The one thing about the season of Autumn is that things are changing. The leaves are changing. The weather is changing. Life is changing. We are getting closer to Winter. Change is inevitable. The one constant we have in life is change! Are you ready to embrace change, or dread it?
The exciting thing about change is that it is always unique. Just like watching a sunset, one moment it looks one way, and then next, totally different!
Patience goes a long way in accepting change. There is never a dull moment. One change leads to another, and then another, and if there had been a decision made to do something else somewhere during the day, the changes that follow it are also completely different. Each day is unique, and unpredictable. You have to pay attention, or you will miss something. Something special that you may not even realized was happening.
The changes in the season are a good reminder of the changes in life. I was going through some pictures earlier this week and Facebook popped up a reminder for me…
This one is me with my daughters at one of their formal dances in High School! The one on the left is Molly, who is now married, and has 2 children of her own. Megan, on the right, is now engaged to be married next July. All I can think of is “where did the time go?”. There were my young daughters, waiting to create their lives, and now they have! All the changes that have occurred during these years…wow! Life truly is an adventure!
Spend those changing days with the people that matter to you most! These are the people important in your life. Our life changes. Our work changes. Our days change…but true friends last forever. They are with you in the good times, and the bad times. You get to celebrate with them on the good times, and they help hold you together on the bad days. Never lose sight of them amongst all of the changes in your life!
Sarah and I are changing too. I hate to admit it, but we are getting older too. When we first came to Watertown, we were the new kids on the block. Now we are the experienced ones. Things may be changing for us too, but being together is a constant! Constant just like each morning the sun is going to rise, and at the end of the day…
…the sun is going to set. Sarah will be there each morning, and each night, ready to take on another day with me! Change is inevitable, so embrace it, and enjoy the ride! Keep moving everybody!
Life is busy. Work can be crazy. There is always pressure to do this, and to do that. Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and step back on things. Afterall, the things you do mean something to people. No matter who we are, or what we do, somebody cares about us as individuals. We forget that many times. You can get support from friends and family, but you really know who is there for you when the going gets tough. Who is it you can count on? Who is there for you when you need them? Are you there for somebody else when they need you? Do those people in your life know you are there for them? Always questions. We just can’t forget the answers. Sometimes those people, or moments, are right in front of us. Other times the picture is not always as clear. I get reminded of this on these days now when we have been getting a lot of fog in the mornings. We take our same route to work, or to run errands, or whatever it is we are doing when we take off, and most of the time we do not even pay attention. Then on these days when we have fog, we have to pay a lot more attention because the vision is not as clear.
It makes for some other interesting views though! Here our run group is out, and if some of them get too far ahead, and you can’t even see them anymore!
But just like everything else, you keep going, and keep trying to focus on what is in front of you!
Our run group is a perfect example of people helping each other. Jill just got done running the Chicago marathon, and people would take turns for who started earlier, or later, and then at least have as many people running during some of her long stretches to help her get through. We all need help at times. This is a great example of “things you do mean something to people!”
Whether alone working out, or in a group, pay attention to your surroundings. You really have no idea what you are missing otherwise. It is a great time to think if you are alone. It is a great time to talk things through when you are in a group. Nobody has all the answers, but it definitely helps to hear input from other people on issues, because chances are you have already been through it, or something will come up similar for you in the future. Truly be present in the moment!
We may not always have the answers, but you keep going forward, you keep searching, and those answers will be easier to find solutions for. Keep moving forward!
We need to focus on those closest to us as well. Truly, things you do mean something to people! Keep working at it. Stay focused. Have fun!! Keep moving everybody!
We spent the week out in the Hills for a Fall vacation. It did not disappoint. The scenery was incredible. I am always paying attention to the clouds as they can really make a picture look cool. It was forecasted to be cool, and sunny. But the clouds were out every day! It was awesome with the Fall colors.
If you have never been out to the Badlands, you need to go. You have no idea what you are missing. The scenery is breath taking, especially when there are clouds present. We spent all afternoon there one day until sunset. I was taking pictures left and right. There was plenty of walking to do there as well, so had fun with the camera, and got my miles in at the same time. Here are a few from the Badlands.
We got to see wildlife as well. Up close and personal with some buffalo as well. I am glad I also had my telephoto lens with as well. There was plenty of deer, and turkeys, and these would come right up to our cabin we were staying in. We spent a few days with Tom and Sue Beaudry. We took in the Volksmarch with them, and my brother John, then did lots of hiking after. I think we covered around 10 miles a day for a few days with this.
It was easy to just get lost in the scenery, and just relax. I went out for pictures on my own a few times and would just sit and watch. It was very quiet. Just me, nature, and my camera.
Of course, this week Sarah and I celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary. October 6, but we spent the week celebrating with everything we did.
It was a great week, with lots to do and see. It was also more out of season, so it was not as crowed, and the colors were gorgeous. If you have not done it before, give it a try. It was easy to get the exercise in especially when you are out hiking and seeing all of the colors. It was work, but it was more fun. Going out hiking was a great way to see things you would have never seen otherwise. It is another hidden world to be explored. It was well worth it! Keep moving everybody!
Summer is starting to be done, and Winter will be around the corner. We need to take full advantage of Autumn, and all of the colors. It is a perfect time to sit back and just reflect on things. It is kind of hard not to get motivated with the scenery changes. At least you can never say it is boring. The weather can be warm or cold, and the colors are just spectacular!
These are a few from the past on the Mickelson Trail out in the Hills last Fall. The colors are just so cool to see. The trail is great to go walk, ride, or run on. The scenery is never dull. This is the perfect time to be outside and enjoy everything and be thankful for everything in your life.
There are so many times when we get lost in the “busyness” of life. We forget to see the trees through the forest. Pay attention.
This is the perfect time to sit back and reflect on things. What is going right? What is not going right? What do I have control over? What do I think I have control over? Things change…continuously. The only thing we can control about change is out attitude towards it. Stay positive and think of the good things in your life.
Sure, there are times when things can get rough, and you wonder if the storm will pass through. Even in the storms, there is hidden beauty; hidden things that we need to focus through to what lies behind the surface. Don’t lose sight of those things.
And sometimes, you just need to sit somewhere on your own, and think! Forget everything else. Just focus on what is in front of you. Be quiet, and take it in. Jason and Mark are on to something with our run club. They were the charter members of our “sit” club. Sometimes you just have to sit down in order to slow down from everything else. The world is fast paced enough. Slow down. I promise, you really are not going to miss anything else. But you will if you don’t pay attention to things right in front of you! Keep moving everybody!
Are there times you go through the day you wish you could convince yourself to “slow down”? There are times when we need to learn to be more patient. I need to practice this just as much as anybody else. I see “patients” all day and remind them why they are called “patients”. Many times, things take time. We don’t have an answer for everything right away. That goes for everything going on in our lives too. Things can seem very hectic, and you wonder why, or how, you are doing everything you are doing. We all have “dark moments” in our lives. You wonder if there is truly a reason, or a benefit. It is often these darkest moments that we are able to see the light!
Slow down! Be patient! Some days the “waters are rougher” than others. Those calms days help make up the difference. Those calms days are what help keep us going. But, it is the “rough days” that determine our character, and what we learn from those experiences!
I always have to keep reminding myself of the fact that great things take time. This was kind of a tough week for me. I don’t know why. It really should not have been any different than any other week. It just seemed like nothing was really going right. It is frustrating. You try to stay positive, and your “weird” comes out. Somehow, some way, we need to control our “weird”. Now, we are all going to have our moments. We just need to try to keep them to a minimum, and not be the typical.
That is why the sunsets are calming for me. I get to slow down and just take it in. You still have to contend with the weather. Some days are very calm, and some days are very “unsettling”. Be patient! Slow down!
Sarah took this picture of me last weekend when we were in Pierre for the Senior Games. Life truly is like taking pictures. You slow down, take in the scene, decide if you like it or not, look at it a different way, keep going until you are satisfied with what you have, then move on! Pretty straightforward, right? If only everything in life could be to that degree.
You never really know how that picture may truly turn out, just like you don’t know how things in life are going to turn out. You keep trying! Be patient! Slow down!
Things can also change quickly, if you are patient enough to hang around to find out. Sound familiar? Same holds true in life!
Be patient! Slow down! You have no idea what is coming but would venture to say for the majority of those times, the best is yet to come. But sometimes you have to go through the worst to get the best. Be patient! Sometimes you wish you could speed the clock up to see how things will end. We learn from those experiences though. That, and we are wishing our lives to go even faster than they already do. Be patient! Slow down! Keep moving everybody! Forward is progress!
It was the South Dakota Senior Games weekend in Pierre this Thursday-Saturday. Sarah and I both participated. Anybody 50 years of age and older is eligible.
A sample page of the itinerary–
You could participate in as many events as you wanted to. This is one page of Thursday events. The schedule is packed! It is a lot of fun because everyone there is cheering you on. Some are very serious competitors though, too. Once an athlete, always an athlete! Everything is split out in age categories, starting at 50, and split every 5 years. There were many strength training events: pushups, pull up bar, wall sit, plank, bench press, jump rope (who would have thought jump rope would be that tough, but I challenge anyone to do as many as you can in three minutes!) Here are pictures of us competing.
We, of course, got into running events as well. 1500 meters on the track, and then Saturday morning a 5K and 10K (combined, not separate!)
I guess we did pretty good, though. 16 events between the two of us. 16 medals–15 Gold, 1 Silver!
It was a lot of fun, but it was work. We got home Saturday afternoon and spent the rest of the weekend recovering. I guess we are getting older too! This competition is a great way to be staying active, even when we are getting older. There really is no excuse. There is something over the 3 days that somebody could compete in. Check out web site: South Dakota Senior Games. Many of the same people we competed against in events last year were there again this year. You start making friends, and everybody encourages each other. It truly is all about staying active regardless of your age. Use it or lose it! I have been saying this for years. We are already planning on making this a yearly tradition! Keep moving everybody!
