We've Moved!

Here's my new address:
http://seezooeyrun.wordpress.com/

Synchronicity will provide

I just got new business cards and wanted to pick up an Altoids container to hold them in --it's the perfect sized tin. I stopped in at Martins Southgate Drugs and found the Altoids, but then remembered to zap their barcode with my new BUYCOTT app. This is a wonderful new tool that scans the barcode and reveals the parent company and whether or not they have contributed to campaigns supporting GMOs. Alas, I was informed that Altoids are owned by MARS Co, which contributed $376,650 to NO on Prop 37, which was trying to demand GMO labeling. (Shame on them!)
I was so conflicted! I really wanted the tin, and how much, really, would my small purchase hurt MARS, I rationalized. I got to the checkout counter and, low and behold! There were these sweet tins, free and clear of campaign conflicts, made locally (Yelm) and "GMO free, no corn, sugar, soy, wheat, gluten or dairy." Hurray! Synchronicity in action!

One thing leads to another

I got these orange shoes from Tom's (we all got to choose a pair--all 16 of us headed for the coast last month, as part of a lesson our patriarch wanted to impart)--they jumped out at me from the catalog. But I had nothing, really, to wear with them. I don't normally wear orange (or red). Then I was in the PX on Monday and saw this orange shirt on sale for less than $3.00. How could I not buy it??? Accented with my orange earrings (which I have also never worn before) I have gotten several compliments today already, and it is still morning. It reminded me of a poem my interesting friend Darlene Korbuszewski made up when we were in middle school together (she wrote many poems, but this is the only one I remember.)

"The fall leaves scream out their colors: ORANGE!"

That's it. But today I feel like I am screaming out to everyone: "I AM WEARING ORANGE!"

Who knew?

Today I noticed for the first time the "31" nested inside the BR of Baskin-Robbins sign. I know. Amazing how unobservant I've been for the past 57 years (Baskin-Robbins has been in business for 67 years, but I'm not that old...)
It made me wonder how many "hidden" messages are out there in the Universe that have gone or go unnoticed by me. I am trying to be open to the hidden wonders out there and I believe that the more aware and observant and acknowledging we are, the more we are given to see. A quick Wikipedia search also let me in on the reason behind the 31 (I know, I bet everyone but me already knew this...)--so customers could try a different flavor every day of the month. I hope everyday of the month I see a new message and learn a new thing.
Here are the original 31 flavors. Which is your favorite? (Can you believe they offered Green Tea Tiramisu back in 1945??!! and what is a "Mille-feuille"? Something new to learn!)

Banana Nut Fudge Black Walnut Burgundy Cherry Butterscotch Ribbon Cherry Macaroon Chocolate Chocolate Almond Chocolate Chip Chocolate Fudge Chocolate Mint Chocolate Ribbon

Coffee Coffee Candy Date Nut Egg Nog French Vanilla Green Mint Stick Lemon Crisp Lemon Custard Lemon Sherbet Maple Nut

Orange Sherbet Peach Peppermint Fudge Ribbon Peppermint Stick Pineapple Sherbet Raspberry Sherbet Rocky Road Strawberry Vanilla Vanilla Burnt Almond Strawberry Mille-feuille Green tea Tiramisu

Unplugged?

My NikeBand quit a couple weeks ago, and the two weeks without it have seemed somehow freeing, as though I had some restriction removed. I wasn't concerned about how many "fuel points" I was burning throughout the day and I wasn't stressing over whether or not the website would be "down" when I would be trying to upload my data for the day. I got the free replacement band in the mail a few days ago and have sent off the defective one, but am waiting to wear the new one to be sure they accept the old as replaceable. If it isn't, I'm sending the new one back, rather than be charged anew for it.
Today I was plugging in my meals to MyFitnessPal and calculating how far/long I had to run to burn the equivalent calories and I was aghast that I was already 300 calories over my "daily allowance" and I hadn't even had dinner yet! Then I realized that my morning smoothie had somehow gotten recorded twice, and I breathed a sigh of relief that I was still "on track."
So I set out in the still-warm evening for my 3-miles run and really pumped it, working to break under 10 minute miles. Three miles later, gasping for breath in the heat and drenched in sweat, I look at the stats on Runkeeper and saw that I had only burned 123 calories. What??!! No way! I looked closer and saw that I had inadvertently selected "Cycling" for my activity instead of "Running." The app thought I was out on a leisurely 6-miles per hour bike ride instead of the intense 10-minute-mile workout I had done. Bleh. So I did a slow jog for 2 miles with the setting on "Walk" to compensate.
This wasn't my first technological breakdown, as my first NikeBand (I'm now on #3) quit the day of my first marathon, cheating me of an all-time-high fuel point moment.
Think the Universe is trying to tell me something? What can I learn from this? Maybe I need to become more of a minimalist--running for the "fun of it" (well, and for the fitness) but not to be so fixated on measuring and tracking and competing. Maybe I just need a watch, and not something that will tell me constantly how many calories I am burning, how many steps I am taking and how many "Fuel points" (whatever that means...?) I've earned.
After a year of tracking my food and exercise on MyFitnessPal--a free website that I really have enjoyed and has helped me to be more aware of what I eat and what it takes to lose weight--I think I "get it" and could possibly continue to eat healthy without the constant tracking.
This past year I have learned a lot about fitness, my body and what it can do (yes, run a marathon as well as place respectably in 2 triathlon sprints), health and nutrition (feeling my way towards vegetarianism), and have reached my ideal body weight goal. I believe it may be time to unplug...

Kindergarten memories

My sis just posted some pictures from her grandson's graduation from Kindergarten. One photo was of his essay, "What I learned in Kindergarten." It reminded me of what I learned in Kindergarten...
I learned:

• To Paint! I remember being assigned to my easel, and given a full-body smock to wear (plastic-coated, I think, with several large pockets at the bottom for easy access to my supplies). I remember applying lots of wide swaths of color. I loved all the colors! That transfered also to coloring, where I could be happy for hours with the giant-sized box of 64 crayons....(I wouldn't mind having a box today, come to think of it...) But it wasn't just about the color, as our class was set to work one day "painting" the outside of the building...with brushes dipped in water! Just going through the motion of painting was good enough. 
• It's ok to take a nap in the middle of the day. Another exercise I wouldn't mind re-instituting into my life today.
• Achieving goals is rewarding. (I still have my Kindergarten diploma.)
• I look really good in short hair. 

Paying it forward

Got an email from my mom yesterday. She had read the blog about the panhandler and shared her own version:

Your random act of kindness just paid off for me....I went to Stuart's kindergarten graduation then took him for mini golf and lunch at A&W.  I orderd the foot long hot dog and root beer float, he ordered nuggets and a root beer float. I wasn't too embarrassed to find the bill was $12.00 and I only had $5 left after paying for golf and water balloons. I had to cancel my order and just have Stuie eat.  The waitress brought his order and I said, "I am sorry but I can't leave you a very big tip (.90) as I thought you took credit cards but the sign says 'cash only.'"  I explained to her why I was short of cash.  She left and returned with my original order a few minutes later.  I said, "You must be mistaken--I cancelled the hot dog dinner."  She then told me that the man at the table behind me paid for it.  Seems a father and daughter were celebrating her going from second to third grade, and he overheard me explaining my situation. He told the waitress to bring the order and he would pay. Of course I got all teary and had to tell him about your and Rachel's experiences and promised him I would pass on his kindness in like manner.

And so it goes--paying it forward makes the world a better place, one hot dog (or taco) at a time!

Soulmates

Working in a library, I love the serendipity of finding random books/music/videos from browsing. (Well, I'm not really browsing. I'm helping with the shelving because we are down some staff members due to illness. But one has to look at what one is shelving before putting it on the right spot on the shelf, right?)
Yesterday I found a Ben Folds cd, and granted, it only had one song on it that I liked, but the message in that one song is very thought provoking. It is called From Above, from the Lonely Avenue cd, and the lyrics are:

They even looked at each other once
Across a crowded bar
He was with Martha
She was with Tom
Neither of them really knew what was going on.
A strange feeling of never,
Heartbeats becoming synchronized
And staying that way forever.

Most of the time
It was just near misses,
Air kisses
Once in a bookstore, once at a party
She came in as he was leaving
And years ago, at the movies, she sat behind him
A six-thirty showing of 'While You Were Sleeping'
He never once looked around

 

(Chorus)

It's so easy from above
You can really see it all
People who belong together
Lost and sad and small
But there's nothing to be done for them
It doesn't work that way
Sure we all have soulmates
But we walk past them every day

And it's not like they were ever actually unhappy
In the lives they lived
He married Martha
She married Tom
Just this vague notion that something was wrong
An ache, an absence, a phantom limb
An itch that could never be scratched.

(Chorus)

 

Who knows whether that's how it should be
Maybe our ghosts live in that vacancy
Maybe that's how books get written
Maybe that's why songs get sung
Maybe we owe the unlucky ones

(Chorus)

So, have you found your soulmate?

Happy Endings

Last week my daughter called me to "confess" that she messed up. She was upset that she didn't follow through quick enough on a prompting to help someone. A woman in line at Panda Express in front of her had her card denied and had to leave without her food. Said empathetic daughter told the cashier she would pay for the woman's items, but by then, the woman had left and couldn't be seen in the vicinity, so the moment passed. Flash forward to my recent experience. I was at a stop light and saw the unkempt old man with the ubiquitous cardboard sign. The only word I noted, which was darkened, was "HUNGRY." I knew I had no food in the car and rationalize it's no good to give money, and then the light changed and I moved on. But immediately my daughter's recent experience came into my mind and I thought, "I can do SOMETHING right now." I drove the few blocks to Taco Bell, bought the Big Box Meal and turned back to the intersection, hoping the man would still be there. He was. I rolled down the window and extended my offering, calling out, "Dinner?" He ran over, took the food gratefully and said, "Wow! this is great! Thanks!" I drove off, but not without emotion overtaking me and tears pricking the corners of my eyes. I called my daughter to tell her what had occurred and why. Her experience had prompted my actions.
But the story didn't end there. That night I lay in bed and remembered that my scripture study that morning had been cut short, and I wanted to finish the chapter I had started. I turned to where I'd left off 12 hours earlier and read:

11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have ^atasted of his love, and have received a^bremission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own ^cnothingness, and his ^dgoodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of ^ehumility, ^fcalling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing ^gsteadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

 12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the ^alove of God, and always ^bretain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the ^cknowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.  

16 And also, ye yourselves will ^asuccor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the ^bbeggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

 17 Perhaps thou shalt ^asay: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

 18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

 19 For behold, are we not all ^abeggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?

 20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a ^aremission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his^bSpirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with ^cjoy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.

 21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to ^aimpart of the substance that ye have one to another. (Mosiah 4:11-21)

I was overwhelmed with the Spirit, testifying to me of the love of my Heavenly Father, His mindfulness of me and my family, and how He wants to bless us. I was grateful for this opportunity to be receptive to His promptings, not only to help another fellow human being, but to comfort my daughter and uplift her, and to received this special "God wink" through His scriptures. My heart is filled with joy! 

 

National Running Day

Today is (most likely among many other "national days" celebrations) National Running Day. As this fact was unbeknownst to me when I made the decision last night to run this morning for the first time in weeks, I'm going to label this a coincidence. The slow 2-mile run went well and my previously injured knee felt good during and after so that bodes well. Also coincidentally, my daughter called for advice on running shoes, so I guess the spirit of the day has permeated our subconscious.

“It’s very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.” – George Sheehan

"Every day is a good day when you run."
-Kevin Nelson

right number

In seminary this morning one of my seniors asked what the requirements were to "letter" in seminary. I had no idea, as I had never heard of such a thing. I told him I didn't know but I would find out today and report back in the morning. Then I promptly forgot about it. Several hours later I am sitting at work when my cell phone rings. It is the area supervisor for seminary asking for Brother Bushman...nope. Not at this number. He was apologizing for dialing the wrong number when I stopped him and said, "but wait! Don't hang up! I needed to ask you what the requirements are for lettering in Seminary." I wouldn't have remembered if I hadn't seen his name on my phone when he called "in error." But we both know it wasn't an error at all, was it?

Daily Dose

Saw this article and loved the sweet, simple testimony that is recognition of the gifts of God in our lives. He hears us and answers our prayers! I have begun teaching an early morning seminary class with about 10 high school juniors/seniors. One student lingered after class today and said, "Isn't it great when you pray about something and right away, Bam! an answer is right in front of you?!" He didn't elaborate on what his prayer had been or what the answer was, but I agreed that those special God-winks are wonderful to receive--those divine messages that our Heavenly Father is close, He hears us, loves us, and wants to bless us with what we need and sometimes even what we want. I cherish this opportunity to once again immerse myself in the scriptures and prayer as I prepare daily for this hour with these valiant young people who give up their sleep and time to get a spiritual start to their day. It's humbling and exhilarating at the same time as I feel the Spirit reaching them through these lessons.

Sweet Synchronicity

These chocolate chip cookies were leftovers from a library program today and were sitting in the break room tempting me. I don't usually like store-bought cookies, but I've been experiencing a sweet-tooth lately and couldn't resist. After I ate it, I of course, felt bad. BUT THEN....I was checking my email and clicked on a link from my Military.com newsletter, which led me to the new aafes bx/px Facebook page. Where I found this. The first post on the page announced that today is National Chocolate Chip Day!! Got to love a coincidence like that, so...I ate another cookie!

Just say "yes!"

I was asked yesterday to teach a class for a women's group on green smoothies next month, as I have become a vocal advocate of their yummy goodness in my circle of family/acquaintances. I had a "deer-in-the-headlights" moment at first, thinking, "uh oh, that is going to involve research, preparation, time (of which I seem to have a diminishing quantity daily) etc., as they would want to know the whys and wherefore of including specific ingredients, the nutritional values and other weighty aspects. But I said, "sure!" because...that's what I do. Then this morning, in my inbox there appeared this lovely newsletter article providing exactly the information I need. Love it when the planets align so tidily.

http://beta.active.com/active-cookbook-antioxidant-and-45rich-juices-and-smoothies-1909

Who are your villagers?

We all know the phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child," but have you ever applied it to your own experience? Who are the influential people in your life, past or present, who have shaped and influenced you?



Here's my top 10:

1. & 2. My parents. Of course. They are the first influences on any child. My mother's example is one of generosity, love, humor and selflessness. She is always putting others first. She can laugh at herself and has a flair for bringing smiles to others. I'm sure my love of service and the gratification it brings is her legacy. My dad, also very selfless, was the first person most of his family and friends thought of if they needed help of any kind, and especially in the department of mechanics. Growing up I thought he was the smartest person ever. When I went away to college I would call him and describe the noises my car was making so I could get the right diagnosis before going to the local mechanic. His love and trust in me gave me the wings and the courage to succeed. They both epitomized unconditional love.

3. & 4. Holly (Olson) Hastings and John DeVilbiss. Friends during high school who had the courage to reach out to me and share the gospel of Jesus Christ with me. Their examples of righteous living amidst teenage angst and peer pressure were extremely important and served as role models for me. Don't even want to imagine where or who I'd be without their influence.

5. & 6. Missionaries! The two missionaries who taught me the gospel (once I was directed to them by Holly) were Orson West and Larry Johnson. I'm so grateful for their willingness to sacrifice two years of their lives to serve in that capacity. They were very patient with me as I questioned them again and again, but they were firm in their testimonies and convictions so that the Spirit could reach and teach me. Our family is still in contact with Orson, forty years after our baptisms. He is an example of the scripture in D&C 18:10, 15-16:

10 Remember the ^aworth of ^bsouls is great in the sight of God;

15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one ^asoul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

 16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the ^akingdom of my Father, how great will be your ^bjoy if you should bring many ^csouls unto me!

7. & 8. Teachers. In high school it was William Boyle, who taught Latin, and Rita Mallahy, who taught English. Their enthusiasm and love of their subjects helped me to not only want to learn those subjects, but to want to learn, period. I could tell that they really loved their students and teaching as well. Having a teacher show interest in you at that age is very nurturing.

9. & 10. Gospel teachers, Jim Foley and Vern Wolf. Jim was my seminary teacher in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Seminary is the religious instruction for teens. He taught me the Book of Mormon that year and his classes were so interesting! I learned about Chiasmus, and likening the scriptures to my life, and looking for the positive in every day. Now I am a seminary teacher (again!) and call up the inspiration and influence of Br. Foley as I teach the youth each morning. Vern Wolf was a Gospel Principles teacher I had at Brigham Young University. He took my knowledge and testimony of the gospel to a whole new level. Every day was inspirational and thought-provoking. He challenged us to write out our testimony and conversion story and that exercise has remained a reference point for me to this day.

Who are your villagers?

lemony goodness

 I decided to cut back on the supplements I was purchasing, looking for similar benefits in natural avenues of diet. The purpose of one in particular was to balance pH and maintain alkalinity. The day I made the call to the distributor cancelling future orders, I came across this blog.
But not just that one; a subsequent Google search of "benefits of drinking lemon water" brings up 1.5 million hits! What caught my eye, although all the benefits were worthwhile, was "4) Balances pH Levels. Lemons are one of the most alkalizing foods for the body." Yay for happening upon just the right information at just the time it is needed!

So, where are YOU from?

It was lunchtime during the Chamber of Commerce Mentor & Learn event--an annual presentation where business leaders give teens in the school district an idea of what the business world is like. I was sitting with one of the presenters and my fellow event-planners. One of the women told the presenter that she had attended the same school in Canada mentioned in her presentation. As we asked about her educational path that took her to Canada, she said she had first attended Mt. Holyoke, as she had grown up in Massachusetts. Well I grew up in Massachusetts, so I had to asked, "what town?" Yep, same as I: Fitchburg! As we compared notes, I learned that she was there after me, and had attended Applewild, a private school. I had an immediate flash of memory, long buried, of visiting Applewild in an attempt to obtain one of their scholarships. I recalled being in a room at a table by myself, and being given a photograph of a girl in a field and asked to write a short story about it. (I must have been about 12 at the time.) Evidently they weren't sufficiently impressed, as I didn't get the scholarship, but attended the public Memorial Junior High School instead. I remembered a feeling of wounded pride and rejection at the time, but now I see that it was meant to be. Memorial was where I became best friends with Holly, from the only Mormon family in the town, who introduced me to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And, as they say, "The rest is history."

Do you ever look back and see the course your life has taken, the twists and turns, the decisions and diversions, and wonder at the divine plan that must be involved?

(Easter) Bunny Food

I've decided to downsize the number of supplements I've been taking, one of which was to maintain the alkalinity in my body. I thought I would just focus on eating more foods on the alkaline scale. But I'd been putting off getting out my list of foods and actually stopping the shipments until this morning, in my e-inbox was this article on the perfect alkaline food: Romaine lettuce! Yum! Costco here I come!

Knowing your place

I read an interesting blog post here on the link between family history and children's self-esteem. A study done by MARIAL followed several families with children aged 9-12, recording how often the family discussed ancestral stories, including stories of the parents when they were young. They discovered that the more children know about their family's history (family stories, hardships, occupations, triumphs, anecdotes) the more psychologically resilient they were. The children who participated in dinnertime and casual conversations of family stories had higher self-esteem, fewer behaviour disturbances and a greater sense of their ability to positively affect the world around them.

Do you know where you came from?  Your place in history? Here's a photo of "Grammie" Ethel Grant surrounded by her extended Gilchrest family. Ethel is the young girl center front.

Field trips!

For a presentation in April at the Timberland Regional Library Friends and Boards Forum, I will be talking about doing genealogical research in the field. Literally. This gravestone rubbing is one that I made back in 1988 when my dad and I drove from Massachusetts to Vermont on an ancestor hunt. We knew the cemetery was on the "Old Niles Farm," which, of course, no longer exists, but undaunted, we headed out to the small rural community of Halifax, Vermont. After a few false starts, and asking directions along the way, we parked the car alongside a promising-looking field in the general vicinity of our destination. It was summer--hot and muggy--and as we caught sight of the cemetery, the mosquitoes caught us. Swarms of them! We reversed our steps, drove back into the village and bought mosquito repellent, then tried again.
The cemetery consisted of about a dozen stones, in varying degrees of decay, fallen over and forgotten among the weeds, but sheltered under the trees.
This rubbing, made that day, is of Sarah (Frink) Niles, my 5th great-grandmother: "Late Consort of David Niles, who died in the revolutionary service, at White Plains in 1776."
As important to me as this find was, more important was the occasion to experience it with my dad. He was gone from us six short years later, and I cherish the memory of that adventure with him.