jo burgess hannon

fit for today, fit for life

What can you cross off your to-do list?

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Mr. Flexible, my mantra reminder
Mr. Flexible, my mantra reminder

 

I recently took a trip to beautiful, sunny Florida.  When I made plans in September it sounded like such a good idea; warm, bright weather and leaving the dark rainy days of December behind for a week.  Reality is it can be pretty stressful to come home to a long list and 10 days of houseguests soon coming and going through the door.

I like to plan ahead and am most happy when I feel I know what I need to do, what the schedule is going to be and have a clear plan.  Life doesn’t work that way though, does it?  By the time the sunglasses were packed and on the way to the airport I had crossed many Christmas to-do’s off my list.  But not because I had completed them. I crossed them off because they just weren’t as important as enjoying relaxing days at the beach.  I crossed them off because time with people are more important than fancy food, lights strung to the rooftop and giving handmade gifts.

As the emails came in and Honey let me know we were having more family arrive than planned and a day earlier than planned, I shrugged my shoulders and said, “ok, we can make that work.” I used to have to re-center my attitude by whispering to myself, ‘I am flexible, I am flexible, I am flexible.’ It has become a personal mantra over the years.  People are more important than fancy food, lights strung to the rooftop and giving handmade gifts.  I can let the plans change and enjoy life or I can stress that things are not going my way.

So there might be a gift or two given in February when I get the project done and if you are expecting a Christmas card from our family this year, it isn’t coming. By being flexible & open to plans changing, my dining room table was filled last night with family and laughs and conversation as we passed the salad and soup. And isn’t that more important than anything else on the list?

Advice and the magic of thinking big

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Once our daughter started school I had extra time to volunteer.  At her birth I had quit my job and later did not have to go back to working full time. I spent hours, then years volunteering on the booster club, the annual auction fundraiser, PTA and helping on the playground, in the classrooms and lunchroom.  One day, during the junior high years, I was helping host a teacher luncheon.  There was chit chat amongst us moms as we set the tables, prepped salad, heated the bread.  I was newer to this group and met several  that day who had seniors graduating in a few short months.  One mom in particular still flashes through my mind.  Her youngest child was graduating.  The question was floated, “What are you going to do?”    She was the outgoing president of the PTA. She had spent the last 10 years as a devoted volunteer at her kids’ school. She looked a little lost as she shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t have an answer.

I don’t remember the woman’s name. I just remember the feeling of wanting to have an answer.   The realization that my day to day life had become small with our daughter and her school at the center was scary. And it didn’t sound healthy for her (my daughter) or me.  I think I probably became depressed.

I spent the next few years journaling, cutting out articles, exploring options of how I was going to answer that question. Several times I tried to make a list of my strengths.  Have you ever done that?  It is hard. I could easily list 10 things I needed to change, to improve. Listing my strengths was challenging. I started to see a pattern, the same goal listed in a variety of ways: to be of use, to be a servant,  to be useful, to serve others. I think I was still depressed not knowing the answer to that luncheon question.

One day I was at a follow up appointment with a sleep specialist.  I had done an overnight study to try and determine why I was sleep deprived. He made a recommendation that turned out to be life changing. ‘Instead of thinking of your upcoming fitness training as something small’, he said as we talked about my life, ‘why don’t you think of this as the start of something big?’

And it was. Turns out I needed a wake up call more than I needed sleep.

 

When does the game start?

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Game day Seahawks stadium
Game day Seahawks stadium

Is it too late to get in the game? A few of the successful bloggers I read are slowing down or even shutting down their blogs and I’m just getting to the starting line. I began bookmarking and regularly reading blogs just a few years ago when I was googling how to paint out window trim. Young House Love showed me the way with a list of tools, videos and comprehensive text. Their blog inspired me to take on switching out electrical outlets, painting cabinets, convincing Honey that we could do a relatively inexpensive kitchen update. (We did spend close to double my initial budget proposal, though I contribute the increase Honey’s fault at insisting we spend more on appliances and buy granite counter tops. Or, do I own it since I took him with me to Lowe’s to look at refrigerators and formica in the first place?)

Anyway, have you ever told yourself ‘I’m too old, it’s too late’? I’m no bible scholar, but even I know that Moses was an old man when he parted the Red Sea.  That’s a pretty significant accomplishment after living in the desert for 40 years. I bet that wasn’t even on his bucket list.

This blog wasn’t on my bucket list. I decided one day that I had something to say and I thought some of you might be interested. Thank you to all who have given me positive feedback. It was way more work than I expected and It’s still kind of scary hitting publish each time I write a new post. Stretching ourselves, trying something new, can be scary.

Maya Angelou said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

Your next start happens when you blow the whistle. No matter your age, your past, you have a story yet to be told.  Your future looks bright because it can be anything you choose. It’s never too late to get in the game.

PS–I’m SOOOO glad we went with the granite

Are you a list maker?

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sticky notes with random lists

I make a lot of lists.  I have packs of sticky notes in the kitchen, on my bathroom counter, at my desk.  When a thought strikes, I grab a pen. When I have a task to complete, it ends up on a sticky note. Sometimes in the middle of the night I have to write down my thoughts or I can’t go back to sleep. I think it is because I am visual; once I see it I can visualize my to-do list.  Otherwise, I am constantly trying to re-create the scene where the thought occurred.  Have you ever done that? You know, walked back to the kitchen to remember what you needed to get from the garage?

Maybe because it is November and people are posting 30 days of gratitude that this list came to mind.  Maybe it is because my people are important. I found a sticky and starting writing quick, one word descriptions of my girlfriends.  It was easy. Their gifts & generosity are abundant, yet one word came quickly to mind for each; time, possessions, money, home, spirit.

Are you generous with time?  Getting together with friends is a priority. You’re generally first to initiate and make the plan happen.
Are you generous with your things? You are the type who loans out what someone needs, offering your possessions for others to use.
Are you generous with money? You are the one who donates readily when asked to give to fundraisers & non-profit groups. You are quick to say yes when asked to sponsor a friend’s fundraising efforts.
Are you generous with your home? You easily offer to host a get together. You put together a spontaneous party with friends and family at your house.
Are you generous with food? You love to cook and can pull a snack or a meal together in no time. You take cold lemonade to the gardener, ask the window washer if you can make him a sandwich.
Are you generous with kind words? Your friends always leave the conversation feeling good. You are quick to encourage and uplift.

What one word would your friends use to describe you?