Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Elephants in the Pasture

Last spring, as I spun along the interstate headed home from work, I noticed some "cows" that didn't look quite right grazing in a pasture.  They were mamoth and moved slowly across the field. I did a double-take.  Those "cows" turned out to be elephants!  The big pasture and barn along the highway are used by a small circus for their winter quarters.  That bright spring day, the elephants were out enjoying a bit of green grass and a bit of sunshine.

The elephants are back now.  The circus is once again in its winter quarters, and I purposely drive home on the interstate to see if the elephants are out.  I get in the right lane and go as slowly as safety allows just to get a glimpse of them in the pasture or by the pond.  It is a novelty to see elephants where one normally sees cows.  Somehow, as the days get shorter, and life falls into the routine of work and darkness, the idea of elephants in the pasture is just the spark I need to keep life from becoming dull.

The elephants are out of place in a sense, and I like that awkward balance between what is expected and what actually is.  So, I look for the elephants.  I keep looking for the unexpected.  It brightens the dull winter days and keeps me expecting surprises.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Starting New

Grandpa and I have moved to town.  With a new neighborhood and a new town, I'm trying to add some new, positive habits to my life.  I don't have my garden here yet, but I know where it will go, and on nice days as the winter progresses, I will work on it.  I want to be ready to plant lovely vegetables when spring does arrive.

In the meantime, I've joined the YMCA and am trying to exercise.  I am NOT an athletic person.  I don't mind sweating and getting dirty in the garden, but just running on a treadmill makes me feel like a hamster.  There is no joy in that.  So, I'm trying some of the activities available at the Y.

 I tried the free weights.  That was my biggest failure.  Even with no weight at all attached to some of the machines, I could not move them.  I moved from machine to machine trying to find something I could do!  I found one.  That told me I should find something in a hurry to build my muscles and keep my bones strong!

I tried the stationary bicycle.  That went pretty well.  I enjoyed looking out the big window over the roofs of the business district while I pedaled, but it didn't feel like much of a whole body exercise.

I tried racket ball.  Well, I was on the racket ball court with a ball and a racket.  My daughter tried to teach me along with my 6 year old grandson.  I swished the ball as much as he did, and sad to say, by the end of the hour, he was doing much better than I.

Persevering, I tried the aquacise.  Now, I may have found something I can actually do.  I'm pretty good at it in the shallow end, but once I get into the deep water I have a tendency to move all over the pool as we float and swing our legs and bodies.  If I can learn to stay in place, or at least in a smaller area, I may actually succeed at this. 

At any rate, I am trying to move my body and keep my heart and bones at least as healthy as they are now!
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. ~Author Unknown