38 Day Challenge - Day 1

If you do something every day for 40 days, then it not only becomes a habit, but it also becomes part of you.  That is why I'm doing a goal setting session for this long of a period.  It is a long enough time to see some results, but it is still short term goals that help us get to our long term goals.

Go to an indoor water park with family
See the sights in downtown Toronto (CN Tower, ROM Mueseum, Trains)
Go to a National Park in the Northern Country
Eat 5 times/day which is 190x (This means sit down with food on a plate before eating.)
Sugar on Sundays and Memorial Day/Victoria Day 7x
No seconds 190x
Exercise (carido) 17x
Morning Yoga 27x
Evening Yoga 38x
Attend the Toronto Temple
Eat at a local mom & pop Italian Bakery
Buy new clothes and exercise clothes
Buy new make-up
Try the sauna at my gym
Sign-up for a gym membership
148 ponds (10 pounds = 2lb a week)
Be hungry and still not eat as many times I as I need to get my goals
Do a fun activity every Saturday

This is Porter and Chelsea.  Chelsea is Porter's first pet.  She has been around since he was 3 years old and he is a sorce of comfort for him.  When he is feeling down, he finds her and holds her close.  When he is lonely, he holds her close.  When he is having a hard time sleeping, he goes straight to Chelsea.  She is always there for him.  She doesn't complain and will mold into his arms.  She'll purr and stay put.  She seems to know she is needed.  This little cat that we got for free has traveled across the country with us and into another country.  As I watch these two share times together, I'm reminded about how important a good friend is.  Friends make life more fun.  Friends make hard times less hard.  Friends are a comfort and a blessing.  It is hard to find good friends.  They are rare treasures, but worth the time and effort to keep them strong.  I'm thankful for friends.  There have been times when I have longed for a friend to be close by.  I have seen my children long for friends when we have moved.  I'm also thankful for family, because in my family relationships I have found some of my best friends and as I watch my four boys together, my heart is warmed as I see their friendship grow as they work out differences and learn to communicate and get along.  So, if you have one of those special friends, keep them close.  Let them know how you feel about them.  Take the effort to nurture the relationship.  If you don't have one, then go out and do the things that you love.  Exude the characteristics that you want to find in a friend;  then you will find that friend.  Have faith, keep trying and it will happen.

Day 29 - Energy

Spring is finally here!  It was a beautiful Canadian day today.  Though it rained while we were in church, this afternoon was brilliant.  We went on a family walk and the air was heavy with humidity, but it was comforting, like a blanket.  People were out in full force, with their dogs or kids.  When we got back from the walk, we ate a meal that my Glenn cooked.  It was complete with ham soup, cornbread, and seasoned roasted sweet potatoes.  As I was finishing up the dishes, I played songs from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir; Glenn was trying to get Skype working to talk to his sister; my oldest son was making a sheath for his sword out of a cardboard and the youngest three were playing in our backyard.  I opened the window and the breeze drifted in.  It was one of those happy moments.  The moments that come when all your hard work comes together and, though there is nothing really significant going on, there is the sense of goodness.    

I'm going to take a moment and take credit for the goodness.  I have been experimenting with the energy that I give off.  I will tell you that there is power in it.  Everyone has energy.  Energy is life.  If you have ever been around a kind, optimistic person, you leave feeling better about yourself.  Their energy is contagious.  It works the same way when you are with a pessimistic, negative person.  This is not to say that we all can't have a bad day and can't go to a friend when we need to vent.  We all need to have bad days - it makes the good days taste so much sweeter.  But it is about the spirit about you.  It is the energy that you give off on a regular basis.

Yesterday, we were all having a bad day.  It was Glenn's birthday and things weren't going so well.  I was bummed too, but as we brought out the cake, I decided that I was going to be happy.  I wasn't going to let the events of the day affect me that way.  I started joking, smiling and ignoring Mr. Grumpy's attitude.  You know what, within minutes, the mood changed and we ended up having a great night.  It works!  Try it.

Pay attention to your energy.  It affects your health.  It is all interconnected.  Optimistic people have more alkaline bodies.  Alkaline bodies fight disease. 

Energy.  Focus.  Feel it.  And then nourish it and experience the power.

Happiness.  Enthusiasm.  Optimism.