A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation

The end of February is very near. This morning I sit at the dining room table, a beautiful pink carnation still in full bloom from my Valentines day bouquet hangs over my computer screen. It reminds me there is always time to bloom, in the dead of winter, just when you are bracing yourself for another snowstorm, another deep freeze. Typically with the end of February we are starting to see the hope of spring, the baseball players have arrived in their respective spring training cities. The thermometer inches up a few more degrees daily. And if you are lucky you might get a garden seed catalog by now.
But not this year.
This has been a cold snowy winter, the snowiest on record in the state of Minnesota. Embrace winter they say, do all the winter things, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, mall walking, all very popular, once or twice in the winter. This year seems especially long.
Yet this pink carnation continues to bloom, it almost inserts itself into my morning view to remind me that there is beauty everywhere. Reminding me that even when there seems to be no hope there is a chance to bloom. A chance to grow and hang onto beauty.
This pink beauty reminds me to look for the good in all things, even when it doesn’t seem it is anywhere near. Sometimes it is right in front of you.
I am grateful for flowers in the winter, phone calls from grand kids
and weeks when there are no night meetings to take me away from home. Sometimes it's the little things that bring us back to purpose and intention. It is what makes our days bright.

As I am writing this the song a pink carnation pops into my head. A song we heard over and over as children. It was not a happy song, one of being alone in romance, but Marty Robbins sings it in perfect tune. I will use that as my joy today, not for the lyrics (they are quite sad) but as a touchstone of a happy childhood; a song, a flower and focus on living a life with purpose and meaning.
I wish for you kindness and joy when it feels like there isn’t much of that around. I wish you a white sport coat and a pink carnation; a feeling of joy today.

Day 4 of the 21 day challenge.

This is where the rubber hits the road, you meet some internal resistance. This is the day that life gets in the way of your plans. This is the day you can pull yourself together and keep moving forward.

Yesterday I spent a few minutes thinking about why I was doing my 21 day challenge and really what is the challenge? I had to go back to remember this is about mindfulness. This is about getting my act together for 21 days. Get the lists made and do the work.

Eating healthier and tracking it.
Exercise everyday, no matter….
Keep myself mindful, daily.

Interesting struggle in the last few days...I love to read and was deep into a book for my book club that meets Wednesday night. I finished it last night, now the slate is clean until I dig into the next. I am calling my reading time my quiet time. We all need that.

Day four is a busy one for me. I will find some steps when I can and purpose when I move through it. Oh, there is time for fun in here too. Tonight’s play at the beautiful Orpheum Theater will be a lovely cap on the day.
Here’s to it!

Day 2 of the Random 21 Day Challenge

It's Sunday Funday. Today for my challenge I will use my fitness pal to record my eating. By the way yesterday I recorded all of my food. If I eat like I did yesterday for the next five weeks I would lose a 1/2 pound. Not ideal, but let's spin it to the positive. I would not gain weight.

I did my own little version of a triathlon. I walk/ran for 25 minutes, used the stationary bike for 20 minutes and then got 15 minutes of swimming laps in. I included my physical therapy exercises in the mix for a nice workout that lasted over an hour. I am calling that a win.

Today I am preparing for an interview I have tomorrow, I have a couple of to do's from my organization list. I will plan my meals for today and tomorrow.

Progress not perfection! Living intentionally really takes some intention!
Have a great day.

21 Day Challenge- February resolutions??? Let's do it!

Its seems a bit odd to to be starting a 21 day challenge on February 16th. It’s a Saturday, who does this? Today, it is me doing it. I have been willy nilly working through the first 6 weeks of the new year with a general idea and general goals but little focus.
By starting this 21 day challenge I intend to be more mindful. Sara, my business and podcast partner,  would appreciate my work on that. My plan may change by the day, but the ultimate goal is to be aware of where I am spending my time and what I am doing with that time. Am I working towards my goal of living a purposeful life?

Here are the areas I will be working on for the 21 days.

Staying mindful of how I am spending my time
Working on writing time
Exercising EVERY day. Some days may be just a slow walk, but I need 21 days to get back into the habit of working out again. -I had a minor setback that seemed to slow my roll and created mental challenges. More on that later.
Clean up my eating habits, allow myself a treat but only if it fits into my weekly plan.
I will use My Fitness Pal to track my food. Do a better job of planning my meals. This is something I am learning from my other business and podcast partner, Katie.
I want to try a few new things, I don’t know what they are, but I am pretty sure skydiving will not be one of them right now.
I have other goals I am working through, but wanted to get started here on the blog.
Follow along on the podcast if you would like. It’s Unpredictable, available on SoundCloud, Stitcher and iTunes.

Here’s to progress, not looking for perfection. I am just working on some better habits in life. Working on some mindfulness and living a joyful life!
Will you join me? What would you like to accomplish in the next 21 days?