Feed Your Mind, Body and Spirit...

Feed Your Mind, Body and Spirit…

For almost 20 years, it has been my experience that the person who heads out the door to run, walk or ride a bicycle is not the one who returns.  Something shifts the minute I step outside and this motivates me to continue doing this day after day even more than my level of fitness, the number on the scale or my dress size.  I find myself smiling wide from within, refreshed and renewed.

The time on the road – outside and surrounded by nature – softens life’s sharp edges, connects us to our self and all of life, grounds us in what is important and helps us let go of what is not.  Step by step, minute by minute, breath by breath energy moves through us, freeing us from the stresses, demands, irritations and encounters of the day that have the potential to suck the wind out of our sails.

Departing from the rigidity of tight schedules, we can experience spontaneous surprises that fill us with possibilities.  As a writer, I have had inspiring thoughts pour through me mile after mile bringing forth far more than trying to force what is blocked.  As an entrepreneur, I have found great clarity and insight after exhaustively spinning problems over and over until I thought I would burst from frustration.  As a human being, I have found more of myself, discovering dormant parts of me ready to blossom. 

Whether you find rain, sleet, snow, winds or sunshine, the time on the road awakens the sweetness of life, reminding us that it is a gift to simply be alive; as we return to play feeding the child within us that still needs recess no matter our age, our profession, or our roles in society.  We can be responsible and still be playful.  Life is supposed to be fun not a constant grind of obligations and “to do” lists, stripping away the pleasure.  Happiness is way underrated.  We are taught to do whatever it takes to get the job done – at work and at home – and if we find moments of happiness as a byproduct of these expectations, we’re lucky, we’re the exception. 

If running, walking, cycling is not your thing, find out what is.  John, my late husband, knew better than anyone how to play throughout each day.  Leaving the store, he would run while pushing the grocery cart and jump on the back riding it to his truck and morphing into a 12 year old right before my eyes. 

More than anything, I want everyone to LOVE life (not just occasionally on weekends or vacations), to do one thing every day because it is fun and to create rituals that feed your mind, body and spirit – reigniting your passion for living.  We are never too old and it is never too late to take a stand for our life, saying “Yes!” to laughter, to play, to fun and whatever lightens our hearts.

Meditation:  What if your doctor ordered you to discover what makes you happy in order to create health, what would you be willing to do?

Action:  Write yourself a permission slip to do one thing every day for the FUN of it.