We have beginnings all the time. Every morning, each week, month, season change, start of school terms and especially each year. At each of these "beginnings", I take a moment to think about what I want to accomplish in that time frame. And I don't think I am alone.
Anyone else make a daily list of what you need to do that day, what you are making for supper, groceries to buy, errands to run, activities to go to, email or calls to make?
Almost every Sunday supper for as long as I can remember, our family has talked about what is going on for the upcoming week for everyone. And my kids are probably tired of me telling them that each new term in school is a new chance to be and do whatever you want. It doesn't matter what happened last term, this is a chance to start fresh.
A new calendar year is also a fresh start. I like to have a big yearly calendar where I can see each month. I start putting in events we want to do, house and yard improvements we want to tackle. We discuss finances and things we need to purchase and what we would be able to purchase from our wish list.
Things aren't perfect for anyone. We all have challenges with our homes, geography, community, friends, equipment. We all have those things that just don't quite fit.
The geography of where I live is one of those things for me. The winters are typically very cold, summers are warm- except for the never-ending mosquitoes. Spring and fall are the best. I can be outside, and maybe it isn't super warm but there are no bugs. Our heavily forested areas and lakes are a motorized enthusiast dream. Our highways are busy with no paved shoulders. It isn't the easiest exploring and enjoying the outdoors safely as a cyclist.
So sometimes, as I spend my time on the trainer in the basement, I feel sorry for myself and I imagine how much "better" my life could be in a different place where I could be outside more often with less barriers.
Until now.
I have decided to embrace my place in life more, enjoy each and every day and bloom where I am planted. This has become my daily motivation.
Hubby and I have been checking out fat tired bikes for awhile now. You know you are officially part of the "cyclist club" when you dream and work to have a bike of every kind. Fatties are awesome, like really awesome but it seemed to be hard to justify the cost of them (in comparison to a mountain bike) and how much I would actually use it. With the spring events I have planned, it's a full-time job getting in all the workouts never mind adding more into the mix. I just wasn't sure I would get outside enough to justify the purchase.
Anyway, Hubby decided to go for it, found a bike he liked, got a great deal on it and he wanted me to come along with him for the drive to pick it up (3 1/2 hours one way). It seemed to me to be a good solution that he purchased one, to see what it is really like. He has a more flexible schedule through the winter months than I do and if it was working great for him, I would consider it.
His bike was ready for him and he took it for a spin around the block. I looked around a bit and the salesman asked why I wasn't also getting one. I explained my reasons and he said it was so much nicer riding with someone else and they had a used demo, maybe I would want to try. Long story short- I fell in love and we came home with 2 bikes in the back of the vehicle.
There are some things I just don't understand. Sometimes I research, thoroughly check things out, think a lot and then finally make the purchase. Other times like this time, it was truly a spontaneous decision but it felt really right. The bike fit perfectly and the ride was so sweet.
So now, we are getting outside, embracing whatever the weather brings us and having the time of our lives. The learning curve is steep, figuring out how to drive through the snow, battle the wind, what to wear, how to transport things, how to keep the toes warm and how to keep the water and nutrition from freezing. And oh what fun!
One simple purchase. One decision. A big change in my way of thinking. There is now a willingness to try and embrace what I have perceived as uninviting.
So my encouragement for you is to bloom where you are planted. Take something you perceive negatively and change it. I thought the only way to remove barriers was to get rid of them. Imagine my surprise to find out that the only thing that needed to be changed was my perception of them.
Things aren't perfect for anyone. We all have challenges with our homes, geography, community, friends, equipment. We all have those things that just don't quite fit.
The geography of where I live is one of those things for me. The winters are typically very cold, summers are warm- except for the never-ending mosquitoes. Spring and fall are the best. I can be outside, and maybe it isn't super warm but there are no bugs. Our heavily forested areas and lakes are a motorized enthusiast dream. Our highways are busy with no paved shoulders. It isn't the easiest exploring and enjoying the outdoors safely as a cyclist.
So sometimes, as I spend my time on the trainer in the basement, I feel sorry for myself and I imagine how much "better" my life could be in a different place where I could be outside more often with less barriers.
Until now.
I have decided to embrace my place in life more, enjoy each and every day and bloom where I am planted. This has become my daily motivation.
Hubby and I have been checking out fat tired bikes for awhile now. You know you are officially part of the "cyclist club" when you dream and work to have a bike of every kind. Fatties are awesome, like really awesome but it seemed to be hard to justify the cost of them (in comparison to a mountain bike) and how much I would actually use it. With the spring events I have planned, it's a full-time job getting in all the workouts never mind adding more into the mix. I just wasn't sure I would get outside enough to justify the purchase.
Anyway, Hubby decided to go for it, found a bike he liked, got a great deal on it and he wanted me to come along with him for the drive to pick it up (3 1/2 hours one way). It seemed to me to be a good solution that he purchased one, to see what it is really like. He has a more flexible schedule through the winter months than I do and if it was working great for him, I would consider it.
His bike was ready for him and he took it for a spin around the block. I looked around a bit and the salesman asked why I wasn't also getting one. I explained my reasons and he said it was so much nicer riding with someone else and they had a used demo, maybe I would want to try. Long story short- I fell in love and we came home with 2 bikes in the back of the vehicle.
There are some things I just don't understand. Sometimes I research, thoroughly check things out, think a lot and then finally make the purchase. Other times like this time, it was truly a spontaneous decision but it felt really right. The bike fit perfectly and the ride was so sweet.
So now, we are getting outside, embracing whatever the weather brings us and having the time of our lives. The learning curve is steep, figuring out how to drive through the snow, battle the wind, what to wear, how to transport things, how to keep the toes warm and how to keep the water and nutrition from freezing. And oh what fun!
One simple purchase. One decision. A big change in my way of thinking. There is now a willingness to try and embrace what I have perceived as uninviting.
So my encouragement for you is to bloom where you are planted. Take something you perceive negatively and change it. I thought the only way to remove barriers was to get rid of them. Imagine my surprise to find out that the only thing that needed to be changed was my perception of them.
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