Most of the time, I feel rushed. My to do list has not been done in months - years even. I've made commitments that seem reasonable, but I find them increasingly hard to meet. I don't think I've become less productive, rather, I think there are demands on my time now that weren't there 5 years ago. This is no one's fault - it's just life.
My life circumstances have changed but in my mind I can still do what I did easily 5 years ago. At some point, soon I hope, I will acclimatize to what is possible and say no a whole lot more often. Until then, I keep hoping that I will accept what comes at me with grace.
I admit to having a patience problem. I try to take deep, calming breaths rather than resorting to chanting four-letter words when I am presented with things that prevent me from moving forward at hyper-speed. I like hyper-speed but most of the world does not. I can report that my four-letter-word filter is working better than I thought it would when I installed it (that was last year's resolution).
Anyway, balance is hard. And actual balance is even harder. Jeff, when he was home for Christmas, demonstrated what he thought his dad and I needed to work on for our future well-being. He's right. As we all age, balance is key. Steve and I both are now practicing this move every evening. You should too - but please do not fall down. Falling down is really bad.
Stand on two feet and focus on being upright. Bring your hands up even with your ears, one on each side. Now, lift one foot behind you, bent at the knee. Set yourself and then close your eyes. Hold it for 30 seconds.
Unless you are really, really balanced, you can't. I can hold the stance for maybe 5 seconds. But 30 seconds is what I am working toward. One tip - tighten your abs. Another thing I tried last night was to start with my eyes closed and that helped. It may take weeks or months but I am going to get to that 30 second mark.
And Chris, our other very helpful son, sent me this a few days ago. Read the subtitles...
Basically what it says is that mortality rates are higher for people who cannot get up from the floor. If you are young and reading this, you cannot imagine not being able to get up off the floor. Trust me when I tell you that it can happen.
My takeaway from this video is that if you can get up without using your hands, even better! So Steve and I are practicing standing on each foot with our eyes closed (as per Jeff) and then we practice getting down to the floor and back up without using our hands. I can't get up with my legs crossed but I can with my feet in other positions. If you have to use your hands, that's OK. It's still very important to be able to get up from the floor on your own.
If the above exercises have made you glum, I have one more bit of news that will make you feel better. Read this and have a cookie! Thin may be fashionable but it's not necessarily the most healthy. I'm going to breathe deeply, enjoy dinner AND dessert!
