 When He talks about tribulation, overcoming the obstacles of my fall IS my tribulation. I am just sitting here trying to reflect on my day. It has been a very active one starting with kickboxing, which totally wore me out today. But bring it on, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. That has always been my mentality. It makes me think of the pop artist, Kelly Clarkson’s song, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger..” It's kinda funny that I remembered this song because I don't even like her music. I then went to my favorite local coffee shop, 5th Street Coffee. I got what I always get, a “red eye” which is coffee with a shot of espresso. I usually get a pastry as well, however at the restaurant this morning I took a piece of fruit pie back, so I chose not to get a pastry.
I share all this above to show I have lots of introspection and experience happening in my day to day life. If you were to tell people this would be a day in my life seven years ago, after the accident, no one would believe me. Even putting two sentences together was a pipe dream. While I am not living my ideal life, I am getting through obstacles that help me be stronger. He will not set you up for failure. If I had listened solely to the doctors and my team I don't think I would be doing as well as I am. I know it's not me, alone. He puts the fire under my ass. When I do not feel like doing what I need to do, or going through life’s necessary shit, a voice in my head talks to me. There are two voices in my head that sometimes are competing. My own voice in my head is pushing me forward. It's not very nice, saying things like, “stop being a p%$#”. This is my consciousness being really hard on me. But I see that as a good thing, it motivates me, like the train. See but I don't think I can, I know I can. So my response once again, just shake off the doubt and disbelief. God is the other voice saying to “slow down” and “take it easy on yourself.” Like assuring me that He’s “got me.” For example, in my dreams I hear His voice. The voice is sanctified, setting it apart from my own voice. Because of this, I tend to listen to this voice when it speaks to me. I try to at least. To summarize my main point, when He talks about tribulation, overcoming the obstacles of my fall is my tribulation. The details of my recovery are my tribulations. They are a part of it. Having this happen to me has made me become more humble. Like before, I would not let anyone help me. Now, I am more willing to accept help. I am more wise now to know you can not go through life solo. Having support does not make a person weak. Under LIKE and POST below, remember to leave a comment.
0 Comments
In my short life, I’ve realized it's not the world that sets you up for success. It’s God.  With this in mind, with everything I have done, with the doctor’s and my “team” I was considered a lost cause. But as I say, with God, anything is possible. So it is why I reach for better goals that can otherwise be thought of as impossible. At one stage of my recovery I was in a wheelchair and that was thought to be where I would stay. But then I have been able to run four 5ks!
Life took a back seat and He was the driver. I tell you all, if you are having a hard time seeing your potential or future, try to have faith. At the end of the day it is not YOU it is HIM. So put your faith in Him. It is like saying “Jesus take the wheel” where he might be steering but you have to be the engine. You have to be making the engine move. I was made fun of as a kid for being called “Thomas” because of “Thomas the Train.” But now I do not see that as a negative thing. I see it as a compliment. Like Thomas the Train I can just keep going. And so can you. Channel that engine when obstacles become difficult. Picture that little engine that could. I have always liked dogs so being around them is tranquil. We had a couple dogs growing up over my younger years. We had a dog named Shaggy, who, guess what had shaggy hair. He was a big tan dirty blond-haired dog allowed inside and out. We had an insert on the sliding glass door for a doggie door so he could take himself to the backyard. He was what you would call, “house-trained.” A few times a month we get a visit from a lady named Murph that brings her two dogs. I think they are labs; a brown and black one. They come in the late mornings. Since the dogs are older they are really well-behaved and stick by Murph and the group. I mean, they wouldn’t be allowed to come over if they weren’t good dogs. A reminder that I live where everyone has a TBI so they can not be crazy, jumping up on people, etc. When the dogs are here it is like euphoria. It is nice because you can just be in the moment. And, if you know dogs, you know they do not expect anything from you. So you are free to be calm and chill. That is why you can see pet visits as therapy. Pets can put you in a different mindset. You can be an empty canvas. It is not just the dogs that I like to see. I talk to Murph when she brings the dogs. We always seem to have a good conversation. I do not talk to many people where I live so it is nice to talk to someone. I can hold full conversations with her which is refreshing. We can talk about things in the past. I deem myself an old soul so it is easy for me to talk to older people. We also have religion in common which is nice that it can naturally come up in our discussions.  Under LIKE and POST below, remember to leave a comment. Recently I did a free writing exercise. All the underlined titles in this series are my free-write to understand my thinking process. I will be breaking these down into a series as I explore the topics for my next book. Because I use this forum as a workshop for my books, comments below are welcomed. I didn’t always trust in God, but life situations, events, and growing more mature with experiences taught me I needed Him to achieve success and to become who I am today.  You can develop a relationship with God over time. When you are an adult you see things differently. You are able to understand things better. It is not so black and white. Going back to my experience of Youth Group. My experience was of kids with rich parents. So the focus, most if not all of the time, was not on God. They would talk about what was happening later at home or what kind of snacks we would get. Whereas now when I am attending Bible Studies, talking to my pastor friend, writing my Bible commentary book, and or speaking to Him through my dreams or thoughts; I am more intentional with the connection we share. So much has happened to me since my fall but everything seems to be fine now. I am now more intentional with everything I do. Like how a son wants to make his father proud. That is how I look at my relationship with God. I want to do everything I can to make Him proud. Under LIKE and POST below, remember to leave a comment.
  On Saturday, January 27th I ran in my 4th 5K marathon race. It was in San Juan Bautista. This specific race was the 40th year to benefit local scholarships and charities. San Juan Bautista is a small California Mission town about 50 miles south of San Jose. The race started and finished in front of the San Juan Mission. Being there actually brought up memories of when I took photos for the website of my wedding gown company. This was back over ten years ago, so it has been a minute. But it’s funny that the mission still looks exactly the same. I knocked off 8 minutes from my overall last race time! This is huge. So it is proving that I am getting a little faster. We also were able to set my pace, so I could do a little better each mile. Running a race is different than running a sprint. You have to think about your pace. You don’t want to over exert yourself early on to make sure you have enough energy to finish the race completely. I have a goal to increase my overall pace so I can, yes, get faster but also get stronger in the process. Pre-Ritual: My pre-ritual this time around was eating carbs. Having the carbs before the race helped me have a spike of energy before the race. Carbs are converted to sugar for the body. Unlike coffee/caffeine for energy, carbs will help you sustain energy throughout the day. And in this case it helped me throughout the run. Not all carbs are created equal. So you need to make sure you eat some like oatmeal (which also has fiber). I also put peanut butter in my oatmeal to add in some extra protein. Once again I used liquid IV in my water before and after the race. This way I went into the race hydrated. Once again choosing electrolytes over coffee. My process is supported by research I have done. Laurel Leicht writes on Health.com, “What you eat before your run—as well as during and after—is crucial to helping you feel good, pick up your pace, and recover quickly.” https://www.health.com/fitness/what-to-eat-before-running During the Race: During the race it is important to pace yourself so you do not get burnt out or have a stomach cramp. If you do get pain you want to lift your arms above your head. Lots of people have a misconception about drinking a lot of water if they get a cramp. But this is actually the opposite because this will make your cramp worse. Another good idea while in the middle of the race is not thinking “Oh, I have X amount of miles left.” Instead it is better to keep your mind present. Look at the environment or sing a song to yourself. In a way this is like meditation. Being in the moment and paying attention to the road. Just be aware and not reactive. Post-Ritual: You need to replenish your calories after you run but you do not want to make yourself sick. Remembering your average stomach is about the size of your fist so if you eat more than that it is a waste. Plus it matters what is in that fist size meal. You want something full of nutrients. A plate of cookies does not equal a plate of chicken and veggies. Again Leicht shares, “Forty-eight hours after a particularly strenuous run or race, focus on complex carbohydrates for rebuilding glycogen stores.” It is unbelievable this was my 4th race considering I was never supposed to walk again. Like I always say He gives me strength. I am now doing what was considered impossible. It was nice to be in a place that was not the same everywhere you look. Meaning I was able to see the town and scenery around me, not just a boring track. And once again it was momentous because it was the mission I used to take photos at, for my business. |
Come back soon for new blogs weekly!I will be writing about my TBI recovery tools, favorite healthy recipes, work out ideas and encouragement, and ways I stay engaged during a pandemic. Archives
October 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed