Guess what I did this most magical Saturday?
I went to a gym! And it was awesome! Planet Fitness to be exact!
Truly, I never thought I'd end up being a gym-type person. As far as I'm concerned it's a place where those who bend a little more towards the introverted side don't really care to go. The're full of people, they usually smell... And they look you up and down like you're either the most disgusting thing they've ever laid eyes on or your a piece of meat.
Obviously, I'm not really fond of being looked at in either of these fashions. I'd rather not be looked at much at all.
But the one I joined didn't seem to have much of anything...except great spirited individuals trying their best to stay in or get into shape! It was quite inspiring!
Because this was my first day really at a gym gym I took my sweet time and played around on the equipment rather than taking anything too seriously. I wanted to get a feel for the environment and what I needed to be aware of. I liked that there were places to clean off the equipment at, something everyone does after using something, and the atmosphere was very quiet and very pleasant.
I'm pretty sure I burned some decent calories too! But slow and steady wins the race so I don't plan on going overboard the next time I head there. I want to enjoy the workouts I commit myself to. And...oooohhhhh my gosh! Their massage chairs! I love them!!
I felt so refreshed after the entire workout!!
But I still ate nasty, greasy fast food after XD
Yay me!
But I'm learning and (hopefully) my diet will be improving soon. In the meantime I'm quite proud of myself for taking a leap like this and exposing a side of me that I normally wouldn't around people I don't know. It was a great, judgement-free experience, the one Planet Fitness constantly advertises about, and I'm looking forward to my next excursion!!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Friday, January 17, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
The Pain of a Moment
The house remained, but the family was gone.
The warmth it might once have harnessed in its walls had faded away.
A shell remained. Cracked and broken. Filled with items that could not be packed, that were too heavy to carry or did not hold the weight of memories long gone by.
At least, this is what came to mind as I looked on the property that had been snatched up by a family friend. The lot itself was massive, with three large side yards that could have held numerous farm animals. Left to themselves, grass had grown high and untamed. And dotting the very back lots were piles of garbage that had once been precious trinkets to the family who lived there.
The garage was covered in mold and bent out of shape. Its innards spilled all over the floorline. Old tonka trucks, tools and broken down furniture seemed to make the top of the list of things one could find. And the second garage and little side studio were much the same. Old, broken down appliances littered the shelves while love notes were scribbled onto the walls.
But the house... Seemed special.
It was just too unique not to have been loved once.
Mounds and mounds of antiques had been draped over wardrobes and china cabinets. Whether they had value or not made no difference to me, though it did to those who were cleaning the place.
Those items had once been precious to someone.
From the children's room to the dining area, the basement and up to the second floor lookout. I searched high and low for any semblance of the family that lived here and what their daily life had been. Their clothes, books, paperwork and food remained. But not them. And to the degree the house had turned to ruin I couldn't help, but wonder really...
Had the place been ransacked? Or had it been them...that kept their home in such disarray?
The smell... so old and mildewed. On numerous occasions I had to cover my nose to continue on. But when it came to the master bedroom I had to turn my cuff away and remain present. To soak in what was left of the memories that mattered here.
She must have been a God-fearing woman, whoever she was. Bibles and booklets were hidden in cupboards and stashed away in drawers. The walls were covered in aged cherubs that looked down on those they were watching over. And pictures hung across the archways of angels cradled in one another's embrace.
I took my time in this room and smelled the remnants of the perfumes stashed away on a poorly cared for vanity. Incense burners clung to empty candle stands. A personal place of worship and meditation, I figured. And of the entire household I could feel the pain of a moment here. Of that bitter realization. Everything was for naught. Everything that could not be taken would permanently be gone.
And there would be no home left to go back to.
The warmth it might once have harnessed in its walls had faded away.
A shell remained. Cracked and broken. Filled with items that could not be packed, that were too heavy to carry or did not hold the weight of memories long gone by.
At least, this is what came to mind as I looked on the property that had been snatched up by a family friend. The lot itself was massive, with three large side yards that could have held numerous farm animals. Left to themselves, grass had grown high and untamed. And dotting the very back lots were piles of garbage that had once been precious trinkets to the family who lived there.
The garage was covered in mold and bent out of shape. Its innards spilled all over the floorline. Old tonka trucks, tools and broken down furniture seemed to make the top of the list of things one could find. And the second garage and little side studio were much the same. Old, broken down appliances littered the shelves while love notes were scribbled onto the walls.
But the house... Seemed special.
It was just too unique not to have been loved once.
Mounds and mounds of antiques had been draped over wardrobes and china cabinets. Whether they had value or not made no difference to me, though it did to those who were cleaning the place.
Those items had once been precious to someone.
From the children's room to the dining area, the basement and up to the second floor lookout. I searched high and low for any semblance of the family that lived here and what their daily life had been. Their clothes, books, paperwork and food remained. But not them. And to the degree the house had turned to ruin I couldn't help, but wonder really...
Had the place been ransacked? Or had it been them...that kept their home in such disarray?
The smell... so old and mildewed. On numerous occasions I had to cover my nose to continue on. But when it came to the master bedroom I had to turn my cuff away and remain present. To soak in what was left of the memories that mattered here.
She must have been a God-fearing woman, whoever she was. Bibles and booklets were hidden in cupboards and stashed away in drawers. The walls were covered in aged cherubs that looked down on those they were watching over. And pictures hung across the archways of angels cradled in one another's embrace.
I took my time in this room and smelled the remnants of the perfumes stashed away on a poorly cared for vanity. Incense burners clung to empty candle stands. A personal place of worship and meditation, I figured. And of the entire household I could feel the pain of a moment here. Of that bitter realization. Everything was for naught. Everything that could not be taken would permanently be gone.
And there would be no home left to go back to.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Stalking Wild Turkey! With Video!
Is it stalking if they know you're there?
Yeah... I guess... >>;;
Yeah... I guess... >>;;
Don't worry. After that I silently freaked out about how awesome it was to see wild turkey and ran back inside. They just shrugged off my appearance and went back to "grazing".
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Take It Easy
Sometimes we live life in the fast lane for far too long, pushing forever forward in a struggle to stay at the top of our game.
We work hard, we play harder and then we forgo our times of relaxation for the former or the latter.
We don't know how to slow down and then, when we finally reach burnout, we take it out on ourselves in some negative form.
Guilt.
Depression.
Anger.
Frustration.
When we've lived a constant life of "Go Go Go!" our minds forget how to "Stop, Stop, Stop!". Of course, our bodies certainly do.
I'm currently suffering from a form of this.
I've always been a person constantly stuck in "Drive". If I'm not doing one thing I'm trying to do my best in another. And though this isn't necessarily a bad thing it has got me sick on more than one occasion. And all because I've taken it too far. I've run myself ragged trying to heap on loads of work and not giving myself ample enough time to take care of it all.
And when I take a breather? I guilt myself about it because I feel I haven't gotten enough done.
I haven't gotten the articles done that I've been working on. And I'm so very annoyed at myself because of this.
But, as with almost all creative talents, I have to remember that the more I push myself the more I'll bog myself down. I can't just say "Okay, creativity! Get going! We gotta do this thing!" because I haven't trained myself that well yet.
I hope that one day I will be, but until then I need to remember to take my down time for what it is. And I can't place excess pressure on myself without feeling the repercussions. I need to learn to take it easy.
Forgiveness in myself is key.
Monday, January 13, 2014
My Thoughts On: The Importance of the Antagonist
I'd dare say that one of the most important aspects of writing a story begins with creating an inspiring antagonist. I say this because I feel antagonists aren't given nearly as much credit as they should when it comes to story writing.
An antagonist is the villain or circumstances on which our hero is propelled. Everything that has happened that has caused the protagonist to proceed in the way that they have is all, in large part, due to what the antagonist has done. There would be no epic adventure, trial against the odds or otherwise without the antagonist.
Without the antagonist there is no need for a protagonist.
And when I say "antagonist" I mean to say that there is a force, in one form or another, that causes the protagonist to respond. To "rise to the challenge".
In some stories this could be a person, a certain set of events or mother nature herself.
But it is in creating the antagonist that we begin to form our protagonist. Sure, we may have some sort of vision already formed for the hero. But our hero would still be back at home living out her/his everyday life if it wasn't for the antagonist. So, though we have captured a visage of who we want our hero to be, we'll need an amazing antagonist to keep the plot chugging along so that we can have our hero mature and flourish against the odds.
The antagonist whittles back the weak and unready if we can create one well enough.
The importance of a good antagonist is paramount to creating a good story, a great protagonist and an epic read.
(Done far too late at night, will amend later XD)
An antagonist is the villain or circumstances on which our hero is propelled. Everything that has happened that has caused the protagonist to proceed in the way that they have is all, in large part, due to what the antagonist has done. There would be no epic adventure, trial against the odds or otherwise without the antagonist.
Without the antagonist there is no need for a protagonist.
And when I say "antagonist" I mean to say that there is a force, in one form or another, that causes the protagonist to respond. To "rise to the challenge".
In some stories this could be a person, a certain set of events or mother nature herself.
But it is in creating the antagonist that we begin to form our protagonist. Sure, we may have some sort of vision already formed for the hero. But our hero would still be back at home living out her/his everyday life if it wasn't for the antagonist. So, though we have captured a visage of who we want our hero to be, we'll need an amazing antagonist to keep the plot chugging along so that we can have our hero mature and flourish against the odds.
The antagonist whittles back the weak and unready if we can create one well enough.
The importance of a good antagonist is paramount to creating a good story, a great protagonist and an epic read.
(Done far too late at night, will amend later XD)
Sunday, January 12, 2014
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