Give Oliver some Porridge

Your body is your temple. "Yeah, whatever," we say. As hard as our bodies work to keep us going, we do very little to appreciate it. We neglect our feet, our personal slaves. They take a beating every day, might as well start calling them Kunta. We overlook our lungs that work diligently every second, yet they're SO humble. Lord bless em. We don't even recognize our heart. That guy never skips a beat (...until he does :-/ ). And not to mention our kidneys. Those dudes put in overtime shifts to rid our bodies of the toxins we fill it with everyday. Now that's loyalty. So how come we never stop and say "thank you" to our bodies.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I think it's about time I showed a little appreciation... let my body know that I'm grateful. I'm sure it'll appreciate the gesture and recompense accordingly. Wait? Doesn't that sound a little...selfish? Not really. The way I see it, its a tit for tat situation. You take care of your body and it'll take care of you. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. Quid pro quo. You get the idea.
So I'm on a quest for wellness. Physical and mental. I want to meditate more, incorporate more exercise, yoga, and most importantly- eat better. Its difficult for us to realize that food plays a major role in our overall wellness- both our physical and mental well-being. So this might be a bit of a struggle.
I'm not saying I'm about to go all green leafy vegetables on ya'll-- you know the type that don't eat something unless it came from a perfect organic seed planted in perfectly fertilized soil (no pesticides or weeds) and harvested at the perfect time not a minute later. No. -___- I need a french fry and a shot of Cuervo every once in a while. But I'm definitely going to make a conscious effort to have my fair share of fruits, vegetables, and "clean foods." I've already cut out beef and pork. I refuse to give up chicken and fish because, by God, Tofu is not a substitution for meat no matter how you cook it. Stop listening to people who say that. They are lying. (I mean, come on...really?)

Here's the part when I suggest that you do the same (not so much because I care about you but more because I think my life is awesome and everyone should live theirs as I do.) Freudian slip?... perhaps! lol....I digress. Wellness is important. I don't think anyone can argue otherwise. Too often, we forget about our little organs and we treat them like a fat, bald-headed version of Oliver Twist. Take a day, a week, a month, 10 seconds even- do something for poor little Oliver. All he wants is some porridge. He deserves it.

CHOICES

Another item checked off on my "LIST" I finished my first half marathon! It's been a long journey and I've learned at least 2 important lessons about myself. I started training for this half marathon in February. Back then, I huffed and puffed after 2 miles. I had a set back in March because of emergency surgery. I was out for about 4 weeks. After recovering I decided to continue training, despite desperate pleas (from my mother) for me to just stop. Lesson #1- I'm pretty stubborn (or persistent...tomAto/tomAHto).

Lesson #2 is more important, and not necessarily just about me. It came after I arrived in San Diego for the race. I woke up Saturday morning with a mind-numbing pain in my back and a sharp uncomfortable feeling in my chest. I started to worry. So, I visited the medical tent at the Expo Center to get a doctor's advice. After examining me for a while, the Dr. told me that I had COSTOCHONDRITIS (inflammation at the junction of my ribs and sternum). He didn't know what caused it. I asked him "Will I be able to run in the marathon tomorrow?" He said "well, you could, but you'll be in a lot of pain... so it's your choice."

.....And THERE was Lesson #2. I have a choice. What a concept! A CHOICE??? It didn't take me that long to make up my mind because I immediately thought of Donielle. She didn't have a choice about how quickly her hair would fall out from the chemo. She didn't have a choice about being hooked up to that got damn oxygen tank. She didn't get to choose how her body would react to the bone marrow transplant- the only thing that could have possibly saved her life. But she did choose to live every one of her last days to the fullest. She was brave and she never quit. So, my choice was simple. I chose to run that race...every single mile...for all the choices Donielle didn't get to make.

If you want to learn some things about yourself, you need to take on a challenge. I'm not saying to dedicate 5 months of your life to train for an endurance event, but do something out of your comfort zone. You will start to realize how strong you are (or can be), how confident you are (or aren't), how much passion you really have, or how many things you take for granted- like the power of CHOICES.