Swimming

For the past month or so, my husband and I have been swimming almost every day. Sometimes, we even go two times. Usually, we begin by strolling down the walkway to our beach (I like to think of it as "our beach" even though other people use it, too).  Before I have a view of the shore, I am anticipating the waves.  Will they be big?  Or small?  I am happy either way - body surfing or just floating. 

 

I never intend to get my hair wet but I always do.  Over the years I have learned to dive into waves to keep them from crashing on top of me.  The salt makes my eyes burn a little but I like it.  It feels like Florida.  I remember spending the entire day at the beach when I was a child, swimming with my family and spending hours in the water.  Now, after just 15 minutes I feel completely refreshed and like a new person.  I am reminded of the important things in life.

After the beach, we walk back to our condo property and stop to wash the sand off of our feet.  Then, we take a dip in the pool.  Our swims in the pool can last an hour or more.  This morning, I did handstands in the shallow end.  At the moment my feet are directly over my head, I feel completely connected to my body.  My mind, body and soul are one.  I'm not doing some physical activity while my mind is somewhere else.  I realize that I don't feel this connected often enough.  I think too much.  I need to let go and float more.  It really does make everything better.

Nine Days

Nine days of vacation. It was amazing. One of the best vacations of my life. Nine days was long enough to:

• Swim: in the ocean, the intracoastal, Salt Springs, Silver Glen Springs and a pool. I spent about four hours in the water today. Not only did my husband and I swim but we also grilled burgers in our canoe while standing in the water. It was awesome.
• Canoe: three different times. I love beaching our canoe, making sandwiches on a sandy bank, drinking margaritas and exploring hidden creeks.
• Cooked really healthy meals: I made gluten-free flaxseed bread, pizza and cinnamon rolls from scratch. I also cooked homemade chicken broth without the sodium and preservatives that are found in the store-bought brands.
• Eat lots of wild-caught sockeye salmon: grilled with fresh lemon and dill.
• Walk around our flea market: twice we went to our town flea market and bought cool movies for really cheap prices. We found Spaceballs, Stand by Me, Raising Cain, a Halloween collection, the original House on Haunted Hill, Fear and a serial killer trilogy.
• Spend time with friends: we've made new friends and went to the First Friday Art Walk with them and also the Wednesday night concert at the Pier. Both were very good times.
• Be with my husband: the time we spent together was totally amazing. Enough said.
• Celebrate my dog's 16th birthday. I am still in awe that he is so healthy and happy after all these years. Instead of cake (because cake is bad for dogs), Floyd got a can of tuna for his birthday dish. He LOVES seafood.
• Soak up the sun: I mean really soak it up. I'm a couple shades darker than I was nine days ago. I actually look like I live in Florida.

Now I know why people need to vacation. We need to clear our heads and our souls. Vacations are times to connect with our loved ones, ourselves, nature and the important things in life. I feel completely refreshed.

Waiting with Patience

I trust in God and I have been working on centering myself in Him. Not in the things I want or pursue. But in Him. I've come to realize that discernment isn't easy for me. I want to figure things out and know what God's plans are for me - usually on my time, not His. I read something by Joyce Meyer about God's timing and I found this statement to be both simple and enlightening:

"We prove that we trust God when we refuse to worry."

Waiting with Patience and Trusting in God

I've never read anything by Joyce Meyer before and her message really made me think. I have spent the last 36 years figuring out who I am. Myself as a woman, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a professional, a friend, a leader, an achiever and a believer. Now, it's time I start learning who I am in Christ. Maybe this is what God wants me to figure out while I am waiting on His timing.

If I weren't waiting and relaxing and trying to be patient I wouldn't have quiet in my life. The kind of quiet that is needed to reflect on these types of awakenings. It's actually pretty freeing to realize that you don't have to figure things out. You just have to be patient and trust in God completely.

Prayer: God, help me stay centered in You. I trust in You and I will wait as long as You want me to for Your plans to be revealed. Give me strength when I become weak and peace during times of uncertainty. Amen.  

Confidence and Curiosity

"Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit."

 

- E.E. Cummings

Curious Duck

I Guess I Needed a Break

Geez. I guess that I really needed a break from blogging. I don't have a funny story today because I just don't feel all that funny. Here's a few random thoughts, though:

• It's open enrollment time and our insurance guy came to talk with us at work. As he was discussing health care reform, I couldn't stop thinking about the Thought Police and Big Brother. I'm considering Australia for a new place to live. Maybe Panama.
• I had forgotten how much I absolutely love perogies. Yum. I ate some the other night and wouldn't dare look at the nutritional content. I ate some more tonight and was very ecstatic to find out that they are extremely low in fat. Perfect.
• I'm in this Clint Eastwood phase and was completely excited to find out that there are five Dirty Harry movies. I thought that there were only four. Dead Pool and a collection of Clint's Western films recently became new additions to my household. I love how he makes a .44 magnum look like a .22 pistol.
• An acquaintance of ours was complaining about some people he knew. He kept saying that he thought they were stupid for having a baby so late in life. The woman is only two years older than I am. I felt like slapping him and telling him to shut the hell up. 36 is not that old.
• I am filled with both comfort and loss every time I watch an episode of the Golden Girls. I love this show. It's my favorite TV show of all time. I just cannot believe that Betty White is the only one left. What happens when everything we know is gone? Do we replace the things we once loved or do we just savor their memories?
• My husband stopped eating watermelon because, for some odd reason, it affects his asthma. So, I've eaten two large watermelons all by myself in just two weeks. I never thought that I would say I've had enough watermelon but I'm pretty close.
• How do you know that summer has arrived in Florida? When you walk outside and your glasses fog up.