January 1, 2011: Providence comes in Sevens, pt. 4 of 7...

Tell me this moth doesn't pass for a pretty good looking butterfly?


Heaveno, and Happy New Year!

First things first... momma baked a pear pie (yes, a pear pie... we got A LOT of pears from Harriet and David for Christmas and they don't last long, folks), and Ali simply couldn't wait for it to be done!  Sorry, I was going to post a caption describing the photo, but then realized the story was as tantalizing as the pie when there was no caption!

Now that we have that settled, let's move on to the next installment of "Just How Many Times CAN God Bless You in One Day?"

After I finished working in the Infusion Center on Wednesday, I grabbed some of that AMAZING clam chowder, and headed over to the hospital to go to work the afternoon on the oncology unit.  It works best to see patients in the morning in the infusion center and in the afternoon up on the unit.

I got my list of patients from the nurse to see, and I realized that a few of my patients I saw before the Christmas break were still up on the unit, so I followed up with them to see how they were doing. One of my patients, "C," was a strong-willed woman whom I politely convinced to let me play for her last time I was there.  Turned out she quite liked my playing and was very receptive to seeing me again,  though she had a friend coming to visit any minute.  Once again, I gently persuaded her to allow me to fill her room with a little music before her friend arrived, since this was my last day.  So, we began with some crooning jazz standards as C grew up listening to Dean Martin.

Then, her friend arrived, and this bright-eyed, big-smiled, warm-hearted man walks in, takes my hand and introduces himself.  The two start talking.  She mentions to him how great having music therapy is and that is my last day due to funding finishing up.

He looks at her and says, "Well we got to get him on your show to find him some money and keep his program funded!"

Huh?

Turns out C is a radio personality.

Honest!

I can't make this stuff up.

He continues, "Let me get your name and email and I'll write the administration a letter as well, and I'll CC you on it."  Turns out "S" is  radio personality as well.  They are colleagues.

Apparently it was letter writing day for friends and family!

I just wanted to share some jazz with her.

Folks, just share your passion, whatever it is.  You never know what hearts and/or doors it will open, and if by this point you can't see God's hand inside of just about each and every interaction of my day Wednesday, you need God Glasses!  LOL.

Here's the thing:  Wednesday wasn't special.  EVERY DAY IS SPECIAL.  If you don't believe that anymore, just ask a 4 year old; they'll remind you.



HILARIOUS...  ain't it the truth?

In other news, I created my profile over at www.transformation.com today since I am beginning Bill Phillips' 18 week Transformation Challenge beginning Monday.  What is really cool is that Bella's Birthday Bash is 20 weeks from now, so I am going to use that as my big finale to work towards.  The coolest part about becoming a free member on "T.com?"  Within about an hour, I had 6 or 7 messages from other members welcoming me to the site, and offering any assistance and or support.  They weren't spam, either.  Some of the commenters offered their condolences, called me proud papa (I used the same profile description as I have on my facebook profile), etc.  Anyway, I was amazed how quickly people were reaching out to me.  I immediately felt right at home.

If anyone else wants to use the new year as a platform to vault their total being into a new level of vitality, health, and happiness, I encourage you to head over there and jump in!  Community is the key.  A community supports each other and keeps each other accountable, which I think are two of the biggest pieces to making any headway in the area of health and fitness.  Let's face it folks, we all know how to lose weight.  (Eat less, exercise more)  That's it.  Calories in - Calories out.  Anything more, barring an extreme medical issue, is just story.  The catch is that when it is just us up in our heads, the story "seems" totally real, reasonable, even justified.  However, when we enlist the support of others going through the exact same experience, they can spot when we're stuck in our story and call us on it.  This is what support groups have done for decades.  We don't usually give our friends or family permission to call us on our story in the area of health and fitness, and as a result, we are now the fattest, most obese, most unhealthy developed country on the planet.

See at the end of the day, I remember that I am the only one who puts food and drink in my mouth, and I am the only person who either exercises my body or not.

The rest is all story.

In 2011, I am no longer a victim of my own stories about my health and fitness.  Today, I am the heaviest I have been in 7 years, and 25 pounds heavier than I was this time last year.  Those are the objective facts.  I could go on as to why I am the heaviest I've been in 7 years or why I put on 25 pounds in the past 12 months, and I bet I could persuade you (like I have persuaded myself already) as to why that is perfectly reasonable and understandable... "given the circumstances."

The reality is that I do my best to:

Create a Vision for my life
Observe the Events that life throws back at me
Generate a positive Response to said events and
thus ultimately influence the Outcome of every situation I face.

That is my roadmap for living a created, conscious life.

Living according to my circumstances simply doesn't fit that model, so the time has come to take back control of my physical well-being.

Why?

Because for some reason, I still have a body to take care of.  Watch an innocent body -  that you lived to save - die in front of you.   Then, try to turn a blind eye to the misuse and neglect you dole out to your own.  I can't.  I won't.  Not for another day.

I choose to honor my family by being healthy and strong physically so they get more of me today, and for more days in the future as well.

Like a Phoenix, it is time for me to rise from the ashes of story and suffering (I can't even look at myself in a dress shirt without feeling sad for letting my body go... makes figuring out if my tie is the right length kinda hard when I don't want to look into the mirror) and reclaim the gift I still have, my body.  THANKFULLY, it's not irreversible.  If you think otherwise, just head over to T.com and watch my friends Marty, Shane, or Valerie's stories.  They will inspire you far more than I ever could, because they've already done it.  I had the good fortune to meet them personally at Bill's house in November and they are just about the sweetest people I've ever met.

My hope is that maybe you can identify a little with some portion of my own journey (or Marty, Shane, or Valerie's), and if so, if you want to jump start that change you've been maybe putting off till... come on over to www.transformation.com and let's do it together.  I'll be there daily from now own (as well as here).  Look me up over there and let's do this!

P.S.  We took Ali on a 3 hour hike today in Peters Canyon.  We really couldn't figure out why she was whining so much about being tired till we got home and saw the clock! LOL.  She was a trooper nonetheless.  It was interesting to see how the mind will just STOP the body.  Ali would yell everything her mind was thinking, so we could hear that inner dialogue and really see how the mind calls the shots over the body.  In one minute, she be bouncing along, then she'd say, "I'm tired!  I can't go on!  (then the crying would kick in) and I can't stop crying!  My legs hurt!  I want TV!!!..."  Then, suddenly, we'd see a rabbit.  BAM.  Whole conversation would switch in a flash.  No more suffering.  Just wonder and awe.

I learn a lot from Ali, though sometimes I am reluctant to admit it.

What have you learned from kids?

God night.