How Do We Become the Person That We Know We Can Be?
For starters, being intentional to take my own advice, to listen and be appreciative of others opinion and knowledge!

Or possible better stated, what does our life journey look like and how best to navigate?

There is no definitive answer as everyone would respond to this introspective and growth question differently. However that said I do believe one thing, without growth and continued learning we will experience atrophy and never know the answer for ourselves.

I was recently reading a Rochester Mayo Report on health in preparation for my upcoming physical at the Executive Health Department. The topic was Physical ATROPHY and the importance to remain active as our muscles will quickly lose their strength, resilience, elasticity dramatically impacting quality of life. As I was reading, it became apparent that Atrophy also applies to our emotional and intellectual health as well.

What has struck me is that this 18-24 month ritual of mine has evolved, thanks to Mayo, into a two prong approach; Time with my Dr. Kirk assessing my current physical well-being along with all of the labs and specialties that give me a “once over assessment” as to how I am NOW. Secondly the time with the “Healthy Living Department” to assess, learn and develop habits to hopefully avoid atrophy and to improve the FUTURE. Why do I do this? You see, my objective is to continue to stack the chips on my side of the table to increase the probability of a long healthy, meaningful and high quality life. I am striving to be intentional, to minimize my mistakes, to avoid atrophy and living life with a purpose and meaning. I want to have the physical and cognitive ability to succeed or at least feel I did my best.

HOW MANY PRONGS OF ACTIVE LIVING ARE YOU DOING TO STAVE OFF ATROPHY?

So how do we intentionally delay or eliminate physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual atrophy? What I know for sure is that I do not know all the answers, however feel that my learning curve has accelerated in the right direction on of those areas of atrophy.

I feel I have learned few things on this question;

• IT IS NOT JUMPING OFF THE CLIFF and THEN FIGURING OUT IN MID AIR! There are some actions that may not give you a second chance.
•  The answer will not become apparent without some intentional effort
•  We will make mistakes in our journey
•  You and Me both are entitled to a second chance as we are very human
•  We all have a special gift and the gift we have is not to compare and try to be someone we are not!
• It is critical to not ignore emotional and spiritual grown, keep peeling the onion, I am confident you will discover, as I have, that the core never is reached and each layer has another challenge that was not expected nor anticipated

I frequent the local Caribou and often find myself watching the morning human race come and go. I observe the energy, behaviors, manner and kindness (or lack thereof) exhibited. These frequent observations remind me what is respected, what is tolerated and what I pray I never do unintentionally.

I also have been blessed to spend many days a week at Sister Kenny to support a friend who was struck down with a nasty stroke.

You may be surprised in my describing this as a blessing resulting from a tragedy of someone else, let me explain; This experience of being at Sister Kenny most ever day for a month and now 3 to 4 times a week supporting a friend and having dinner with fellow patients. This meaningful commitment of time has change and impacted me and my paradigm of looking at my own life as a true blessing as I have watched and listened to the stories of patients, their struggles, their thankfulness for life and the staff at Sister Kenny. It has been much like this photo and being reminded that my problems are rather minor compared to others. It has reminded me that to complain to others or in my prayers is selfish and totally insensitive.

 

So….. What Keeps your Cup Full?

Watch for Part 2 – “Am I Going in Circles?” and Part 3 – “Life Lessons being Learned from Pickleball!”

To Those Who Have Followed my Ramblings;

I received a greeting by a Facebook friend along with a request…”Happy New Year Bob; continue to challenge everyone in 2019!”

This short and meaningful note will be a personal challenge as my life observations and challenges are communicated in my Ramblings. These Ramblings over the years are not to tell anyone what to do, or how to think, instead to write about personal thoughts prompted by life experiences, observations and reading that hopefully are worthy of consideration, thought and discussion by others, my followers. Who knows, maybe even a bit of change!

I will take this challenge by my FB friend, Diane, someone I have never met, yet have gained enormous respect over the years, as a challenge that requires personal intentional living, personal thought, consideration, and possible change, not only by me but just maybe by some of those who follow these random Ramblings.

I am painfully aware that change is one of the most difficult, not impossible tasks in life, however taking baby steps and support by others around us can make this very difficult action possible.

As I reflect on this past Christmas Season, I find it comforting that The Christmas Season , for me, is one of deep emotions, reflecting on past great memories, feeling blessed with all that I have been given. I shed some tears and embrace the moments of the past, not to live in the past, but to honor the past. I feel honor and appreciation for the gained knowledge from the past as I have found to do so is critical to a healthy emotional life going forward.

The Christmas and New Year Holiday is also a time to regroup and make 2019 a better year than 2018 on a few specific aspects of life, not a flurry of endless New Year’s Resolution Lists that seldom are looked at again and seldom acted upon.

For me, the season is symbolic with the birth of Baby Jesus. Not only was Jesus born to change the landscape of history and the lives of the world, it is also a time for each of us to symbolically be re-born as to our future and the gifts we have to give to those around us, by doing so, we are giving ourselves a gift of joy, contentment and absolute honor of our past.

May everyone have a 2019 that is memorable and filled with JOY.

Upcoming Rambling:
Live without Atrophy, “Die Young Very Old!”