It will take just a few seconds to read this and
change your thinking..

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same
hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an
hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from
his lungs.

His bed was next to the room's only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on
his back.

The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their
homes, their jobs, their involvement in the
military service, where they had been on
vacation..

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the
window could sit up, he would pass the time by
describing to his roommate all the things he could
see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those
one hour periods where his world would be
broadened and enlivened by all the activity and
colour of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while
children sailed their model boats. Young lovers
walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every colour
and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen
in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in
exquisite details, the man on the other side of
the room would close his eyes and imagine this
picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window
described a parade passing by.

Although the other man could not hear the band -
he could see it in his mind's eye as the
gentleman by the window portrayed it with
descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring
water for their baths only to find the lifeless body
of the man by the window, who had died
peacefully in his sleep.

She was saddened and called the hospital
attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man
asked if he could be moved next to the window.
The nurse was happy to make the switch, and
after making sure he was comfortable, she left
him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one
elbow to take his first look at the real world
outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window
besides the bed.

It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have
compelled his deceased roommate who had
described such wonderful things outside this
window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and
could not even see the wall.

She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage
you.'

Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others
happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness
when shared, is doubled.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things
you have that money can't buy.
'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The
Present .'

The origin of this letter is unknown, but please
pass it on.

Gyming it

Started officially last night and I love it!

Have my 2nd session with the trainer tomorrow. At 5:30AM!

Need to be there a little earlier to do my cardio to warm up.

I also met with two trainers last night to talk about easing into a routine (their philosophy to keep you realistic and motivated) and improving my nutrition.

One of them also told me what I basically already know........if I can cut out carbs (especially bread and pasta) at least every other day combined with 30-45 minutes at the gym, I should drop 20 lbs. pretty quickly. Even within WEEKS not months.

Oh, and water. Need to totally up the water intake. He said for every cup of coffee I drink, I need to drink two cups of water after.

So we shall see. There wasn't a super sales-pitch. They are giving me another free session with a different trainer to see how I like him. But signing up with one is bank. Even more expensive than yoga, which I didn't think was possible. Need to see if this woman who teaches there is still willing to give me a few free sessions.

Have you ever paid for a trainer? Do you think it's worthwhile? Note: If I do decide to go with a trainer it would have to be very short-term because the prices he quoted me were pretty outrageous (I bet this is how they keep their monthly membership cost so low).

Small steps. Small steps.......

Wow it's July

How did that happen?

It seems like summer crept up on me so unexpectedly.

I am used to my new job now, and getting into that whole routine. Only thing that's anxiety-provoking is that although I am getting paid the same, I need to get used to a bi-weekly pay schedule instead of weekly. (Any tips for me?)

I haven't taken on any new work at the old job.

But I also think that's because the referral source is so backed up, that I haven't been offered anything else to take on.

I completely lost my yoga steam. The time commitment and being away from my son when I already have limited time with him, is the major thing I believe that was getting to me, because I NEVER regret the class when I do go.

Instead, I decided to join the gym again. I have one 2 minutes away from my house that also has childcare AND child classes at a ridiculously low cost vs. what I've already paid for yoga. So he can go with me!! I start up with a trainer this coming Monday. (Decided to enjoy the holiday weekend and go in full steam in the new week LOL).

The hours are great too(4:30AM to midnight)AND I can pay monthly and cancel at anytime.

This time around I'm looking to take advantage of all they have to offer instead of just doing boring stuff like the treadmill and a few weight machines, which I think is the quickest way to lose motivation with the gym. I'm going to try to get up early too, so I can be done with it for the day and relax and be lazy when I get home from work ;).

It's my goal to try some of their classes and eventually complete a round of crossfit, even if I feel like a fool doing it.

I still have my yoga membership so I will try to keep that up on the weekends and in the fall again when the weather gets cooler.

I'm going up to PA to see my sister for a few days next weekend so I'm looking forward to that. My parents are also going to keep my son from our visit to PA for about a week or so while everyone else in the family is at Disney (We opted out because of funds, lack of desire to go and well, I did just start a new job so am missing this thing called vacation time).

I have also sent in our first payments to the architect so we should be starting upgrades on our house very soon. (Take that Sandy!).

The plan is to put in new siding and windows, move our front door, add on a covered front porch, knock down our living room wall to make an open floor plan, and lastly, install my dream kitchen.

Sheesh. As I type this out I guess I can see that I do have a lot going on, even though it doesn't always feel that way.

How's your summer going so far?