Perspective

I've been working so hard on "Sunday Dinner" the past couple of weeks that I haven't taken the time to really get out and enjoy the incredible weather we are having here on the coast. So today I decided to just do it. And, as I typically do, I tried to squeeze in too many errands and of course ran into glitches, so my artist date time got eaten up. 

As I was driving along 101 looking out over Tillamook Bay I saw this flying saucer... I mean castle... I mean mountain... I mean... what is it? I pulled over and took a photo. 

When I got home I was frustrated that my afternoon out produced only this one photo. As I was processing it I was thinking about how what it is depends on the perspective of the viewer. And then it hit me. The success of my artist date depends just as much on the perspective of the viewer. 

If I had been determined to drive down 101 and look across the bay to see Cape Mears, I would have been sorely disappointed because a fog bank only allowed me to see the point of the mountain. Instead, I was delighted at the view the fog created. So maybe instead of being upset that my time wasn't spent the way I intended, I can be delighted that a handful errands can be crossed of my list, that I got to spend some time with people I love, I did an act of service, and I got to be out of the house breathing and seeing and listening and feeling an absolutely perfect day on the Oregon Coast. 

Perspective... 

Restless

Start. Stop. Hurry up. Wait. Start a project. Get interrupted. Start something else. Everything goes wrong. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! 

"Some days are like that... even in Australia..." ~Judith Viorst (from Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Day). 

I used to read that book to my own children as well as to my elementary class each year. When I have these kinds of days, I try to remember that it's just a day... 

Apples, Oranges and Hearts, Oh My!

Someone posted on Facebook a photo of a human heart covered in fat, saying that fat is not beautiful. I wanted to reply that an anorexic heart probably doesn't look much prettier. I think the issue is that we're trying to make oranges in to apples. Overweight women have as much right as any magazine model to feel beautiful because beauty shouldn't be defined by our body shape. Beauty is an entire package of personality, integrity, self-worth, and kindness. Fatness isn't beautiful because it's unhealthy. And that's a different issue than beauty.

They are linking, however, because if we are not taking care of ourselves physically it's probably because we don't feel beautiful already. I personally can't address my weight issues until I'm comfortable with who I am, as is. Any effort I put toward it prematurely will only backfire in the end. I've watched this same cycle with many women in my life. However, when I understand my invite worth a s human soul, I also understand my inmate beauty and the sire to be healthy becomes intrinsic and possible. 

If we, as a society, could stop trying to make oranges into apples and simply look at each other heart to heart, then we could all feel more beautiful and the fat would begin to melt away.

Treading Water

I've never been able to tread water. Even though I learned to swim as a child, I was never a very good swimmer. Several years ago I decided to overcome my fear of the water and worked hard to do it. I went to the pool and practiced - not swimming - but not being afraid of the water. After a few months I was swimming like a fish in the deep end and loving every minute of it. And now, even though I can't get enough of the water, I've still not been able to tread water.

A few months ago I started taking a water aerobics class. One lady does the exercises without a float belt. After class the other day I decided to try doing the exercises without a belt. It was hard, but I found myself quite able to do it. Suddenly I realized I was basically treading water. I quit focusing on the exercises and started focusing on simply staying afloat. I soon realized that all the other times I'd tried to tread water I had failed because I had done the "panic stroke".  As soon as I realized I could do it, and believed in myself, my motions settled into a rhythm. My heart rate evened out and I was able to treat water for 15 minutes. I could have kept going but I needed to get on with my day.

Typically when people talk about treading water they are using the phrase in a negative connotation to indicate that someone isn't moving forward in their life. On this day, however, treading water meant I wasn't drowning and it became a true life saving skill. I think often we are hard on ourselves when all we are doing is treading water. I think it's good to give ourselves credit for staying afloat and not drowning until we can get the resources we need to move in a healthy way.

The Little Engine That Could

I was able to find some good resources and get the cars done. It was a fun day of things coming together. It was interesting that while I struggled physically to feel energy or the physical drive to paint, I was able to get myself to the canvas and then things just took off. 

One of the things I love about teaching is that I see this happen time and again with my students. It is validating to me that this is a human phenomenon and not just me. It also gives me the insight to reassure and support my students when they have days that they, as Nancy likes to say, "aren't feeling the love." 

I think it is often the case when we are struggling with any task initiation, that if we can simply get ourselves to the "canvas" an inner drive takes over and we kick into gear and do what needs to be done. Sometimes it's just a matter of getting ourselves in the right place at the right time. After that, it's just a matter of repeating, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."