What do you have on your planner for the week? Do you think life will go according to your plan?
We all need plans and structure, but we also know that our days and weeks never go exactly by the book. As I'm typing this, I am currently in Tulsa giving some love and help to my parents. I came here a week ago to help take care of my mom who had just gotten out of the hospital. I stepped off of the plane to find out my dad was in the hospital with the same condition (subdural hematoma - bleeding on the brain), but far worse than my mom's. They are both 87, so age is presenting it's challenges. But they both lead a full, active life - going to the YMCA regularly and staying involved with church and people.
I thought we were going to lose my dad this week. 😢 He was in a lot of pain and seemed very weak before his surgery. But he had a craniotomy on Thursday and since then he's been talking a lot, reading, wanting to exercise - basically bored and wanting out of neuro ICU and the hospital! We never know the number of our days, but it looks like he isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Watching him do everything he can do to get better reminds me why I love fitness so much. My dad has very little control over his circumstances at the moment. He has been given one task - to blow into a little tube 10x every hour to give his lungs a workout. The first time I held this for my dad, I could tell that it was challenging to make the little blue ball get to the goal by how hard he inhaled. I counted each time and when we got to 10, I told him he was there. He said, "I am going to do 2 more." There it is! That spirit of giving it your all, going beyond what is required and pushing to be stronger. He was making jokes the next day saying he was ready to get back to the Y but for now he would just keep blowing in the little tube. 😊
There are so many things in life that are out of our control. Being strong in mind and body means taking charge of what we have been entrusted with and giving it our all. We have choices all day that affect our health: sitting on the couch or doing a workout, going through a drive-thru or walking in a healthier place to order life-giving food, buying whole foods or processed foods, reading a book or watching TV, loving on real people or scrolling social media. You get the picture. Will we get it right every time? No, and that's ok. But the true freedom in life does not come from taking the easy way out, but from pushing through the challenges. Being fit feels good. It gives me opportunities and not restrictions. I want the same for you.
I want to end with one of my dad's memorable sayings to me as a child..."Can't Never Could Do Nothing!"
(Love you dad).