Enjoy the scenery

I was watching a Christmas movie recently, The Bishops Wife with Cary Grant.  As he and the lead female character in the movie were taking a cab ride the cab driver made a comment that stayed with me:  it went something like this “the trouble with the world today is that some people don’t know where they’re going and are in a hurry to get there while others know exactly where they’re going yet take their time and enjoy the scenery on their way”.

What struck me the most about the statement is this movie was that it was uttered when the movie was created in 1947!  Not much has changed has it, despite how different the world seems today.

That statement is certainly true for many of us today isn’t it.  Some of us (and sometimes we all fall into this place) we want to move forward so quickly, even though we are not sure of the direction we are taking.  Sometimes (hopefully) we allow ourselves to savor the experience without rushing to the destination. 

Which is more true for you right now?

What do we want out of life?

My father is 81 and has alzheimers so he is not always very clear these days.  He does still have his moments of clarity and some great wisdom though.  The other night while visiting him, he said a few things that really made me think so I wanted to share them here.

First he asked “what do you want out of life?”  I thought he was asking me that question but as I was preparing to answer him, I realized he was asking himself that question.  His answer was “I don’t know”.  As many do with alzheimers, he kept repeating the same question and answer over and over again.  In between though, he would look up at me and tell me how much he loves me.  I think that was his answer.  What he wants out of life is love and family.

Something else he said also make me think “We used to have nothing, now we have too much”.   Since he often lives in the very distant past he remembers clearly how little he and his family had growing up in the 1930’s and 40’s.   Though I am not sure what he meant by that statement, it made me think about how much we do have now and how distracting and sometimes overwhelming that can feel.

What would it be like if we all asked ourselves

What do I want out of life?

What would it be like if we stopped to think about just how much we do have, where there is perhaps excess that we don’t really need at all and how that excess may distract us from what we truly do want out of life.

Redefine Results

As I mentioned in one of my recent posts, a few months ago I started working with a personal trainer at my gym.  That time has come to a close so it’s time to reflect on my experience.   What results did I achieve?

Well, as most people expect when starting a new workout routine, I had hoped my results would include weight loss.  While that did happen, to an extent, my experience was much bigger than that.   So what did happen?

  • Started running (see my recent post).  This is something I never thought I would do or love as much as I do.
  • Gained muscle.  Yes it’s true that muscle does weigh more than fat.  How do I know?  My clothes are loose even though the scale only went down 3-4 pounds! 
  • Got stronger.  I can now do more tricept dips, push ups and lift heavier weights than I could three months ago.
  • More energy.  There is new spring in my step and energy in my body than I had before.
  • Learned.  I learned more about myself and what I am capable of and learned more about my body and what makes it tick.

What’s next?  This experience has taught me a lot and showed me the way to a healthier me.  My new workout routine will always include running and weights, but I’ll be mixing it up daily.  I will also be continuing to challenge myself in each and every workout.

What experiences have you had that brought you more (and perhaps different) results than you had imagined?