Part 1 - Sermon this morning was about David and Bathsheba!!!! HAHAHAHAHA! I almost started laughing - people say that God doesn't talk to them anymore - they just aren't listening! The point of the sermon was about asking for forgiveness and that no matter what you do and think you got away with - God sees it. You can run - but you can't hide. My preacher RARELY preaches on the Old Testament. Buddy usually goes to the 9 o'clock service - wish I knew if he was there and if he got the same message!
Part 2 - I went hiking today. All by myself. I was thinking last night about how I wish the wellness center I go to was open on Sunday and I guess I could go to the high school track or walk around the neighborhood. But I really don't like either of those options. The track is boring and it was supposed to get in the 90's today(it did). The neighborhood has too many dogs and it's just too easy to walk around the loop once and go home.
Ex and I have been on several vacations to National Parks and loved them. At home - we were couch potatoes - but on vacation - we would hike, raft, walk, picnic - just thoroughly enjoy being active and getting out and doing new things. The year after I had my cancer treatments, we went to Bryce, Zion & Grand Canyons. In Zion we hiked the Narrows - which is the place where you may have seen pictures of people touching both sides of the canyon at once. They're really cool and it's a strenuous hike that involves renting stuff from an outfitter (and obviously keeping track of flash flood possibilities!) - and we did it and I was SO proud of myself and him.
Every time we'd go on a trip and come back, we'd say that we ought to go hiking around home. We don't live in a mountain area - but there are several state parks with trails and even going to the mountains could be a doable day trip. But we NEVER ONCE did that. We'd get home and get back in our ruts, on our sofa, obsessed with work - and never do anything fun or different.
So last night, I looked up a park that's an hours drive away, saw they had some doable trails and went by myself after church. I found the old backpack, the insulated bottle, the handkerchief, got the visor and went. I checked in at the station and got the trail map and a walking stick and went on the 2.5 mile aptly named "Tranquility Trail". Saw 2 other parties coming back when I started out but other than that didn't see a soul around. It was hilly and a little challenging at points - but I felt so POWERFUL! I was doing something out of the ordinary, something just for me. My poor abused body was still able to haul my big butt around and feel great when it was done. After I got done with that trail, for my "reward" I walked over to the falls (short walk - saving the falls trail for another day) and just sat and stared at them and I felt so at peace and strong.
Why do we let ourselves get away from that? Why do we sit our flabby butts on a sofa and feel sorry for ourselves? I KNOW that every time I've gone and done something like that, I felt so good about myself later. But what is it in me that has just let me waller in depression and fat and inactivity instead of go help myself? I'm not a pentecostal person - but I truly believe it's the devil riding your back. When you look at the mechanics of the human body - they're amazing - they're a miracle. But instead of appreciating the gift we've been given, we let that damn devil whisper in our souls - "Ugh, you'll get sweaty if you go walking. You're too tired to go to the gym. Wouldn't a bag of M&M's and a night of TV be relaxing? You don't have the time to work out".
And just like Eve - it's so easy to listen to him. But just like Eve - he doesn't give a damn about me! So I've shut that voice OUT. I'm going to be the person I want to be - the healthy, fit and active person that I want to be. The person that God created and that HE wants me to be.
Part 2 - I went hiking today. All by myself. I was thinking last night about how I wish the wellness center I go to was open on Sunday and I guess I could go to the high school track or walk around the neighborhood. But I really don't like either of those options. The track is boring and it was supposed to get in the 90's today(it did). The neighborhood has too many dogs and it's just too easy to walk around the loop once and go home.
Ex and I have been on several vacations to National Parks and loved them. At home - we were couch potatoes - but on vacation - we would hike, raft, walk, picnic - just thoroughly enjoy being active and getting out and doing new things. The year after I had my cancer treatments, we went to Bryce, Zion & Grand Canyons. In Zion we hiked the Narrows - which is the place where you may have seen pictures of people touching both sides of the canyon at once. They're really cool and it's a strenuous hike that involves renting stuff from an outfitter (and obviously keeping track of flash flood possibilities!) - and we did it and I was SO proud of myself and him.
Every time we'd go on a trip and come back, we'd say that we ought to go hiking around home. We don't live in a mountain area - but there are several state parks with trails and even going to the mountains could be a doable day trip. But we NEVER ONCE did that. We'd get home and get back in our ruts, on our sofa, obsessed with work - and never do anything fun or different.
So last night, I looked up a park that's an hours drive away, saw they had some doable trails and went by myself after church. I found the old backpack, the insulated bottle, the handkerchief, got the visor and went. I checked in at the station and got the trail map and a walking stick and went on the 2.5 mile aptly named "Tranquility Trail". Saw 2 other parties coming back when I started out but other than that didn't see a soul around. It was hilly and a little challenging at points - but I felt so POWERFUL! I was doing something out of the ordinary, something just for me. My poor abused body was still able to haul my big butt around and feel great when it was done. After I got done with that trail, for my "reward" I walked over to the falls (short walk - saving the falls trail for another day) and just sat and stared at them and I felt so at peace and strong.
Why do we let ourselves get away from that? Why do we sit our flabby butts on a sofa and feel sorry for ourselves? I KNOW that every time I've gone and done something like that, I felt so good about myself later. But what is it in me that has just let me waller in depression and fat and inactivity instead of go help myself? I'm not a pentecostal person - but I truly believe it's the devil riding your back. When you look at the mechanics of the human body - they're amazing - they're a miracle. But instead of appreciating the gift we've been given, we let that damn devil whisper in our souls - "Ugh, you'll get sweaty if you go walking. You're too tired to go to the gym. Wouldn't a bag of M&M's and a night of TV be relaxing? You don't have the time to work out".
And just like Eve - it's so easy to listen to him. But just like Eve - he doesn't give a damn about me! So I've shut that voice OUT. I'm going to be the person I want to be - the healthy, fit and active person that I want to be. The person that God created and that HE wants me to be.
If this were a Facebook status, I'd like this! Keep hiking. The aesthetic reward seems to be as fulfilling and important as the physcial fitness reward.
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