The world is full of many people

Sometimes it is hard to balance others in our busy lives.  We have our family, we have friends from the past, friends from the present and people you could see yourself spending time with in the future.  Sometimes, the only thing I feel that is lacking is quality time to spend with any of them!

The demands on our time is sometimes so overwhelming that I want to crawl in bed and go to sleep instead of trying to figure out how to fit everyone in.  Tie in demands on time with work and activities and stress level tends to jump thru the roof.  I'm working on changing my stress into gratitude, being thankful for the wonderful relationships I have with everyone I'm lucky enough to care about.  

So to all of you I spend my time with, please know you mean a lot to me, my life is richer with you in it, even if our time together is limited :)   Also beware...I may be hounding you to spend more time with me, something I don't often do because I know everyone else leads busy lives too.  You won't hurt my feelings if the timing just isn't right, just walk away knowing that if I asked you, it must be because I value your time and involvement in my life.

Who Am I?

I've spent a month enjoying life.  Doing things I want to do, some days doing nothing at all.  Health and happiness were the top priority and stress for the most part non existent.  The month at a much slower pace than our family is used to has given me a chance to reflect and renew my goals for the rest of the year.  Step one...to set the stage for my goals, I have to know who I am.

I've realized that...

I am unique.
I am caring.
I am stubborn.
I am competitive.
I am controlling.
I am open to change.
I am reflective.
I am easily distracted.
I am full of good intentions.
I am judgemental.
I am weak.
I am strong.
I am kind.
I am helpful.
I am quick to act.
I am sensitive.
I am shy.
I am impatient.
I am eager to please.
I am a leader.
I am influenced by others.
I am clearly in conflict with myself!
I am still becoming who I am!

Looks like I have some work to do and like my photo...it's going to be an uphill challenge...or is it? Perception is everything :)  Do you know who you are?

Reflections of a Busy Month

It has been a month since I've had a chance to share my thoughts.  A month full of stress, relaxation and many opportunities to reflect.  Every bit of downtime I had to focus on a post left me wondering where to focus my thoughts, the result was to back off completely.

Just as "June" taught me many things, good ole "July" was a month of reminders.  I was reminded that stress does not do my body well, teaching summer school, feeling like the days are not long enough and there was not enough time to accomplish all I needed to do caused me to eat, be grouchy and not take time to appreciate my surroundings.  I had flashbacks to the days when health and fitness were not a top 5 priority for me, and my body sent me clear messages it doesn't enjoy a poor diet, less exercise and a lack of sleep.

My family, although understanding were also placed on the back burner.  Although well intentioned, my crazy schedule did not make our days the most pleasant.  It took a couple days away from technology to help us reconnect and enjoy the time we had together.

"July" has once again reminded me that my choice to focus on me, my health, my family and my lifestyle over the past couple years has been the right one!

I'm still continuing to simplify my life, choosing quality over quantity in many aspects, doing things I enjoy as much as I can, and focusing on the wonderful opportunities I have available to me.  I'm looking forward to a month to do just that before the fall schedule sets in.

Here's to hoping I can find time for all the important people in my life, continued improvement in health and fitness and opportunities to continue learning and exploring topics of interest to me....up first, a weekend with friends and family to do just that!