Joyfull Living

  As all of our sons are now grown and on their own, I love the adult interactions we now have. On a recent visit with one son, he mentioned his legs were sore from working out. He shared this huge amount of weight he was able to squat and in comparison, I shared that week I used 20 pound weights (much lighter!) for Bulgarian squats.  We discussed the areas we were sore and the benefits of these squats. This exercise can be used to work the quads or the glutes.  I shared a tip my trainer gives to focus on what muscle group we want to work. Look eye level for squats, allow your eyes to travel down when hinging for glute work. "Oh, that makes sense", my son said. "Your body follows your eyes." I'm learning to use this method while working out, but how much powerful to put into practice for life applications. "Every day offers reasons to complain and reasons to give thanks. Your life will follow the one you choose." I saw this graphic and loved how it com...

I am a habit runner. Not a running fanatic, not a competitive runner, but one that knows if I don't run at all, the ability to run will vanish. A habit runner does the same things, the same way, almost every run! My routine consists of a regular running day with a regular running route. Part of the routine involves listening to podcasts.   Recently, I've been aware of the value of practicing stillness and quietness. There is always noise around us, but to find inspiration and soul searching, requires a deliberate attempt to find quiet times and places. A new practice I found was during morning walks, leaving the ear buds at home and simply walking and talking to God.   A recent morning found me preparing for a run, but with a new phone, the Bluetooth ear buds would not connect. The old fashioned wired ear phones would not fit in the new phone. Minutes passed trying to get this to work. The first thought was I cannot run without something to listen to, but this was ru...

  Belonging - the beautiful place where we know we are loved, valued and a place is made just for us. In every heart lies the desire to belong. Belonging fills the heart with peace, security and joy. Knowing there is a place we fit and are able to receive and contribute brings a sense of fulfillment. Belonging is our primary human need. Beyond food and shelter, nothing promotes human flourishing like having a people and place of belonging. When the peaceful feeling of belonging is challenged, our emotions can quickly rise up. The quest to belong fuels the intense reactions to whatever threatened our sense of belonging. Simple things such as being overlooked with an invitation, a thoughtless word aimlessly directed or distracted reactions from others can threaten the sense of belonging and quickly send us spiraling. Our emotions fill us with ways to react and if we are not careful can consume us and bring harm to relationships.  A better solution to treasure and cherish those...