It’s a good thing I wrote a little yesterday morning, because the rest of the day involved working on the projects I have due. I am trying so hard to get them done so I can do some of the other things I have to get done.

I did get a call, from a place in Nashville. One of the many places I filled out the forms online for employment, which you almost never hear back from, called me, wanting to hire me. The message said they loved my resume and when could I start. I had to call them back and explain how I am no longer going to be in Nashville, as planned, but instead will be in St. Charles, MO.

I have been less than impressed with the new way people are hired these days. It’s not just me, my kids and friends have all gone through the same thing. You fill out extremely long, very detailed applications and then never hear back from the company. My least favorite part of the experience is when they ask you to attache your resume, but then on the application they have you fill out every detail of your resume, including names of supervisors and phone numbers. Some of my previous employers do not even exist!

In the educational field they also tend to want you to supply references, with letters. Who am I supposed to ask to send out many, (not 1-2, but many!) letters of recommendation? Not only do they want the references to be work references, but a couple of them wanted only direct supervisors! I have one, and that poor man has already responded to multiple requests on my behalf. Do these places think we are only applying at one place? And do they not realize that until we are one of the final people in consideration, they do not need a reference? Many state that without all of the required information you will not even be considered for the position, so you must include the references, your transcripts, a completed application (some have been 10 pages long!) a cover letter written specifically for the position, and your resume, tailored to the position you are applying for.

With all of this for one single position, you can imagine how much time and effort it takes to apply to many places, and how frustrating it is when you don’t hear back from one of these places after all the hoops you jump through.

My frustration with this has started once again since I will be heading to St. Charles, MO, and I would like to be a substitute teacher, but the process includes all of the things I mentioned above, plus fingerprinting and background check. I can’t even start on that until I finish my projects for the summer semester, which are due Sunday!

I do not think there is an alternative to this new way of hiring, and sometimes when I see the requirements, I think it is the company’s way of eliminating the people who are not serious about the position. However, those of us with the need for employment really have no choice and will continue to fill out ridiculously long applications hoping to receive a call like the one I did, only hopefully in the same city I will be living in. Many times, the positions listed, already have someone, many times on the inside, already in mind, and are only fulfilling their legal duties by listing the jobs. This means that the hoops so many people are jumping through are completely pointless, and you never even have a chance for that job. This seems the most ridiculous part of all. However, it’s their job and they can hire whoever they want, so we have to play their game in hopes of getting that one call.

Ironically, I would have been set up in Nashville, with a job, my gym, my scooter, in a place close to downtown. Instead, I will head to St. Charles, with no job, no gym, no scooter, and living in a tiny town, near St. Louis. Despite all of this, I am excited about St. Charles and optimistic I will work out all of the details and have a great time there. Most importantly, I will get the chance to attend my graduation in December. I did not go to my Bachelor’s Degree graduation, but this one, for some reason, I want to attend.

Now, back to the projects, which I only have parts of two to complete, and turn in. I am exhausted today, but like a runner nearing the end of the marathon, I feel that second wind coming on, so I am off to get this work done and the summer semester completed!

Have a great day!

Wrigley, tired of my schoolwork

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.  ~World Health Organization, 1948

Portion control is the real reason I do not weigh what I did on my wedding day, (132 lbs). I felt fat that day, because I was always comparing myself to my skinnier friends. I have not weighed that little since then, although I got down to 135 after each pregnancy, until the last baby, and for some reason I have not been able to get within 25 pounds of that weight since. I would blame it on my underactive thyroid, but I know only about 20 pounds is due to that terrible twist of fate. The rest is because I eat a lot. I wish I did not like to eat huge portions, and I wish 2-3 bites of some delectable food would suffice, but for me, more is better.

As a kid, I was the star member of the clean plate food club, and I reveled in pleasing the adults in my life with the huge portions I could consume. It should have been a sign that at 12 years old I could eat the same amount of food a grown man could eat, yet, I was praised for my “healthy appetite”, which only made me seek more of the same.

I know we are a product of our past, but it should never be an excuse, once we learn better. My thyroid condition is not good, in fact, I know it has many side affects which I cannot control, despite taking the medicine prescribed, religiously for the past 26 years. And then there’s my genes, which are not the best. Every female in my family tree is at least 50 pounds overweight, some many, many more.

At my heaviest, I was more than 110 pounds over my wedding day weigh in, and the most unhealthy I have ever been. I managed to shed 60 pounds from that high, unhealthy weight, but I have been at a standstill since then.

I have not been perfect, because every now and then I want some treat, but I have been pretty good about eating a much healthier diet, with more fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains. I have practically eliminated all dairy and meat, eating them only on special occasions, and adding juicing when possible. All of this, in addition to 4-5 trips to the gym weekly, with other daily exercise, has still kept me at a standstill, and I know why.

I started following my exercise with the fitbit by BodyMedia earlier in the year, but started to record the food I ate a couple of weeks ago. I put in all of my food and when I checked, even with a mostly vegan diet, I managed to take in as many calories as I was working off! And despite what some people think, it is all a matter of calories in and calories out. Eating 2500 calories is not going to move the scale, even if the calories are made of wholesome foods.

The bottom line is this; I have realized the real problem, and now I need to address it. I can work out, and be in better shape, have more muscles, but until I quit eating such large portions, I will remain overweight. This is hard to face, and even harder to deal with, because I am that person who eats when I am tired, bored, stressed, anxious, etc. I am an emotional eater and I know it. Maybe admitting it and working harder on that will help?

I remember in the series Sex and the City, Miranda attended Overeater’s Anonymous and had to pass a Donut place to attend the meetings, and finally she and the guy she met there, split a donut at that place. I liked how Mike and Molly met at an OA meeting too, so maybe it is a great pickup place? I should look into meetings once I get to St. Charles, because they may help. I am a part of a couple of groups online, and have seen others with this same struggle. Having a support system and accountability seem to help a lot of people.

Writing about this is not easy. It is hard to admit that each day, my food choices take up so much of my mental energy, and are so hard to get a hold of. I am going to continue to record my food, and keep track of my exercise, in hopes of making strides toward my goal. I have set my goal of weighing what an average American woman weighs, by my birthday this year (October). I saw an infograph which told me I needed to lose a few pounds to get there, and it made me decide to make that my goal.

I hope you will join me on this quest for eating more whole foods, in smaller quantities, and exercising to feel better. I will keep you posted on my progress.

Evergreen Park, IL

I took 3 classes this summer in hopes of getting my Master’s Degree by December. I was not aware of the summer 8 week classes which are really 16 week classes crammed into 8 weeks. I did not anticipate the time it would take to complete the tasks required to maintain my 4.0 (shameless plug) GPA.

My days consist of taking Wrigley for a walk, checking my email, Facebook, etc., working on my schoolwork, studying for the GRE, getting to the gym, then dinner, Wrigley walk #2, TV time (while simultaneously doing GRE flashcards or some other study materials), bed. This is a typical day the past couple of weeks, and says a lot about all the work involved in my classes. One of the classes consisted of only four projects, which were agreed upon, and are due the last day of class, July 28th. In trying to keep up with the daily work of the other two, I let this get put on the back burner, meaning I am now doing all of the other work, and 16 weeks worth of projects, in about 3 weeks!!

I have always been a procrastinator, but I do always get the work done. There is something about a deadline which makes me get things done. Maybe its the adrenaline? I am not sure, but I have always been like this. My favorite memory of this, is from my Community College Days, when a big paper was due, but it had to be typed, with no mistakes. I did not own a typewriter at the time, so I went to the school library to use theirs. Unfortunately the typing class I took in High School was a waste of time, and I made more errors than I had planned. I kept starting over, because the teacher made it clear no white out, no tape, no errors on any pages! I was there for a few hours typing from the handwritten paper I had written out, when I realized I was not going to be done by 7pm when the class started.

I was sweating and, of course, the faster I tried to type, the more errors popped up. I finally conceded that I was not going to make it, and slowed down and carefully finished typing the paper. I pulled out the last page, put it all into the folder and ran to the class. I showed up ten minutes late, but I had the perfect paper in hand, and somehow managed to pull it off.  It was when I sat down, I noticed I had been sweating so much from the stress, my shirt looked like I had been working out in the gym. I am sure I would not have won a prize for my appearance, but I did get a good grade in the class!

That was the one and only time I was late due to my procrastination. In fact, I was proud of the 125 page script I was required to write for a class in my undergrad studies. There were about 15 students in the class, and I was the only one who came to the final class with a finished script!! The others either didn’t show up or had asked for an extension. So, even though this week will be tough, I have finished four of the seven initial projects I started last week needing to complete.

I want them done now to finish out the semester, and to give me some time to get some other things done before I head down to St. Charles. It is a busy time, but I have always preferred to be busy, so I am not complaining!

With all my schoolwork, and the people coming to the resort, which means I will be working more here, I felt the need to make sure I have any projects I wanted to do, underway, or done, before the season really kicks into gear.

I was sick over the weekend, and did almost nothing, so I was glad to feel better and get back to my routine yesterday. It was a little overwhelming, since I have a lot of things which need to get done. It is amazing how just one person can make so many dirty dishes, and two dogs can create so much dust and hair. Good news is, after a couple of hours, the RV looks all clean and shiny again, and I have clean silverware in the drawer. I also filled the bare fridge with some great deals, and worked on videos and school projects.

I did check out the internet and read my emails, so after cleaning the RV, I was intrigued by the article I saw from an email I subscribe to. It was about a woman who has pared her life down in an effort to simplify. She and her husband had a lot of debt, and a lot of stuff. In an effort to simplify, they got their debt down and she has decided to simplify her life by getting rid of her stuff.

Living in an RV, I have already cut my stuff down a lot, but I can still get rid of more, and her blog has shown me I am living the big life with all my stuff in comparison to her simple existence. I have always been fascinated by people who live very simply, mainly those who have no clutter. Now the lady in the blog has limited herself to 100 personal items. She even lists them, and has decided to replace an item if she gets a new item she likes better. Therefore she doesn’t have 25 pairs of shoes anymore, however, she is not including her household “stuff” in this list. This is more about personal clothing and effects. Her blog is http://bemorewithless.com/2012/my-100-thing-challenge/ if you’d like to read about her list.

I thought about this and through my weightloss, I have had to part with a lot of clothing already, but maybe I should consider her ideas, for other things. It is hard for me to get rid of things. I am a hoarder by nature, saving anything with any possible future use, because you don’t get rid of something which you might need someday. Basements were made for this. I have a trailer now, but try hard to monitor what I put into the trailer, knowing I have only so much room.

I was pondering the 100 item list as I took the dogs for a walk, and decided if I could use her idea of grouping items, such as underwear, by counting them as one item, I would try it out. I will go through my items again, and especially my over packed closet and see what I can do to get the “stuff” pared down. I would rather give it away than throw it away, so I will pack a few more bags and see if I can get my closet less crowded and therefore reduce my stress. It almost seems like a challenge which would be too difficult for me to do with clothing. Mainly because I have two drawers full of t-shirts. I enjoy my shirt collection from various events, and until they no longer fit, or I ruin them somehow, I will wear them. So I am going to try to do the challenge, using underwear, socks and t-shirts each as their own collective unit. After that, I am going see how well I can do. I have never thought of myself as a clothes person, but I know I have more than 100 various clothing items. I thought fitting everything in the RV was the challenge, and except for a couple of new smaller sized items, I have not bought too many clothes in the past year. I would say maybe 10 items total.

The person who backpacks across a country, is my real heros. How do they do it? And do they really have no other things, or do they have a room full of stuff at their parent’s house? I have found many items I brought with me, have stayed in their original place, and really have not been useful. But, I am not sure I am ready to get rid of them yet, since I think as soon as I get rid of them, I will wish I had them available. Most people living in RVs have found this to be true. They usually have too many clothes and “things”, and say that it takes a while to determine what is important and useful and what id not.

Limiting myself to 100 items in total, would stress me out, but I do think I can pare down my total number of items, and have less clutter. And I can put the things in the trailer for now and later donate them, if I don’t use them in 6 months. I think we all need to change our thinking, and adapt to what our lives become. I think this is the lesson to learn. Whether you can, or feel the need to live with less, is a personal decision, and one I keep revisiting. I like to go to the library, and read magazines and have some quiet time. One of the magazines I always read is called Simply Living. I am on board with its message and I like the idea of less, I just struggle with the “letting go” part.

 

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” 

–Steve Jobs (who passed one year ago, today)

Yes this is true. As I stayed up very late last night to finish the Powerpoint presentation for my class, I was thinking about the time I have spent working, and going to school. I enjoy what I am doing right now, at the resort. It does not pay as much as a “real job” would, but I like it, so far. It is fun to be the “newscaster” for the resort, and to take pictures and post them.

How much should money play a part in what you do? If you can do something you enjoy, isn’t that worth the difference in pay. I have always believed it was. I can spend less on frivolous things, and have a lot less stress. Maybe in the long run, will I save the money in healthcare, or in care for some disease which sets in due to the stress I was experiencing.

I think getting paid a lot of money is a great advantage, but if given the choice, I’d prefer less money, and enjoying my days and nights. I see people all of the time on Facebook, just counting down the days until Friday. Is that really living your life? If you plod through five days to get to the two, you are not really enjoying your life.

I remember when I was working at US99, I was so thrilled to be working there, I looked forward to going to work. Of all the jobs I have had, I think that one was the one which paid the least, and I loved every minute of it. I learned so much, and I got to do something I wanted to do, so it was more fun than work.

Although even in the best jobs, there are things you may not want to do, or times you may not feel like doing it, but overall if you enjoy your work, what a wonderful life you will have. And how much better of a job will you do? I know I get more into a job I enjoy than one I am in it only for the pay.

Sam and I judging a Lego competition

On TV the other night, on The MIddle, the mom wanted to start her second career, and looked at all the various avenues, and wondered what she REALLY wanted to do. I think that myself, as I work towards another degree in hopes I can teach audio editing, and communications classes at a University, maybe even some online classes. But as I work towards this education degree I start remembering how much I wanted to teach when I was in grade school. The public teachers went on strike, and I was asked to come in and fill in for one of the lower grades. I was in 8th grade and one of the best students in the school.

The kids were acting like you’d expect kids to act when they knew they had a substitute teacher who was only a few years older than they were. The one kid was throwing spitballs at the blackboard so I told him he had to go to the office. He took his stuff and left the room. At lunchtime, I was called into the Principals office and a lady who was a secretary (which was why she was there and not on strike) told me the boy went home and told his mother I yelled at him and sent him home. I was so upset, because that is not what happened. I may have yelled when I sent him to the office, after he was being a jerk, but still, I did not send him home. While she was admonishing me, she said “And whatever you do, don’t ever become a teacher!”

Later she would come and apologize to me, because other students told her what had really happened. But in that time, her words stuck with me, and I always kept away from thinking I should teach. So, I taught Bible School, CCD and sports, I even taught a kids class of bowling at the Community College one semester. This was something I had always wanted to do, and her words hurt me so badly, I never went in that direction again. In fact, whenever I have thought about teaching, I think I need to teach adults, because the problem I had was with kids. But as I do these various teaching projects, I am really drawn to teaching younger kids.

We take our work seriously.

When I had to answer the questions about Sam, the young lady asked if I had wanted Sam to do something particular, and I thought about how I always wanted my kids to do something they love. I remember Sam coming to me and saying he wanted to attend the one college, and I had a hunch it was because of the bowling team and his friend was talking about it, so I asked him what he was going to major in and he said Culinary. I literally laughed out loud. He had a thing about making smoothies, but before that he had no desire to cook anything. I had taught him to make french toast, but he never made anything else, so I thought he was joking. I feel terribly guilty to this day, because now he calls me and sends me pictures of his food, and he really enjoys cooking, so maybe he could have been a great chef if I had not laughed at him. I think he enjoys what he is doing, but I still feel badly. Maybe cooking can be just a hobby for Sam, or one day he may want to be a chef, it’s nice to have that option and be able to think that you should do what makes you happy.

 

 

Sam and I working on videos together.

 

 

So, as I keep learning more about teaching, I keep changing what it is I may want to do. I dont think it is ever too late to change what you want to do, and to do something you truly enjoy. You only get one chance in this world, so you have to make it count.

More and more RVs come into the resort each day. It is almost “the season” here in Arizona. I have been fortunate to have spent one of the hottest (according to the weatherwoman last night, there have been the most 100+ degree days this summer since they began keeping track!) summers here, and now I am hoping to get the reward of a cooler, allbeit warmer than the Midwest, winter!

I have been busy with making videos for the author, and keeping the Facebook page for the resort up to the minute, attending meetings and doing my schoolwork . I have projects due this week, but I wanted to post a few thoughts I have.

Right now, my life revolves around modern technology. My job here is based on doing social media, editing and uploading videos for websites, and I am taking my Masters degree classes via the internet. When I stop and think about it, it seems mind boggling to me. I am being paid to do a job that didn’t exist 10 years ago, taking classes in a way that could not have occurred 10 years ago.

I was sent a few questions from one of Sam’s classmates. It seems they are doing a project where they interview people and do a real indepth project about the person. Sam told me she’d be sending me some questions, but I was surprised at them. She asked if I could describe Sam in 3 words, which would be next to impossible, but I tried. Then she asked me about my favorite memory. That is another one which I cannot say, yes, THIS is my favorite memory of Sam. There are so many. it made me think back to a lot of great memories when the kids were little. This is always a fun thing to do, since it was the best time in my life. I enjoyed thinking about all of the anecdotes which revolved around Sam, and shared a few with her.

Then came a question which made me think a lot about my life. What can you see Sam doing in 5 years? I am certain I got this right about him, but if someone had told me 5 years ago where I’d be, I would have certainly laughed at them. Even 5 years ago, my position as a social media director, and taking online classes would be a far fetched idea. Even if there was such a thing, it was not something I thought I would be doing.

If you had told me I would be in Arizona, I would have probably debated that and certainly if you had told me there would not be anyone from our family living in Illinois, I would have doubted that as well. Life takes funny turns and the future is not for us to know. Sometimes I think the people like myself, who worry and fret over things are the least productive. The people who roll with the flow seem to be the happiest, and most content. Striving for things and to make everything perfect, just makes yourself crazy. Nothing is ever perfect, and maybe those imperfections are what gives us character?

I got a picture last night on my phone. It was of Sarah, doing her editing. It is always nice to get a picture from any of the kids, which means they are thinking of me, and want to share. This is something I never could have thought would be so much a part of my life. I send pictures to my kids of food I made, the dogs, what I am doing and they send me the same. It is another way technology keeps us connected in five different states. Yes, that’s right, currently we are in Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Missouri and Arizona. I never would have thought that either.

I watched the Presidential debates last night, and I have never enjoyed them more. I usually watched, while doing something else, and this time it was not much different, but I enjoyed this debate far more than any other. I had my twitter account open, and the people I follow are insanely clever. In real time, they commented on the debate, and I laughed out loud as if I was watching a sitcom, without the laughtrack. This is something I had never thought of, five years ago, but I have to say my Twitter people certainly entertained me during an otherwise awful debate.

I sent the answers to the young lady and thought more about what I had written. Who’s to say what Sam will be doing in 5 years, or any of us for that matter. I can’t see the future, and I am glad for that. But I do know that for right now I am glad that we have this marvelous technology which keeps us connected and helps me try to move forward.

I have always loved the mail. As a kid, I’d head for the mailbox as soon as the mailman came, looking for anything with my name on it. It was evident that a piece of mail made my day. I waited for cards, letters, even junk mail which I could read, became something to get excited about.

With Facebook, email, and Twitter I get excited whenever I log onto the computer, since someone somewhere will have made a comment or liked something I posted. It is almost that same feeling as getting mail, but not quite. I have received various pieces of mail since arrivining here, some of it has been things I have sent for , but I have been surprised by a tee-shirt, cup, cards and most recently a newspaper.

I read the Sunday paper, but this was not the Sunday paper, in fact it was not even local. It was the Valparaiso Law paper. I was surprised to see it, but excited, as I took it back to the RV to carefully read. Normally, this type of paper would not hold my attention, but knowing Sarah is the Editor in Chief, made me take my time to see the work she has been doing.

At the moment I saw her name written there, in the paper, I was transported back to a time in High School when all of my friends were on the yearbook, but I had other work to do, and was not allowed to join the yearbook. But that was not all that got my attention right then. I was so happy that Sarah could do such a great job working on the newspaper while she is in law school. How cool is she? I know I could not have ever done what she is doing. As smart, as determined and as much of a go-getter as I believe I was/am, I do not think I would have been able to work as hard as Sarah has been working.

Then I started thinking about the kids and had the conversation I used to share with their father, now with myself. All four of my kids are much cooler than I was at their ages. I was a mom at their age. That was pretty much all I was. But as I see what they are doing, I can’t help but feel proud of them all. As I was chatting with Jonathan the other night, he played back one of his newscasts, and I almost starting crying. He sounds so good. He is much more talented than I ever was, and he is doing something I had wanted to do at one time, and it makes me excited to see him progress. He moved far away from everyone, and has made friends, works hard, and is successfully doing what I had always thought was such a cool thing to do.

David and Jody bought a house and moved into the new house, they chose, and are working hard, and having fun. I wanted to pick out my own house and decorate it the way I wanted it to be. Then David went out and bought a new(to him) nice Mustang. At his age, I drove a van, a big ugly van I was given, because it was there. Both of them are working hard to complete their educations and make a great life for themselves.

And Sam. Sam is so much more talented at his video work than I could have imagined. He made the bowling team, is working doing camera work and still has classes in his Senior year of college. I never got to attend college classes living on campus, but even if I did, I am sure I would not be able to get as much done as he does. And yes, he is a much better bowler than I ever was too, which makes me happy, (I like to think I helped that somehow).

If living vicariously through your kids is what makes moms take their kids to do modeling and all the other things you see moms pushing their kids into, then apparently I hit the jackpot. Each of my four kids has done things I had aspired to do, and they have done it better then I ever could have. They each have brought me so much joy and have made me more proud than I ever could have imagined, back when I was their age, and was “just a mom”.

If the goal as a mom is for your kids to do better, which is what I have always believed, then I may be the most successful mom ever. I take no credit for this, because the kids are the ones who did all the work. I don’t know exactly why I have been so fortunate, but I am certainly happy about it. All four of my kids are cooler than I was at their age, and for that, I am thankful.

Back in the day, I would send them a card telling them how proud I am of them, but since the internet is so much easier, I will just send them a link to this posting, and tell them how much I love them.

Today has been a whirlwind of activity, and tonight, I feel a little sick, probably from the stress of having to choose how I will live the next year of my life.

Money is something I have tried not to worry too much about, but the reality is that I do not have unlimited funds and at some point I will need to work hard again.  I had hoped it would not be too soon, but reality has a way of sneaking into your dreams and killing the Peter Pan in us all. It makes me wake up thinking of ways to stretch my money and makes me think about what I really want to do when I am forced to grow up.

I came to Arizona, hoping to be considered for the position of Social Media Director, but with six others in contention, I had more than three backup plans in place.  If this seems a bit unusual to you, then you have not looked for a job in some time. I am certain I will not get each job, and yet, I have been fortunate enough to get selected for more than my share. Not that these positions are paying a lot, but they include my RV spot, electricity and water, which is an asset, considering more than 2/3 of my pay went to my housing and transportation when I worked at my corporate job in Chicago. This meant my net pay then was not as much as it will be if I make half that pay now, when my RV spot is included. Today was the final meeting, and I was given all the tools to complete my tasks, and given an itinerary of items to complete over the summer. I was told I could work from wherever I choose, but I am welcome to stay at any of the 3 Resort grounds.

After this meeting ended and I was happy, the management position at the Campground I left was offered to me, and because I wanted to accept the challenge, I tried to think of a way to do both. This was impossible and it would not be fair to whomever I turned down. It would be even more unfair if I tried to do them both over the summer.  I rolled this around in my mind, but the offer from the RV Resort was what I asked for, and included a place to stay from this moment on. In reality, that was what I wanted when I took the job in Santa Paula. I was supposed to finish my writing while working there, but the work got in the way and I got very little done. The allure of the management position clouded my memory of the hard work I would be in store for. Having a boss who likes you, and who you like is important, but it could not promise me time to finish my writing, or even time for any other dreams. Staring at 50 hour weeks for the entire summer, giving up my newly offered position making videos, and doing the creative work I enjoy, made it easier to know I had to call back the owner in California and tell him I could not take the job.  It was a hard call, but I knew it had to be done.

The Resort in Arizona offered me a place to stay, with a month of no work on my plate which meant I could drive all over, or I could stay still and do the writing I planned on doing when I left my driveway more than a year ago. I could finally finish the book on my bucket list. Whether great or just an accomplishment, it was a major reason for my time off, and it is something I have wanted to do, for many, many years. It is currently the one thing I have always wanted to do, that I have not completed.  I have been fortunate to have been able to work in radio, have a pro bowlers card and complete my college education. These were all things I was able to accomplish by setting goals and working hard.  I was told I would not be able to do each of those things by someone who didn’t believe in me. However, I did them, one by one. Now just one big goal remains…I first wanted to write a book in High School. I thought about it many times over the years, but something always got in the way.

I now have the story, and all I need to do is complete the book. Finish what I have started. My last excuse: I don’t have the time, has been taken care of, for me. I will cancel all of my other plans, and make this, and my health, my priorities for the next 5-6 weeks.  I have always been able to do what I set my mind to, and this will be no different. I just need to get it done.

This leads to my plans after the book has been finished.  I will be the social media director for the resort, making videos and taking care of other assignments over the summer, until October, when the real work begins. I am excited about this opportunity and looking forward to getting to know the Apple computer and HD camera I was given to use, as well as the video editing software I will be spending many hours with.

Once the book is complete, I will be taking classes to complete my Master’s degree, since that is now needed for all the new adventures I seem to be interested in. I am a bit afraid to go back to classes, but I feel I can do whatever I put my mind to. My heart is into taking care of my health, writing this book, getting my Masters degree and being the best Social Media Director I can be. I can be sure; wherever my heart is, my mind will follow.

Taking care of business. That was Elvis’ saying and I am better at it in some areas than I am in others.

I have some things which need to be taken care of, but I also have a lot of things I WANT to do. It seems that the want list always gets priority for me. This also means I tend to be a procrastinator. Why do anything you have to do today, if you can do it tomorrow?

I have been working hard on losing the weight I have which is making me unhealthy, and even more important, I have been working hard at fueling my body properly. This is no small task, since the world is full of food which is like poison for the body.

I went to the fruit and vegetable store, which was a great find here. It has everything you could want, including nuts and oats and other healthy foods, and it was priced so reasonably, I was in heaven. I bought more than I could fit in the scooter’s spacious seat compartment, and the total was just a few cents over the $20 mark with tax!

I got oats, nuts, prunes, lots of salad ingredients, pineapple, mango, asparagus, and granola. This was four bags of food, and all of it was healthy and good to eat.

Since I won’t be staying in the area, I only used a free week pass for the local chain gym, which was an amazing place to visit. It made my own chain gym look small and unimpressive. However, location is everything, and my gym has awesome locations, making it convenient for me. I drove the 12 miles to my own gym Sunday and as I rode the scooter past a small group of businesses, I saw a sign for Crossfit. I have been wanting to try out a Crossfit gym, but have not been able to find one. Once I returned, I emailed the owner and set up my free session to see if it is something I would like to do more often.

The free session was Monday at 9am. It was different from gyms I have been to, for sure. The gym had no machines except for the rowers. Everything was weights, bars and other basic equipment. I was in the newbie group, and we were told we’d be doing an easy first timers workout which consisted of warming up with 400 meters on the rowing machine, 10 deep knee bends and some arm warmups with PVC piping. Then we were told our workout would be 3 sets of : 400 meters running, 21 kettlebell swings and 12 jumping pullups. I thought we were supposed to be timed, but did not see the timer, so I did not really push for time. I found out once I completed the 3 sets that the timer had been running. I thought maybe new people were not timed. Now I wish I had been able to push for a good time. I even waited for the other newbie to finish her pullups so we could run together. The pullups were definitely a challenge for me, even jumping from the box and the swinging motion we were told would make it easier, did not make it easy. It was quite a challenge. Anyway, once we were done, people chatted, some tried to do some of the other stations there, like climbing a rope, or rings, I asked about the wall balls, and asked to try them out. It was here I discovered I was not going deep enough in my squats. I did ten as deep as the trainer wanted me to do, and I am feeling it today! My rear end was an inch from the ground, which was very deep for me! I am surprised my bad knee is not hurting, but I am glad it is not.

I was sweating when I finished my third set, but I did not feel like I worked out. I felt like I did a fun little extra, so I came home and did a complete Biggest Loser 50 minute workout so I felt like I had indeed worked out! Overall, I can see the attraction of Crossfit for those already in shape. However, someone like me needs to run miles and put in more time to continue to lose weight. Once I am in decent shape and stronger, I would consider Crossfit as a way to push myself, and to get in a workout in less time than I now need.

The fact that there were 2 alumni from the Biggest Loser TV show working out there, shows how popular the Crossfit workouts are for people trying to get more fit in less time. The one guy, John, was the winner from last season, and apparently is a regular there. He brought Sione, one of the cousins from an earlier season there. They were looking pretty good, for past contestants and were lifting heavy weights, from what I saw through my swinging kettlebells. They stood around talking about their experiences on the show, after everyone had completed their workouts. They were basically comparing notes, and talking about working out.

I am sure the people who are in great shape, and practice their pullups, pushups and weightlifting, get a great workout from Crossfit, but I am just not there yet. I really believe I enjoy my workouts more, and actually look forward to going to the gym now…Jonathan used to tell me that and I laughed at him, because I never thought I would be here. I never thought finding a place to workout would be so important to me, and spending more time in the gym would actually make me happy.

The results I am experiencing are helping me want to do more. I had a 4 pound loss the week I spent at the really cool gym. I used the pool, the sauna, hot tub, basketball court, and all of the equipment to get the most out of my workouts there. I am hoping this week will be half as good. I have eaten well, and I am trying to get in good workouts, but I really enjoyed the big gym the most, and I know I spent more time there, because I enjoyed it. The 15 mile Bataan memorial march is coming up soon, and I am hoping to be able to finish the very difficult march which has tough terrain over 15.1 miles. I have never walked that far in my life, so for me it will be a major challenge. Sunday I ran 4 miles without stopping which is the longest I have ever ran in my life. I would never have thought I could do that, so I will try my best to finish the tough march, and keep adding to my list of things I never thought I could do.

1 real pullup is on that list, thanks to my 3 sets of jumping pullups I feel closer than I did before. The trainer, who has been leading fitness classes for years, told us how she could not do the pullups when she started at Crossfit, and her boss told her she needed to be able to do them; it took her 6 months to be able to do ten.

I will continue to take care of business, and I will get there.

　

Apache Junction, Arizona

 

The RV Resort where I am staying has everything. I enjoy walking only a block to get my fresh drinking water, and 72 air channels means I get all the local TV channels I can handle, and the one mile ride to a fancy gym and large mall, including theater, has made me delirious with all the comforts I love. Being able to make and receive phone calls on my cell is the cherry on the sundae I am not eating.

 

There is a lot to be said for taking things for granted. I have not spent much time thinking about the amount of water I use, or the electricity I waste on a daily basis. A year later, I am aware how much I like to live inAmerica, the land of plenty. I am also aware of how much time people spend working and performing tasks they do not like. Many people spend all week looking forward to the weekend, just so they can have 2 days to enjoy their life. Is this really a good tradeoff? Spend 5 days existing, in hopes of living for 2…and at the end of their life, do those same people look back with no regrets?

 

I have been so fortunate to get to do so many things I like to do, and as I wander through the RV Resort which I am currently calling home, I wonder how many of the guests here have worked hard and are now enjoying their lives, for the first time? I wonder if many of them will get to be retired for 20 years and get the rewards for the many years they worked hard, in jobs many of them did not even like. Since I have been here, I have heard two rather sad stories which remind me why I am not willing to work in a position I am not happy, in hopes of one day getting to enjoy life.

 

The first story came as I was researching the resort and saw some very old, negative feedback online. It was about the previous manager. I asked my neighbor, and she told me it was mostly true. Then she told me the manager left here, after finally retiring, and was in the South, just days after finally deciding to retire and enjoy her life, when her boyfriend and herself were riding their motorcycle through an area where Hurricane Katrina had been, and the winds whipped up some sand on the road. He saw it too late and she was killed instantly. Just a few days after her retirement, I am sure she had plans for many years of enjoying life, yet, it was all over in a few seconds.

 

The second story was told to me by the owner of the Resort. A lady who is now the “greeter” of guests, was coming here for a nice visit, a few years back, enjoying her husband’s retirement, when he had a heart attack, right here at the Resort, leaving her alone. She went back toCanadaand packed up everything and moved here. Although she had never driven the RV herself, she drove it all the way, alone, to get here. I am sure she did not expect that after years of working, he would pass away soon into their retirement plans.

 

I have found what is needed and wanted are two entirely different things, and sometimes we want more than we need, so we try to get all the “stuff” we need, not enjoying the life we lead. I have always said if you find a job you love, you never work a day in your life. I think doing something you love is more important than financial gain, and it will lead to quality of life, as well. I read on Facebook daily about people who hate their work, and it makes me grateful I was given an opportunity to do what I really want to do, and be able to see all the things I have seen.

 

I read with interest from my RV friend, who wrote about a time she ate fish and fresh produce in an area she stayed while traveling. The others caught the fish, and they traded some of it for fresh produce. They had nothing but their rigs, and the clothes on their backs, but for months, they lived and she some of the best times of her life!

 

The guests here are all over 55, so many of them have retirements, social security and other forms of income. Almost all of the rigs are very new and very nice. I don’t think too many of the people are struggling, but they are enjoying their retirement, having parties, playing cards, darts, billiards and golf. Many of the people participate in the various clubs, including motorcycle club, cooking clubs and photography. They are not waiting for anything, they are living now.

 

In the doggie park where Wrigley has found many new friends, I met a couple a few days ago. I asked them how they liked the park, and they said they didn’t. I was shocked. I asked them why not. The lady did most of the talking and she told me they are not too keen on so many people, and the only activity they partook in was the massages. They enjoyed being by themselves, and watching TV. This made me think, because I can be like that too, sometimes, especially when writing, exercising and trying to get some projects completed. The couple was leaving in another couple of days and said they would probably stay at a campground next time. I can un understand that. It is a different mindset, I am guessing. There are those that feel that life is quiet and still and those who are only happy when going and going. I think I am in between, but I can see both sides of this. It is wonderful to sit alone and enjoy a sunset on a beach, and also wonderful to make new friends and have a great evening together, doing almost anything.

 

I just think whatever you find to be important, you make that your priority and you work for that, not to impress others, or to save for your retirement. You never know what the future holds, it’s just as important to “play for today” as it is to “plan for tomorrow”.