First Down, Inches to Go

What a festive time of year, as we bask in the afterglow of Christmas and look ahead with hope toward a new year.  And resolutions ... we make them, we break them, but perhaps we have good intentions and better habits if only for a short while.

Some resolutions are pretty big.  Stop smoking.  Read the Bible cover to cover.  Lose weight.  There's plenty to choose from.  Classic resolutions ... fancy resolutions ... healthy resolutions.

But this year, I'm going all out on something I've been putting off and giving up on for decades.  It's so dramatic ... so deep ... it requires sharing so I can be held accountable.

It involves my toes.

No, seriously ... I have a goal ... to touch my toes.

[I'll wait for the room to settle down.  Let me know when you're ready to continue.]

I know people who can palm the floor, and that's all fine and dandy.  I'm not jealous.  Much.

I'm just working to make a simple connection between my index finger and a hallux.  (That's a big toe.  And yes, I looked it up.)

For as long as I can recall, I've never been able to touch my toes.  I'm sure did it as a baby, but then again, I think I could put my foot behind my head.  Didn't we all do that?  No?  Hmm.

For years, I blamed my separation of upper and lower phalanges on long legs and a short torso.  Hmm ... perhaps that's not it after all.  I mean ... I don't really look disproportionate.   My beltline isn't at the 3/4 mark between my feet and my head.  If it were, I'd be on exposition in a traveling carnival.

And it's not because there's all THAT much to work around when I bend at the waist.  A gut is a gut ... I should be able to displace what I have on the way down.  So that's no excuse.

I think it's simply a lack of flexibility.  An ugly truth.  Unfortunate, but there it is.

Funny, I do recall as a kid being able to put my legs (lanky as they are) into a Lotus position.  I could even walk around in that position on my knees.  I know ... I don't understand why I didn't make it on Star Search either.  Course, I don't think Mr. Lotus had that type of mobility in mind when he invented the inverted criss-cross-applesauce leg pretzel.

Now I realize touching your toes isn't a huge requirement in life.  It's not on a college application form.  It's not a prerequisite for membership in the country club.  It's not even necessary for filing your taxes (although I realize some folks feel they are bent over in that process, but we won't dwindle on that word picture.)

Toe touching is just a personal "thing" that I want to be able to say I can do.  To myself ... not as a public decree.  Frankly, I'm befuddled as to why this is has become an issue.  I take the stairs everywhere.  I park and walk every morning and evening.  I even go to different buildings for bathroom breaks during the day so I can squeeze in activity whenever I can.  Just keep moving, just keep moving, just keep moving, moving, moving ... what do we do?  We moooove!  (Sorry ... Nemo reference snuck in there.)

Somewhere along the line, I became inflexible.  Unable to stretch my boundaries ... make ends meet, so to speak.  And the longer I let it go, the tougher it will be to reach that goal.

Whoa there ...
wrong direction!

Have you become inflexible over the years?  Determined that the way things have always been is the way they will always (or should always) be?  Have you been telling yourself that a situation is what it is and there's nothing you can do about it?  How many opportunities are you potentially missing due to an unwillingness to stretch yourself ... to reach beyond your current limitation and do just a little more?  Even if it means just an increment a day ... it can't be that far out of your reach.

When I first started my quest (I've been working on this on and off for over a year), I could only reach just below the halfway point between my knees and the final destination before I was sure things were going to tear apart.  Calves, thighs and back ... all shredding apart.  At least, that's what it felt like.

This evening ... I'm pleased to report that I'm LESS than two inches away.  And mind you, I DON'T bounce.  I heard that can make your eyes cross permanently and cause deafness in one ear.  Not to mention, you may not come back up if you bounce.  I prefer to walk upright, thank you very much.

At this rate, I may have this resolution done by the end of the month.  I'll get to work on the mental flexibility all year long.  And then some.  We could all use more mental flexibility.  Yes, indeed.  And in an election year, for cryin' out loud.

What's your resolution?  Not too late to make one!

Who Am I? Really ...

It seems to me these days that so many people are having identity crises.  Flip-flopping politicians.  Out-of-work protestors who demand the downfall of that which helps ensure they are fed and clothed, regardless of whether or not they realize it.  Entitled people who pickup their federal aid and hop back in their Escalade to go get their nails done.

One of my favorite authors is Robert Fulghum.  He's the "All I Really Need to Know" kindergarten guy.  Perhaps you've seen the posters (as shown).  I like to think I'm complex, yet simple.  Much like he comes across.  I just read a Kindle sample of his book "What on Earth Have I Done."  I'm told I don't read much ... at least in book form.  This one may be my next conquest.  Perhaps you should take a look at it as well.  Now that I think about it, I have a Barnes and Noble gift card in my wallet.  WINNING.

But anyway ... the issues of the country (along with my continual plodding into the potential for middle-age doldrums) have given me a spark to declare who I am.  If nothing else, perhaps it will remind me who I was as time goes on.  After all, the memory does seem to give way to the ... um, hold on a sec.  What was I doing?

[Pause]

Oh yes ... who am I?  Let's find out, shall we?

1.  I am a Christian.  I believe that God is God, and He created what we know to be our "reality" today, even as it seems to spiral into something ugly.  He came down to Earth as a man (Happy Birthday coming up, Big J), and also exists as the Holy Spirit.  The Bible is the unwavering truth.  And I need to get to know it better.  My faith carries me.

2.  I am a husband of an extraordinary woman who graciously accepts the imperfect love I manage to give her and returns it with a love of her own.  We are permanently linked for the time we have here on this world, and I could not imagine completing this adventure with anybody else.  We complement each others strengths and weaknesses.  It's a roller coaster ride, but one I'd get back in line to ride over and over again as long as she'll sit with me.

3.  I am a father of three of the most precious, unique and impressive children.  My oldest has a heart bigger than life, and she embodies me in girl form.  My middle is a joy with her countenance and intelligence that will eventually challenge what I know (if it hasn't already.)  And my youngest who carries my name is the one who stretches me.  He has a spirit that could put an end to any energy crisis if it could be bottled up and dumped into the grid.  He is our little prayer warrior (when he slows down long enough to put his heart into it).  And eventually, once he realizes how he can wield his spirit like a sword, just look out folks.  All three of these gifts from God are going to do great things in their own right.  And I am a proud papa, indeed.  Who they are and who I am are results of the two loving, Christian families that Veda and I can claim as our own.  And I hope we are continuing a legacy of that love.

4.  I don't know if I'm in the 1% or the 53%, but I know I pay 100% of my taxes.  I don't necessarily agree with where that money goes, and I wish we could find someone who can put us back on track.  And run our government more like a business.  With fiscal accountability, even if it means we ALL have to swallow a bitter reality pill.  I am proud to claim a debt-free lifestyle (with the exception of the mortgage) and I am blessed beyond belief.  But I am eyeing a new car for 2012/2013, and I haven't saved up enough money for it.  Hmm ...

5.  I am also proud to be an American, Mr. Greenwood.   And I sincerely wish others who have the right to claim this status would be a little more respectful of the honor it is.  And for those who wish to take advantage of the blessings of being a part of this wonderful country, I wish they would do it the legal and appropriate way.  Which leads me to #6 on the list ...

6.  I am a rule follower first, then a rule maker second.  I rarely have interest in being a rule breaker.  It defeats the purpose of having them in the first place, and those who like to break the rules tend to really get annoyed when THEIR rules are the ones being ignored or broken.

7.  I love movies.  I love movies that make you think.  I love movies that make you feel.  I like to laugh at movies.  Out loud.  So that perhaps the director back in LA or wherever the movie came from will know that someone enjoyed it.  I will also cry if it's warranted.  I think that is OK and healthy.  Besides, it's usually dark in the movie theater and no one will know if you keep it below a whimper.  But let out anything more ... well, you're on your own then.

8.  I like to number things.  It's because I like order.  Perhaps you came across this in some of the historical posts here on the blog.  This one happens to be a perfect fit for #8.  So be it.

9.  I have a challenge maintaining order sometimes.  That's all I'll say about that for now.

10.  I like "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" ...  It is a good story, great acting, and has a brilliant soundtrack behind it.  You don't realize how much the music adds to a movie until you hear the music by itself after you've seen the movie, and the songs take you back to the scenes.  They literally sound like what you saw.

11.  One of my favorite hats right now is an Australian outback hat.  Don't ask me why.  Just because.  And I like cargo shorts with drawstring tassels on the legs that I never actually tie.  They just dangle off the sides and help make my legs look a little less lanky.

12.  Five of the last six words I just wrote started with the letter "L" ... so why don't we say this blog entry was sponsored by the letter "L."  And yes, I grew up on Sesame Street.  And The Electric Company.  And Zoom.

There's bound to be more.  But I will stop at 12.  It's an even number.  And it's time you got back to work.  Or fed the chickens.  Or put your hands back on the wheel.  Or started your own list of who YOU are.  Now there's an idea.

Hello ... pleased to meet you, whoever you are. Welcome to me.  Come back often, OK?