An eternal optimist, always wearing a smile. Must haves: sunshine, fitness (jogging, weight training, & CrossFit), reading, good food, writing, music, and fun with family and friends.
Finishing what you start, is what really matters. Around the four mile mark, I felt like quitting today, but that wasn’t an option. Pushing through the discomfort (probably from last night’s Corona, hot wings, and french fries), and reminding myself, “Mind over matter,” help me to finish. I pushed through the discomfort and exceeded my goal of 8 miles today. Yay!!
Don’t get hung up on somebody’s elses numbers. My advice to the new runners and walkers is to focus on your goals. Don’t look at my numbers and think I’m great and that you’ll never get there. Because somebody else is looking at my numbers and saying, “damn she’s slow!” LOL!! But it really doesn’t matter. Fitness is about maintaining overall good health and well-being.
“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of a dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” – John Kennedy
It is beautiful outside, so I must get a run in today. I’m headed out now, and hope that you can get a walk or run in today too. 🙂
The loud and invasive grinding sound of organic Arabica coffee beans begins at 4:40 a.m. Oh how I wish I could smell the coffee from the comfort of my bed; the aroma would make getting up more pleasant. Less than five minutes later, the dark bedroom is illuminated by the strobe like light flickering from the alarm on my iPhone. “Closer,” one of my favorite songs plays softly in the background. The soothing music is a stark contrast to the bright flickering light. A light that would be startling to the unexpected sleeper, but my sub-conscience reminds me, even while sleeping, that I will be awaken by the light. A visual that moves me to get out of bed.
I am pretty much a morning person, so rising before sunrise isn’t usually an issue for me. I admit though, it is easier to get up when it’’s warm outside and the sun-rays play peek-a-boo through the curtains and blinds. This morning started the same as any other. Except, after I sipped down a freshly brewed cup of coffee, showered, applied my make-up, and styled my naturally curly hair, did the phone ring.
I wondered who was calling so early. “Good Morning! This is the Atlantic City Public Schools, due to the inclement weather, we will be operating on a two (2) hour delayed schedule today….blah..blah…..” Everything else is muffled and fades into the background! Are you kidding? I’m dressed already! The call came in sometime around six, but it was too late. My curls are poppin and I don’t dare lie down and flatten them. So now what?
“Get over it girl!” I tell myself. Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest entertained me for a little while, but then I started craving real food. And since the delay meant that instead of arriving at school by 7:40 a.m., I joyfully didn’t have to show up until 9:40 a.m. Sweet!
Instead of being consumed by something that I had no control over, I moved on. It is so simple, especially at the start of our day, to let some ridiculous incident dictate the attitude for the day and wine about it to anybody and everybody who will listen. Yup! Been there, done that.
I am thankful for the extra two hours this morning. After playing around and reading online for a few, I was overcome by an unusual craving for shrimp. That’s right, a shrimp craving at 6:30 in the morning. Noooooo! There’s no baby in this oven. That chapter is over.
I ran to my kitchen and cooked exactly what I wanted. Shrimp! I enjoyed the most delicious home cooked breakfast in a long time!
Early morning weekday breakfast!
I lapped up the spicy sautéed garlic shrimp and a spinach omelet! I tried my darnest to savor the smell and to enjoy every bite of my breakfast, but I couldn’t resist. I had this delicious food on one of my favorite pretty blue dinner plates. I was supposed to sit at the counter enjoying breakfast like I was at a nice restaurant. Instead, I ended up with the plate in my hand, off the counter, and up to my mouth sucking up the remaining garlic slithering around in olive oil and crushed red pepper. As my son would say, “Mom, you’re going to the chair of shame!” Lol! I am happy for the delayed start; it made my day even better than planned. In addition to eating an awesome breakfast, I also cooked my son and hubby an omelet and even made time to stop at the supermarket to complete my “after work” errands before I even started work. Nice!
I hope that you enjoyed your day today and that you will have an ever better day tomorrow!
“It’s not the age, it’s what you do with the age.”
“When you get my age, you’ll see! Getting old is a real bitch!” These harsh words are mom’s, not mine. They are mother’s daily reminder to me that when I get old (whatever age that is), my life will come to a screeching halt. No joy. No laughter. Just aches and pains.
How gloomy is that prognosis?!?! I disagree and while I haven’t hit the 50 year millstone yet, I am convinced that age is just a number. A number that we create perceptions about how we see ourselves and how we experience life as we physically and mentally age.
Ida Keeling is an answer to my mother’s pessimistic view on aging. Aging cannot be easy. Between the body breaking down and family and friends passing on, it must be difficult. Yet some seniors enjoy life and see each day as a blessing. At 97 years old Ms. Keeling continues to run! She runs the 100 yard dash in 51 seconds!! How cool is that?
Ms. Ida is a reminder to all of us to continue to thrive and to enjoy life. Don’t stop doing the things that ignite the passion within us. As we age, being alive means that we should continue to challenge ourselves and invigorate our mind, body, and spirit. Don’t stop doing what you love because you have reached another milestone…40…50…60…70 or older.
I will continue to run until my body tells me to stop and, if that occurs, I will revert to another physical activity. I am committed to a lifetime to keep it movin’.
Sunday’s mild temperatures gave me the opportunity run and was my first run since mid January. The run felt great… although I am still a little sore, I am thankful for an outdoor run in February.
For me, going to the hair salon on a Sunday is a privilege. Other than a morning or afternoon jog, my calendar stays clear and I consider the day to be my day of rest.
That said, today was the second time that I took my son to the salon (KinHairitage) for his loc maintenance on a Sunday. His last appointment was at 10 a.m. and he was super unhappy about having to get up early on “his” day to sleep late. The nerve of him! Like he works a job or somethin’. These kids are a trip. I really do understand the wish to sleep late, but come on, he’s got a good behind life… He can nap anytime he’s home. Lol! Anyway, today’s appointment was at 2 p.m. – he was cool with the pm appointment.
Three months have passed since his baby locs were started and his hair is progressing nicely. What am I most surprised at? He remembers to wear his stocking cap at night. Even on the weekends when he goes to bed later, he still remembers to cover his hair at 12 midnight. Thank goodness!! Although Tailor still tells me that he loves his hair, his actions corroborate his declaration, which pleases this mom BIG time.
Here are a few photos. Oh, one last thought— already I’ve had an interesting chat with someone whose child is growing locs. She pays substantially less for his maintenance than I (and wanted me to know) and feels good about her choice. However, he “doesn’t get his hair washed. You’re not supposed to wash the hair when locing !” Sigh!! Already the debating has begun, but I’m cool with it.
I won’t judge her and feel as confident about my choice for my son’s maintenance routine. Washing of the hair is a natural process to maintaining any healthy style. If it is dirty and it smells, that cannot be healthy. I’m just sayin’. I will only say that, conjectures and myths exist in every cultural, race, and religion. The key is always to educate oneself on whatever it is you choose to get involved in.
Today is Saturday and my day off. Rarely do I cook on Saturdays, but for some reason this afternoon, I felt like putting my apron on and stepping into the kitchen. What’s taken ahold of me? Oh my! I have no idea!
I did my standard grocery shopping, with only one new item on the list. Before the groceries were put away, I already started prepping one dish. I ended up cooking a hodge-podge of whatever came to mind. Maybe I cooked because of the extra day off and I don’t want to cook on Sunday and Monday too. I can’t say for sure, all I know is that my family was thrilled that both ovens were working on a Saturday and they were not ordering from a take out menu. Here is what I cooked…
Ha! Ha! This doesn’t apply to me today.I can’t get enough of the green and leafy! Kale in one pot and Broccolini in the other.Cabbage! Green and purple!Bourbon seasoned boneless chicken breastPre-cooked carrots, potatoes, and chicken sausageHot and fresh out of the oven! Smells good!$1.09 for fresh pizza dough at Shoprite.I love my son’s facial expression as he watches his dad prep the dough. Too cute!Tailor is so happy to get his hands on the dough!…and now for some mozzarella cheese…Me spreading the sauce.All ready for the oven.After 20 minutes in the oven, this pizza was delicious!!Chocolate chip cookies!
Health & Wellness by Lexa's Journal 