by Mary Claybon | Aug 29, 2010 | Uncategorized |
I was reading an article about Drew Barrymore in today’s USA Weekend.
Life, Love and Babies At 35 Drew Barrymore wonders what’s next.
She is reflecting on the second half of her life. Based on her timeline I am 20 years ahead of her and well into my second half and I still wonder, “What’s next?” In the article she states, ” I am just a big walking question mark with an open heart…her personal life is still evolving.”
Whose isn’t? Even if we seem to have our life all figured out, that does not mean all the questions are answered.
I live my life as a question mark. I am curious about what’s next today, tomorrow, and in my future. I am curious about the people I meet, both those whom I may bump into by accident at the grocery store and those I have known for years. Life is interesting and although I may make some plans, and occasionally dream, I am willing to alter my plans or be interrupted if circumstances change. I consider life a dream made up of images and I am always curious about how things are going to turn out.
I feel open and free at my age. I am enjoying my home, being a grandmother, writing, friendship and more. I am grateful to be able to exercise and maintain a moderately healthy lifestyle. Regardless of what I need to do today to live it fully, I am open to be curious about the next moments of the day, tomorrow, and the time I have left to BE.
by Mary Claybon | Aug 16, 2010 | Health and Wellness |
One of my friends asked, “Mary, how can I ever get to love exercise? I hate it.”
I was contemplating the answer, and first have to say that I hated to move or exercise until I woke up to physical fitness and health after meeting my husband in 1971.
I was 19 years old, weighed 15 pounds more than I do now, smoked 2 packs of cigarettes a day, and if my feet were not made for walking, my only exercise was going back and forth to the hospital or walking to shop.
Steve was a runner since high school. It was part of his daily routine and he couldn’t imagine not exercising. He also hated my smoking. We fell in love and I decided to get active.
One day, I went outside to the track and just started running. I can remember coughing a lot and not truly enjoying it right away. I also was sore for days after. I stayed with it and before long I was running 3 miles around the track.
As I continued running, I began to enjoy the feeling of a good sweat and also noticed that my weight was stabilizing. I could enjoy my food more and had a more balanced appetite. Exercise became a habit that I could no longer do without.
The smoking was another thing. I did quit for Steve, but that didn’t last long. I went back to smoking on and off in between pregnancies and eventually quit for good when I was 30. It was at that time that I became an aerobics instructor.
Exercise has been part of my life since I was 20. I have been a runner, walker, enjoyed bicycling, cross-country skiing and dancing including aerobic dancing. As I became more interested in my inner fitness, I started doing yoga. In my career I have taught aerobics, yoga, fitness and conditioning and now teach more about spiritual fitness.
The point is I can’t live without it. It is part of my being. It is like brushing teeth and when I don’t exercise I feel it all over. I feel sluggish, full, digestive constipation, mood swings, and low energy. When I exercise I feel light, refreshed, my digestion flows, I am happier, more energetic and while my body benefits, my mind feels more clear.
So – all I can say is you have to get out there and move your body in a way that fits your lifestyle and your interests. Running is a burden for many, while walking feels natural and with the accompaniment of a friend can be more about a relationship than exercise. Some people like the gym and others would rather exercise at home.
Probably the easiest way to make sure you are moving is to buy a pedometer and get out there and walk, or if you are active cleaning and running around in your normal daily work and activities, you may just need a short walk to get to the goal of 10,0000 steps. 10,000 Steps a day is equal to about 5 miles of walking. If you do that everyday, you may find that exercise becomes intrinsic and easy.
I will continue to write about the Joy of Exercise is future blogs. For now it would be great to hear from you.
by Mary Claybon | Apr 9, 2007 | Stories, The Middle Way Blog |
Welcome to my blog. This is my first post and only a beginning. My purpose for this blog is to share my thoughts and my life with you and you with me.
I am a writer and have been for years. When I was younger, I loved writing letters to my Aunt and friends. I also had pen pals-remember those days? It was exciting to sit and write a letter, unleash thoughts on pretty paper, and send it out in a stamped envelope. I loved getting letters in the mail. What a delight! I couldn’t wait until the mailman came and had mail for “me.” I would write long letters, and I know my Aunt enjoyed reading them, but I wonder if she enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Then I began a diary when I was in third grade. Remember those- the ones we would write in and then lock with a little key? Well, that’s the kind of diary I had-so that we could write secret thoughts. All I remember writing was, “I kissed a boy today.” That was the boy I met on the Santa Fe train when I went with my grandmother to California. It took us three days to get there, and it was one of my most exciting memories. My diary could have been so exciting if I wasn’t so intimidated by the pages. I didn’t let the words flow like you do when writing a letter. Instead, I wrote the part about kissing a boy. Then the next day, we kissed again. It was nothing. He was in his seat, and I sat in the back of him. He would climb up, we would kiss, and then laugh and giggle as we were told to sit down. So I entered, ” I kissed a boy today.” Then the next day, it said, “I kissed him again.” After that, I think I wrote what I did in California, but since I don’t have the diary anymore, I am not sure what it said. I only remember the kissing part.
As I got older, I continued to like to write, except when it was an assigned paper. Then I was paralyzed. It took forever to get the words down. Research papers made me so nervous, and any writing assignment caused anxiety. But, once I got started, I enjoyed writing and continued to write. I had many opportunities as I went on to college and eventually completed a Master of Education degree. Later as a professor myself, I always assigned papers and presentations. I think everyone should develop writing and speaking skills. But my favorite writing was and still is when I am all alone and want to write. I can make up poems and write about life and my days with no trouble. I liked to write, and I still do.
Today I have over 50 journals. I began my adult journals when I was about 33 years old. That was over 20 years ago. A journal is always in my purse, and I write almost daily. I don’t edit or worry about what I am writing, so it comes without anxiety. My journal feels like my best friend- no judgment and utterly open to my every word. So I write and write and sometimes draw pictures and excerpts from books or tell what my day was like or jot down a poem or the title for one of the many books inside me.
My journals are handwritten, but I have also enjoyed correspondence via e-mail. I have many documents written on my various topics of interest. I still enjoy writing letters on pretty paper in a stamped envelope, but I also enjoy this new technology, although I am overwhelmed by its many possibilities.
I have wanted to write a book for a long time. I have thousands of words written for a memoir. I have written several poems and essays on health and wellness. I want to write a book that you can read, but again I have that same anxiety like it is an assignment, and thus I lose my creativity. Now it has to be organized and look like something that has a linear train of thought. My mind doesn’t work that way. My thoughts often feel like flash photography at high speed. Meditation and yoga are necessary practices for me to slow down and focus and balance.
So I started this blog to write and perhaps hear from you. What do you like or not like about what I have to say? What do you want more or less of?
My writing has a consistent theme – deep health and wellness going beyond just how we stay fit and trim and live forever, but how we enjoy our existence, realizing we are forever.
Maybe you will share your stories.
That’s all for this post. I feel myself editing my words now, which stops me from flowing. I will write more. This is just the beginning.
Thank you for visiting.
