finished putting my bags in the car then started to drive.
Here’s where I made another big mistake. I did not pay enough attention to his vehicle and did not get his license plate. All I could thing about was escape. When I started to drive and had to wait for a light, I looked around making sure he wasn’t following me.
This could be serious. You can find someone by looking up their plates. He could find me but I couldn’t find him.
Now I was really upset with myself. Not only had I failed dismally to have the confidence to physically defend myself, I had also failed to get good evidence to identify him.
In a few short minutes this absolute pervert had torn me down. I spent my whole time driving home making sure no car even slightly resembling his car was anywhere near me.
I was sick and disgusted. And finally angry. By the time I changed into casual clothes, I could have beat him badly. I don’t care what you think of me for wanting to defend myself. This was not the usual staring and gawking. He was a predator.
I’m so sick of men doing this to women, degrading them. I’m sick of the defenseless feeling. This man is exhibiting behavior which could become worse and worse until he does rape a woman.
I would gladly kick his ass even if I am crying and degraded.
The newest science suggests that exercise alone will not make you thin, but staying thin requires exercise. Real exercise. You must work out.
In Weighing the Evidence on Exercise, Barry Braun, an associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts states:
“When you look at the results in the National Weight Control Registry, you see over and over that exercise is one constant among people who’ve maintained their weight loss.” About 90 percent of the people in the registry who have shed pounds and kept them at bay worked out, a result also seen in recent studies.
During the last few years I have slowly developed a well-rounded workout routine. I’ve never liked gyms because they seem so artificial. I don’t like to sweat though I’ve grown used to it lately. I do love to learn new pursuits. Going from a lazy slug to a fit individual has been a long journey. I’m still learning. But I think I’ve hit upon a good combination worth sharing. You might say I’m going down this path kicking and screaming, but here’s how:
1.) Running. When I realized walking wasn’t really helping to control my weight I started to run around the neighborhood. At first it was a half mile. Now I run 3 miles alternating between running as fast as I can then walking up hills to catch my breath. I was running five or six days per week exclusively, but now it’s usually one time to get the heart pumping in conjunction with my other activities. For two years my un-ending mantra with every footstep was “I hate running”. Lately I only think I hate it once or twice during a run. Recently I tried my first 5K but it wasn’t your ordinary race. The Run-A-Muck went through a lake and mud pit which left me completely dirty but extraordinarily pumped.
2.) Martial Arts and Kickboxing With A Trainer. I started kickboxing to lose the fat on my legs and sculpted my entire body. Originally I had a trainer in a martial arts studio while working to achieve belts, but she has moved away. Now at the absolute minimum I go to LA Boxing three times per week for an hour workout each time. LA Boxing claims their intense workout burns 1,000 calories. Kickboxing also requires a full body program beyond the martial arts, such as the 50 pushups I completed for my green belt. The trainers help you to tone your abs, arms, legs, back, and core. The best part is I’ve learned how to defend myself with both kicking and boxing as well as getting my body into good shape. You need to be quick on your toes and never stop moving when kickboxing, which also helps my running form. Jump kicks, leap frogs, lunges, squats, ab work, pushups, etc., the routine works on every part of your body until you feel like collapsing but you’re not allowed to stop moving. Once I found myself thinking I hated one of my instructors but then he yelled out “I know you hate me.” I keep going because I love the results.
3.) Yoga. For ten years yoga has been the mainstay of my weekly workout plan. Besides the mental health and high from each session, I now desperately need to stretch every part of my body after my other strenuous workouts. Yoga keeps my body in balance and helps me concentrate on what’s important in my life as well as keeping me physically well. Vinyasa improves my breathing while in motion, which is also important for my other physical endeavors. Also, my breathing is deeper, more cleansing. Right now I go to the Thrive Yoga once a week for an hour and a half, then practice solo once per week. After an injury which prevented me from doing my yoga, I realized I couldn’t live without it. Yoga is essential to every workout plan, brings great health, and prevents diseases.
Keeping the weight off has meant pushing my body beyond any notion I’ve ever had about working out and living with constant pain. I know I can’t stop. The recent research only encourages me to keep up my daily workout schedule.
The key is making it fun and social. In order to keep the weight off, find something you look forward to doing each day. For me it needs to be a variety. I need to balance the aggressiveness of kickboxing with the spiritual aspect of yoga and the cardio benefits of running. I’ve even combined the martial arts with yoga in a Budokon class. The important part is staying active.
Obviously I’ve built my workout over the course of six years. Listening to my body has led me to a complete routine. I pay attention to what I need and discovered a successful combination for my health and well-being.
But who knows, this summer I may start a completely different activity in conjunction with a more intense yoga practice. The trick is to keep it fresh and try new things, crazy things. Activities you watch and think you would never be able to do. That’s what will keep you happy and healthy.
What do you think you can’t do?
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Part I of Weight and Exercising inspired by Gretchen Reynolds recent article, Weighing the Evidence on Exercise.
People are always surprised when I tell them I lost 50 lbs. without exercising. Turns out, as a woman, I probably had the best strategy.
Controlling my diet took all of my effort and resolve. Adding on any type of exercise, which I despised, was too much for me. I’d been to Weight Watchers twice – after college and after my first son’s birth. Now I had to lose the weight from my second pregnancy. Truth is, after giving birth and breastfeeding for a year, I’d gained another ten pounds When I tried to lose it on my own, I gained even more.
After discovering I was officially obese, I dragged myself to Weight Watchers. I sat at meetings for weeks without making any changes in my life. Eventually I beat back the internal conflict and convinced myself to do one thing. Just one diet change. After a while the small steps worked, but it took three years to lose all the weight.
While struggling to control my diet, I never attempted any physical activity. During the weight loss years, I would walk a bit. I tried the 10,000 steps per day with a pedometer but didn’t have the time. Since I had loved prenatal yoga, I would practice yoga with videos at least three times per week to obtain a state of well-being and good mental health. The walking and yoga weren’t really exercise and these activities were never intended for weight loss.
In Gretchen Reynolds recent article, Weighing the Evidence on Exercise, she backs up my method of avoiding strenuous workouts during weight loss. Up until now, scientists weren’t really sure how exercise affects metabolism and appetite but studies are starting to put the pieces together:
Barry Braun, an associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, in the American College of Sports Medicine’s February newsletter: The deficit in calories can result from cutting back your food intake or from increasing your energy output — the amount of exercise you complete — or both.
“The body aims for homeostasis,” Braun says. It likes to remain at whatever weight it’s used to. So even small changes in energy balance can produce rapid changes in certain hormones associated with appetite, particularly acylated ghrelin, which is known to increase the desire for food, as well as insulin and leptin, hormones that affect how the body burns fuel.
So when we change our diet for weight loss, our body signals eating more. We have to fight the urge to eat. It’s worse for women.
Female bodies, inspired almost certainly “by a biological need to maintain energy stores for reproduction,” Braun says, fight hard to hold on to every ounce of fat. Exercise for many women (and for some men) increases the desire to eat.
People end up consuming more calories when they exercise. You shouldn’t set yourself up to have to fight off an even stronger desire to eat. Take it from my experience, it’s better to change your eating habits permanently without burning the calories with exercise.
Tomorrow: Weight And Exercising: Part II – Exercise Is Mandatory To Keep Off The Weight
My son, now nine years old, has been playing in a recreational soccer league for a couple of years. Since we started to play full field with soccer nets, our team has never won a game, although once we had a tie (1-1).
Our boys never game up. They keep coming back together to play. Last fall was pretty bad but they were all on board again this spring.
This week we received the “Good Sportsman” award for last fall’s season. After every game our team was rated and we received the highest score each time. When we were given the news, I think the parents all appreciated it. At least it was something. It’s difficult to see your kids out there losing every week. The kids did keep a good attitude.
One week we played a team with extremely obnoxious parents. They had black uniforms and called themselves “World Domination”. At the time, we didn’t know they had the best record. We held them off from scoring the entire first half but had no subs that week. By the second half our guys were exhausted. They wound up scoring ten points against us and the parents went crazy yelling every time. After six or so, you would think they would tone it down. It’s like rubbing it in our kids’ faces. We didn’t appreciate it. I was going to lead the dads over to “take them on” and several were ready to cross the field. We were only half kidding. We thought they were all jerks.
When our kids finally won a game (6-1) yesterday, we were cheering very loudly. Considering this team beat us last season, we had a major accomplishment. Something finally clicked with the team. Kids were playing different positions and my little guy was a forward. They were doing everything right. I couldn’t believe it! We were cheering loudly. We couldn’t help it. It just slipped out. Then we started to feel bad for the other team. Then we talked about how we were acting that that terrible World Domination team. Then a parent commented that he didn’t care, it felt so good to finally win! He joked that he was willing to give up the good sportsman award.
Who would have thought controlling our happiness would be harder than controlling our disappointment? Being a good sportsman was more difficult as a winner. As parents, we’re having just as much to learn as the kids. Hopefully we’ll have to continue to learn how to be good winners.
Today is Adoption Blogger Day so I welcome a guest post by my friend Michael Mangum. I had the great honor of writing a recommendation for their adoption. Here is their story:
When I was 8 years old, my favorite books were the Choose Your Own Adventure series. You know, the ones where you would read a few pages and then have to make a decision on what to do next. The story could change by simply turning to a different page.
That’s how I feel this morning after reading the headline, “Russia suspends U.S. adoptions”. I just want to change the story.
At age 35, I now find myself having to explain to my 8 year old son why his 5 year old soon-to-be adopted brother from Russia will likely not be joining our family this summer. I shared with him the news reports of the Tennessee mom who sent her adopted 7 year old son back to Russia because she did not want him anymore.
His first question, “why isn’t she in jail?”
Regardless of the circumstances, her actions are inexcusable and she deserves to be charged with child abandonment as she is the child’s legal guardian and chose to give him up in a manner that would create an unsafe situation for the child.
Apparently, she made no attempt to seek help from her adoption agency or through the local community. I recognize that this child may have had significant attachment issues and even exhibited signs of psychotic behavior.
However, as an adoptive parent, she should have prepared herself for the worst and made certain that she had a strong support system in place before accepting this child into her home.
If given the chance to ask her one question, I would like to know whether she ever considered the impact of her planned actions on the adoption community.
There are more than 3,000 pending American adoptions of Russian children that are now “officially” interrupted due to present concerns over the safety of Russian children living in the United States.
My family’s pending adoption is one of the cases now at risk.
Here is our story..
We arrived at the decision to adopt a child from Russia after much soul searching and thoughtful consideration.
My wife and I are blessed to have conceived a child after 5 years of marriage. Our son is now 8 years old and he has brought much joy into our lives.
Ever since he was a little boy, he always asked us when he would get a little brother or sister. We both felt very strongly that the greatest gift we could give our son would be the life experience of growing up with a sibling as we did not want him to grow up as an only child.
It took us nearly seven years of trying to conceive our second child before we decided to give up. There were no medical reasons to explain our lack of success. We worked with a fertility specialist and after one miscarriage and several failed procedures we were emotionally drained. We felt like we had failed our son (and one another) and did not know where else to turn.
Frankly, neither of us had any experience with adoption and it never even crossed our minds to consider this as an alternative. That is, until we began listening to the shared experiences of friends and colleagues who had been through several successful international adoptions.
At first, we found it awkward and seemingly intrusive to ask co-workers and friends if their children were adopted. But as we asked around, we quickly realized how open people were in sharing their personal experiences. We were shocked to learn how many families were either personally involved with or knew someone who had an adoption experience to share.
In fact, we found out from three co-workers that all eight of their combined children were adopted from Russia. Ironically, we couldn’t find anyone who had successfully adopted a child from the United States, which seemed in the beginning to be a more natural place to start.
We had the fortunate luck of getting to know several adopted Russian children living in our area and were quite impressed with how well adjusted they were to American life. They all seemed happy, healthy and thankful (as much as can be expected from children).
Our minds were made up and we decided to take a leap of faith and begin our adoption journey. We re-financed our house, borrowed money, got our affairs in order and began the daunting task of completing the adoption paperwork.
Within a few months, we got a call from our agency informing us that there was a 5 year old boy, Sasha, being hosted by a family in New York City. We were given the rare opportunity to spend a few days with the host family and to get to know this child.
The next thing we knew we were on a train headed to New York around the 4th of July holiday, along with our son. We spent three wonderful days with Sasha and the host family, who welcomed us into their home with open arms. All I can say is that everything just seemed to click. The boys played well together and we could tell right away that Sasha had amazing potential. He was affectionate, playful and smart. He definitely showed some signs of behavioral problems, but what can you expect from a child who has spent his entire life in an orphanage?
On the train ride back, we looked at one another and agreed to commit ourselves to having this child join our family. We recognized that this was going to be a difficult adjustment for everyone involved but were willing to make that sacrifice.
After only a few short weeks, Sasha returned to Far East Russia and we continued our efforts to adopt him.
We received a call from our agency on a Monday morning in late December informing us that we had to be on a plane within a few days to visit with officials in the local Russian government and to meet Sasha at the orphanage.
Never having traveled internationally before, we were quite nervous about the journey ahead of us. We decided to bring our son along, as this was bound to be an experience that he would never forget.
I could go on and on about our adventures in Russia, but I will save that story for another time. Needless to say, we managed to get ourselves to the orphanage and back safely, traveling more than 10,000 miles each way. Sasha was thrilled to see us again, we met with all of the officials and signed the necessary documents. We even managed to find our way to Disneyland Paris on Christmas Day before returning home.
It has been almost four months since we returned from Russia. We are in the final stages of completing our dossier so that we can return to Russia to complete the adoption. We expect that the second trip will last about a month and were preparing to leave sometime over the summer.
That is, until this story broke.
All we can do is wait and hope that the U.S. and Russia will sign an agreement that will allow for intercountry adoptions between our two nations to continue.
In the meantime, there are a few steps that we can take now to help promote awareness of the success of international adoptions.
For starters, today is Adoption Blogger Day, which is a chance for families to share their stories with the world. So, please forward this posting onto your friends and family so that the truth about adoptions can be shared.
Also, you can sign a petition in support of allowing intercountry adoptions between Russia and the U.S. to continue.
Here is the link to the “We Are The Truth” petition.
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/we-are-the-truth.html
Assuming that we can complete our adoption at some point in the near future, we recognize that the journey is just beginning. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but unlike the Tennessee mom, we have a very strong support system of Russian speaking friends and fellow adoptive parents to help guide our family along the right path.
I have spent the last few days reading internet postings about the Tennessee mom and adoptions, in general. I hope that our story helps to shed some light on the reasons why some families choose to head down the path of international adoption.
Bottom line, children need families. It should not matter where they are born. Rather, all children should be given the opportunity to reach their full potential and adoptive parents are there to help ensure that their circumstances do not get in the way of their dreams.
by Michael Mangum
Sue was a bartender suffering from severe anorexia. She was paper thin, all skin and bones with big red hair teased out in every direction. When a friend told her she complained more than anyone he knew, she told him she knew someone worse.
She meant me.
I was dumbfounded. How could she say this about me? Up until the moment she relayed the story, I had never considered myself a complainer. Living outside New York City with my life in flux while my father lay dying, I was barely surviving each day. Teaching school early, after moonlighting as a hotel lounge manager, left very little time for sleep. I was always tired and often sick. Even so, I didn’t think I was unhappy or complaining.
Seeing myself through Sue’s eyes forced me to evaluate. Was I really that bad? Did I concentrate on the bad things in my life and complain too much? After my father’s death I moved to the Washington area, immersing myself in a new life.
Sue passed away two years later. During our last conversation, I tried to convince her I wasn’t a complainer anymore. Life could be so different. She had to find hope and fight to be well. I could tell she didn’t believe me, or didn’t want to believe me.
I’ve spent the last twenty years trying not to be negative, even when situations are at their worst. Mind you, I’m not trying to be positive. That might actually be too much for me.
Most of the time circumstances don’t go your way. You can’t change other people. In the back of my mind, I consciously consider whether Sue would think I was complaining. When you buy expensive tires then the car dies two days later, it’s the perfect opportunity to find the dream car you’ve always wanted. When scaffolding blocks the altar during your son’s communion celebration, you realize the physical space is not important. At the time, the situation might be upsetting, but you find a reason to put aside your bad thoughts and feelings.
Last year my arm ligament ripped, forcing a year of rehabilitation. People noticed and talked to me about their own recurring injuries. Due to their positive attitudes, I never suspected they were fighting pain on a daily basis. Finding others who live each day trying not to be negative was uplifting and made my injury bearable. My pain brought a profound gift of understanding about the strength we all have to endure.
Trying Not To Bneg means acknowledging the bad parts of life. It’s not a denial of your natural reactions of jealousy, anger, anxiety, fear and regret. It’s acceptance and control of these emotions followed by a concentrated effort to find a good outcome. As a jaded cynic, an optimistic outcome always surprises me.
I only wish Sue could have experienced the same bouts of hope. She grasped onto my negativity and wouldn’t let go. Thanks to her, I did.
Tomorrow I will join Rockville Living as the Managing Editor of the Style section of its new online magazine. This local effort is encouraging in so many ways.
First of all, the editors are being respected as writers and are being paid. If you haven’t tried to freelance you might not understand the importance of this statement. The state of online publishing is dismal for many content writers. Some sites pay you a penny per hit or if you get the most hits. Sadly, this means you’re in competition with your fellow writers. As stated on one of my favorite new blogs, The Hyperlocalist, let’s hear a big “amen” for not writing for ”exposure” but rather being paid what you’re worth.
At Rockville Living all the editors will share in the financial success. We’re a team working together to promote the magazine and website. We help each other with facts for articles and suggestions for interviews, while depending on each other for encouragement and help. The more successful the site becomes with advertising, the more we will be paid. The very basis of this financial structure forces us to work as a team for success and improvement. We’re all in it together for each other and our community.
Throughout the country, communities are struggling during these difficult economic times. As I travel around Rockville, I see shops and restaurants closing. Some I never expected. Times are tough for business. We have a local campaign called Buy Rockville which encourages people to spend money in our hometown. Every dollar spent locally filters back around in the community. Rockville Living has been volunteering to assist the effort with its business directory. Now a more formal arrangement has been made with the local Chamber of Commerce. The magazine content will give people another reason to visit Rockville Living’s event and business listings. While they are reading, they can learn about local businesses and might support them. My magazine content and promotions could help the local economy.
Rockville Living “Celebrates the Good Life” in Rockville. It may seem like just another online magazine but it’s already improving the situation for local writers and hopefully it will improve the situation for local businesses too.
I invite you to stop by and read a few even if you don’t live in Rockville. Although Max van Balgooy will be covering “Do, Dine and See” which is local, the magazine will have pieces of interest no matter where you live. Diane Stuart (“Home and Garden”) has an informative article on cleaning up your garden after this harsh winter. Brad Rourke (Tech) interviews two new iPad owners. Paul Triolo inspires with his “Health and Fitness” topic. Meanwhile, I wandered around to find “Fun and Fashion The Avatar Way” which might give you a few ideas before the DVD release on April 22nd. Most of all, I’m appreciating the opportunity to be creative and hope you will too.
Yesterday I had the honor of attending the ribbon cutting for an apartment building. A nonprofit organization was able to purchase a vacant, foreclosed property in a neighborhood suffering from blight and renovate the building to provide homes for four families experiencing homelessness. Not only was this small apartment building going to help the four families, it could also begin to improve conditions on the street and eventually turn things around for the whole neighborhood.
One of the new residents attended the ceremony and was able to see her apartment for the first time. She had been living in a shelter with her baby in a Pack ‘n Play next to her. The apartment was small, but it had been completely furnished by two local decorators who volunteered to bring the community together, collect items, and produce a fantastic-looking apartment.
The mom was overwhelmed when she saw the baby’s room. The darling pink draping and hanging toy were sweet. After being shown a trendy living room and fully-stocked pantry, she was emotional when she saw all the special details for her baby.
Now I find myself remembering my first pregnancy. My husband worked for the World Bank. When he had to go on an extended trip to Thailand, I felt very alone. Even though it was temporary, I couldn’t help but imagine how terrible it would be if he didn’t come back. We owned a nice little house. I had friends and family. Even with all this support, I couldn’t fathom being all by myself and having a child.
So I find myself thinking about how she must have felt to be alone in that shelter with a little one depending on her. I don’t really know what it feels like to have nothing I could call my own, to have my life filled with such uncertainty. But I saw what it felt like to walk into an apartment and be given a chance for a good, stable life because strangers cared enough to make it happen. The gratitude and love of that powerful moment was overwhelming.
The decorators put a sign in her bedroom window which said “Dream”. Now that she has the dignity of a home, she can.
 Watch out when the stress blows in A few months ago I started to feel sick at work with a headache. Convinced I was catching my son’s cold, I decided to go out for a run anyway. Miraculously, I felt better.
On a few other occasions this winter I’ve felt terrible. Convinced I’d be sick in bed within hours, I dragged myself out for my late-night kickboxing class then recovered. I’ve been telling everyone how my exercise must be boosting my immune system because I never wind up getting sick.
With the blizzards, I couldn’t travel to the gym. For six days my stomach was upset. I enjoyed my time with my family while trying to keep the ball rolling for a major fundraiser. With Washington DC snowed in for a full week, the hours were dwindling before the big event. Even though I had been ill for several days, I forced myself to an early-morning kickboxing class as soon as the roads were clear. When I came home I started to research my symptoms in fear of cancer. A short time later I was completely better.
When I was reading the medical book, the first cause of my symptoms was typed in bold letters: stress.
I had spent a week feeling sick because of stress. I still can’t believe I didn’t recognize it. My suffering had me worrying about a major disease. With my conscious effort to stay healthy, I can’t believe I didn’t know what was happening to me.
The realization that I was suffering from stress every time I thought I was sick floored me.
When I interviewed for my nonprofit job, I was asked how I handle stress. Fundraising under tight schedules with part-time hours and a strong desire to succeed is recognized for the stress it creates. Yoga and running on a daily basis had been a strong foundation to staying healthy but with work taking up additional hours, late-night kickboxing had to be added. Apparently, I can’t live without all these stress reducers.
But not all stress is bad. The American Institute of Stress describes it this way:
Increased stress increases productivity – up to a point, after which things rapidly deteriorate, and that level also differs for each of us. It’s much like the stress or tension on a violin string. Not enough produces a dull raspy sound and too much an irritating screech or snaps the string – but just the correct degree of stress creates a beautiful tone.
There are many signs of stress. HelpGuide.org lists the physical ones as aches and pains, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, and loss of sex drive. Keep a look out for these in your daily life.
Without intervention, my situation is making me physically ill. With this awareness, I need to make sure I find the ways to keep a good balance and stay healthy. Hopefully the weather or injuries won’t prevent me again.
I’m feeling a need to run right now.
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About BNeg and Cynthia Cotte Griffiths Along the way I've discovered a love for blogging. First for my local community with RockvilleCentral.com then almost immediately with TryingNotToBNeg.com
I work with organizations and businesses to improve communications and events then spend my free time volunteering to make lives better as a community.
Please share your thoughts here. It always means a lot to me!
Drop me a line:
Cindy@CynthiaCotteGriffiths.com
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