This morning when I woke up I had one desire. Today I want to be a better human being than I was yesterday. I want to constantly improve so I don’t become stagnant in my mind, body or soul.
I know my muscles will naturally atrophy if I don’t use them and strengthen them daily. So I pick up my resistance band, do a few curls with my dumbbells; perform a few push-ups and several ab crunches throughout the day. Every rep makes me feel a little stronger . . . a little better.
“The mind is a terrible thing to waste” the decades ago commercial told us. So I want to work that muscle too. Sudoku is my go-to brain exercise. Doing one a day helps me keep the neurons firing and is my brain equivalent to lifting weights. After just one, I feel like my brain has had a mini-workout, which makes me feel a little better.
My soul, oh my soul, my spiritual connection to the source of light and love, all living things, & most importantly my fellow human beings; this takes more mental energy than the other quests. To be better, I have to practice being mindful, aware and present. So I start every morning with a quiet time of meditation. I listen to my breath and clear my mind. I set my intention for the day and center myself. No matter what I feel like when I wake up, I use this time to dispel fickle emotions which might cloud my thinking. Just a few minutes of breathing mindfully and every time, I feel a little better.
My heart, my lungs, my capacity to stay aerobically fit must be a daily activity. So I hop on my bike and take a ride or go for a hike in the nearby nature trails or simply power walk and allow my movement to oxygenate my entire body. It is in these moments that I usually find myself in a state of gratitude. Like discovering that beautiful waterfall in the middle of the woods, the more I walk the more the joy begins to bubble over for the fact that I have two legs, a healthy body with a pumping heart and everything I need to enjoy this moment on this day. Whether in the pool, on a hiking trail or peddling through a neighborhood, every movement of my legs makes me feel a little better.
But all of those daily goals will be self-serving quests if I don’t strive to make this world a better place. The only way I know to do that is to connect with other human beings. So I try to look other people in the eyes, to smile, to let them know I see them. When someone engages me, I want to let them know I am truly listening. This is where I must expand my capacity for love. Like all of the above, to be authentic, open and genuinely spiritually available, takes daily resolve. I am flawed and imperfect, but every day I get another opportunity to practice! And so once again, my desire sets the course for this day . . . to simply do this human thing, a little better.
The following is written by a guest blogger. The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not reflect the opinions of Bob Lacey, Sheri Lynch or the Bob & Sheri show.
The Zen Den
Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.
