It's a marathon, not a sprint

Remember the 2012 London Summer Olympics?  As I sit here at 3:53 a.m. I am reminded of those olympians and their extraordinary athletic feats.  Those determined athletes that trained so hard and overcame incredible obstacles so they could compete with athletes all over the world.  Did you watch those 2012 London games?  The passing of the olympic torch and the lighting of the olympic flame in the arena.  What a spectacle to behold.  I am also reminded of the beauty of the runners both long and short distance.  The sprinters, running with explosive intensity, displayed an exciting few moments when every fiber of their bodies are pushed to their limit.  It's an impressive few moments when the pain and extreme effort is evident in the bulging of muscles and the intense facial expressions.  The sprinters were quite a contrast from the long distance runners.  The marathon runners quickly settled into a paced rhythm, a focused concentration written on their faces.  Those marathoners appeared to be somewhat relaxed in comparison to the sprinters, after all, they were in it for the long haul.  Taking in fluids as they ran, they just kept moving forward.  The long distance runners didn't even seem to notice the other runners or the spectators cheering them on.  Their focus was so complete, their journey a personal challenge without dramatic fanfare, they just kept moving forward never changing cadence or their resolve.  That reminds me of another marathon . . .

You know, this race we run isn't a sprint.  Our race isn't even a race.  There's no celebration as we cross the finish line, because our race has no finish line . . . atleast not yet.  We run this marathon in search of the finish line with an unparalleled determination, fortitude, and grace.  We run with the relaxed, paced rhythm of a marathoner that is in the marathon of his/her life.  When we lose our pace, we stumble and fall, but we always get up again and get back in the "race".  With the determination and resolve

All the seasons of your life

My favorite time of year is autumn . . . spring is good too, but there is something about autumn that energizes me.  We are just getting into our autumn weather.  Last week was so hot, but the last several days have been cooler (in the 70's) and I feel like getting back outside in the garden again.  Time for the autumn cleanup and weeding out all the plants that got burned up by the hot weather.  Gardening is so different here because I cut the plants back in autumn and they immediately start growing again.  Perpetual gardening!  Time to replant my herb garden so I can cook with fresh herbs this winter and I'm going to put some greens in for a cool weather crop so we can have fresh salads.

Yesterday I went to Myrtle Creek, one of the local nurseries, which has a quaint and relaxing atmosphere with a pond and a fountain, and lots of garden nooks to wander through.  There is an old house there with a small veranda that has been converted into a shop with several rooms where seasonal treasures can be discovered.  This autumn Fallbrook is having a scarecrow festival so there are lots of scarecrows everywhere and Myrtle Creek is no exception.  I went there yesterday, because I was feeling a need to get out of the house and have some alone time to wander around the nursery.  It was very therapeutic!

I'm looking forward to winter coming too.  Believe it or not it gets cold in Fallbrook and night time temperatures can dip into the 30's and occasionally we even get frost.  I look forward to that because I put avocado wood in the fireplace and sometimes I have wood burning all day and into the night.  I love that smell; it brings back good memories of times past and I look forward to new memories yet to come.

It's a good time of year to go up Palomar Mountain, which is about 45 miles from Fallbrook to the top of the mountain.  I usually see turkeys on the ride up the mountain and at one of the lookouts there is an ocean view.  There are lots of pine trees and the Hale telescope can be seen near the summit.  On the way back down it's fun to take the long way back home and stop in Julian, a mountain town, for a piece of their famous berry pies and some cinnamon ice cream.  It's my mother's 88th birthday on October 13 so I'm taking her up Palomar Mountain for some fresh air and a change of view.  She's a fiercely independent woman that has overcome many obstacles in her life, including the Great Depression.  She lives in her own home and drives a car . . . she has so many activities planned each week that she has a difficult time getting all of her gardening done!  She is certainly a real survivor.

All of those seasonal activities make the daily challenges of fibromyalgia less of a focus in my day.  And meanwhile I have good memories to mark the seasons spent with the people I love.  Maintaining a positive outlook and not giving up all the things you love is so important for quality of life.  As Sid would say, "I may not be as good as I once was, but I'm good once as I ever was!"  Life is good so enjoy all the seasons of your life to the fullest of your ability so your regrets are few and your happy, joyful times are many.  Blessings to you during this beautiful autumn season . . . or during your spring time with all the blooming spring flowers, whichever season you're in today!

Getting through the tough times

How are you today?  I'm thinking about all of you all over the world that are so sick every day with this illness that persistently tries to chip away at our mind, body and spirit.  Every single day feels like a contest and I'm often left wondering who will really win at the end of this race.  I'm sure there are many days when the time is counted in hours and minutes.  I know it can be that way for me.

So how do we get through this with dignity and grace?  Others around us don't understand that we can't keep up with them and many of us may feel unjustly criricized for not pitching in and doing more.  That can leave us feeling isolated, frustrated, sad, and more stressed.  You know, we can't wait until we are understood.  I see so many women with fibromyalgia that have lost their partners, which is in part due to their illness.  Our partners are with us for better or for worse.  So what on earth happened to the "for worse".  It's easy to be with someone during the good times.  The question is "Who is by your side during the tough times?"    And times don't get any more difficult than when there is a chronic illness that impacts your day every day.  That chronic illness impacts those around us every day too so they are living a chronic illness with us.  Is that what they signed up for?  Is that what we signed up for?  I see young people getting married and they share vows to be there for better or for worse.  I always wonder if they know what that really means and are they serious about those vows?  Today it's easy to run in the other direction when times get really tough.  But that's the true test of character and conviction.  Does that partner next to you stay the course?  That's the true test of devotion too.  That doesn't mean our partners don't get

Hey, where's the joy??

I look for little snipets of joy all the time.  Joy is such an integral part of quality of life and if you don't have quality of life, what's the point?  You know, every day is a good day, but some days are harder than others.  The harder the day becomes the harder I look for the joy.  It's like being a sleuth gathering clues in search of an elusive prize.  The more elusive joy becomes the more determined I become to find it.  Not having joy in my day is not an option.  I have constructed a mental list of reliable joy sanctuaries so I am able to get my dose of joy any time I need it.  When all else fails and the trail becomes temporarily lost, I am comforted by the knowledge that joy can be found in obscure places; places that others may not recognize.  To find joy you must be highly observant and intuitive and be receptive to the clues all around you.  If you wait for joy to be delivered to you in a neat little package you will fail to recognize joy when you see it.  Joy presents itself differently wherever you

Change is inevitable . . . fear and anxiety are optional

If there is anything I know for sure it's the reality that change is inevitable.  We live in a dynamic world that keeps changing at an ever faster pace.  Our own bodies are dynamic and change throughout the day; some of those changes are visible as decades go by.  We also feel the change in our bodies, especially when a chronic illness comes knocking.  As people age there is a tendency to feel more vulnerable, which is frequently expressed with fear, anxiety and depression.  People that suffer from a chronic illness are also prone to developing fear, anxiety and depression, and people with fibromyalgia are no exception.  Living with those feelings of vulnerability and the accompanying fears are difficult to cope with every day and can be debilitating.

I have experienced these emotions throughout the decades of my life during times of significant change.  Those times gave me an opportunity to examine my own perceptions about the events that had immersed me in a dark and scary place.  But I have learned that if I don't like a situation I have three choices:  I can either accept the situation as it is, I can alter or change my participation in the situation or I can change my perception of the situation.  That is the only control I have in the whole world; control over myself.

When I think of all the changes in my life it is apparent to me that many of those changes orignally presented themselves as a larger than life negative challenge.  Most of the life challenges and changes