Wordless Wednesday

The "Star of Alaska". A 24-carat yellow diamond worth $1.3 million on an ordinary gal's hand!

Pamper Your Spirit


After getting back from an awesome Alaskan cruise I realized just how much we need to pamper our spirits as well as our bodies. (Although Jerry won a spa treatment worth $195 the first day of our cruise. It was a sea-algae wrap and massage. Talk about being pampered!!!)

Being on a cruise you obviously pamper your body--especially with the incredible food--but on this cruise my spirit was so pampered also.

When you see views like this (Mendenhall Glacier):

Your spirit is just filled with joy and awe. You know there has to be a higher presence and you can't help but send thanks for the opportunity to see this spectacular scenery.


I have a list of life goals that I hope to accomplish. (Jerry has one he calls his "bucket list".) One of the things on my life goals list is to see whales up close. On this trip I was able to do just that. We took a whale watching trip. We saw humpbacks and orcas breach. It was so breath-taking that it actually brought me to tears. We got to see humpbacks "bubble-feeding". Our naturalist told us that most people in the world will never see this! I wondered if my spirit could be filled with any more joy...

Our last stop was Skagway where we took a train ride up into the mountains. This was a little more low-key after seeing the whales and the Margarie Glacier "calve" but still quite impressive. The scenery was beautiful and you had to marvel at the work someone did to be able to put a railroad track up that mountain. (The flowers you see here are called "Fireweed". They were blooming everywhere.)

I have come back refreshed in mind, body and spirit. It was truly a vacation to remember. I hope you all take time to pamper your spirit even if it isn't a life-changing experience for you. Do you have an experience you'd like to share with us? How have you pampered your spirit this summer?

Wordless Wednesday
"Never Too Young To Start A Business!"

Secrets of Healthy Aging

The picture you see is of me right after ran my second 5K ever. I read an article in the April issue of Body and Soul magazine. The article was titled "10 Secrets of Healthy Aging". Since I am always interested in healthy ideas I read on. You guessed it--one of the secrets was to get your sneakers out and stay fit.

My daughter and her husband have been doing quite a bit of running. My daughter ran a half marathon this spring. All of this influence got me to thinking that maybe I could run too. I'm a pretty consistent walker but I wanted to challenge myself and see if this old girl could really run.

After finding a training program for running online, I started out on my treadmill. After about three weeks I actually ran my first marathon. (My daughter ran with me pushing a stroller. You can see how fast I was...) Anyway, my goal was to finish and I did. But that just made me want to be able to run faster. So I kept training.

I ran another 5K about a month ago. Surprise, surprise--I came in first in my age group. (Well, there were only three of us but still...)This race was much harder even though I trained longer for it. The weather was VERY humid and I was used to running on my treadmill, not outside. I admit I did have to walk a couple of times. But I did finish and even got a medal.

I am going to continue to run. I've been trying to run more outside but it's easier on the treadmill when I can watch tv or read. (A bonus for me was that my other daughter was here visiting two weeks ago and I could run with her outside.)

I've been thinking about that article and some of the other ideas they listed. Eat more potassium, (I have a banana every day.) reduce red meat (I've been eating veggie burgers and soy sausages) get more Vit. D (I am taking a supplement my daughter the chiropractor suggested. It also has calcium.) do tai chai (I've never done it but I'd be willing to try.),think positively (It's easier to do this during the summer when I'm not teaching!) and more that I will have to really consider.

Do we have any runners out there that have some words of wisdom for those of us who are beginners? Has anyone tried tai chai?

Don't Wish Your Life Away

Since my birthday was yesterday I've been reflecting on getting older. The birthday gifts and greetings were great but now I'm left with writing a bigger number for my age. (Although you won't believe this, I actually got carded at a restaurant on Sat. night!)

I was lamenting the fact that I'm on the downward slide toward another number ending in zero when my husband said "yes, but you are one year closer to retirement..." He's right. I should be looking at my age more positively. However, I shouldn't be wishing my life away.

Looking at how fast my grandchildren are growing up makes me realize time moves too fast. My little grandson is so adorable (two yrs.) I wish I could freeze-frame this time for just a little bit. My flowers are in full bloom, the raspberries are just beginning to ripen and butterflies are starting to visit. Really, could life be much better? The calendar tells me that summer is already more than a third over and I haven't crossed much off my to-do list. But why am I worried about that? I need to stop wishing for another day and really just enjoy today.

A good example of this is a couple that I taught with. They did a lot of traveling before and after they retired. Now 5 years later, Don has Lou Gehrig's disease and their traveling days are over. I can imagine how they would give anything to turn back the clock. I'm also sure they are not wishing their lives away and are making the most of every moment they have together. While we are dealing with the setbacks dealt us, life goes on and good memories can still happen.

So...I want you to pack as much joy and happiness as you can into today. Stop and be grateful for all your blessings. Share your good fortune with others. I'm not going to think about what might be ahead, but enjoy the rest of the afternoon. I've got some ripe raspberries calling to me...