Lesson 35: Let's Get Physical!

Today I learned that despite going on regular runs, I am in horrible physical shape. How do I know this? After work I took my 6 year old nephew and my 15 year old niece to the neighborhood park. There was a full-fledged playground with monkey bars, swingsets, and all that good stuff. I realized that I can't make it all the way across the monkey bars. When I was in the third grade, I aced the physical fitness test and could do 8 chinups with no help. I can't do those anymore. (Pretty sure I still hold the record for the sit and reach though. Some things never change.) The big kicker was when we decided to race across the field and I came in dead last. So embarrassing!

So, I've decided that I'm seriously going to start getting more physically fit. I've always been apprehensive to do so because I've always been afraid of losing too much weight. (Really, what size pants is there to wear when a zero is too small?) But I figure I can sacrifice the numbers on scales or on clothes to be more physically active.

*Googling Zumba Classes...and legwarmers*

Lesson 34: All the Single Babies

Today while reading an article in Time Magazine titled One and Done I learned that the average cost of raising a child BEFORE they go off to college s $286, 050. It made me wonder: "Am I crazy for still wanting to have kids?"

I've been around enough kids of all ages to know that they're not perfect angels all the time. In the first few years they cry, they poop, they eat their snot (others may prefer glue), they don't know the difference between a paper towel and an Hermes scarf. They will wipe their grubby hands on either. When they get a little older, they need to be occupied all the time or they will constantly bug you with the way they turn any one syllable word into a two syllable whine: "I'm bo-oored." Then they grow attitudes and you're not good enough for anything. They tell you they hate you and that you're not allowing them to grow up. As they go from diapers to diplomas they drain your bank accounts as they plead for clothes and toys they just "have to have" and then wear/play with them once or twice before tossing them into the corner of the closet, never to be seen again.

I've also asked myself if I need to have kids to be satisfied when I work with them. And the question is still "Yes." I want kids of my own one day. I want to know what it feels like to be called Mommy and know what it feels like to call someone "my son" or "my daughter." I want to know that among what I hope is going to be many accomplishments, the ones I will be most proud of carry my genetics. And how amazing is it that two people can come to the hospital and then leave as three?

Lesson 33: Imperfect

We're told time and time again that nobody's perfect, yet we expect perfection in so many people and things. In middle school, we make fun of the kid with zits. The skinny kid with glasses gets bullied in high school. The adults with the slimmer bank account gets shunned at the office party.

But today's lesson teaches me that expecting perfection only leads to disappointment. Imperfections, scars, blemishes make people unique. They make them real. And they make them human. Those scars indicate some kind of past challenges, and if a person can overcome challenges, that makes them stronger. If a person is lacking something, it makes the quest towards finding that something more enjoyable.

So maybe the lesson should be not to seek perfection but to find the value in imperfection not only in other people but also in ourselves.

Lesson 32: This Used to be My Playground

I just got home from watching Toy Story 3...Can we please have a moment of silence for all the toys of our childhood that went into the landfills? Goodbye See and Say. Goodbye Lite Brite. Goodbye Peaches and Cream Barbie. Goodbye little pretend lunchbox. You will forever live in my memories.

I'm not gonna lie. I shed a few tears because I recalled a few more lessons that I need to relearn.

1.) Old friends are the most loyal friends. People come and go into your life, but the ones who were there from the beginning are the ones that never let you down.

2.) Sometimes life is better when it's simpler. No need for bright and shiny gadgets to play with. All you really need is a cardboard box and a wild imagination.

3.) People act like punks because they've had rough pasts. You can't always blame their sour behavior on current circumstances.

4.) Good people can fall under the influence of not so good people, but if they have those loyal old friends, they can always bounce back.

5.) Goodbye doesn't have to mean forever. Yes, our childhoods are in the past, but that doesn't mean we can't ever revisit them.

I've heard time after time this business of growing up and "putting away childish things." And yes, there are some aspects of our youth that we don't need to take into adulthood, but I don't think that we should ever completely abandon the innocence that our made our early years so sweet. Those playgrounds of our youth need to be revisited in order to maintain our sanity in our adult years. And it never hurts to look back and just remember.

Lesson 31: Lemons out of Lemonade

Summertime seems to be the best time to learn how to make bad things into good things, so today I'm sharing a couple of not so great things that turned out to be fine:

1.) While making pancakes for breakfast, I dropped the fork I was using and lost some of the batter. I didn't want to start all over, so I opened up the freezer and pulled out some hash browns to eat instead. They tasted good.
Hi Tip!
2.) The dress I had set out to wear to work today got wrinkled. I hate ironing, so instead of ironing it, I got innovative and used my hair straightener to smooth it out. You'd never know the difference!

3.) While getting some ice cream for dessert after lunch, I broke the cone. I decided to crush the cone, stick it in the bowl and put the ice cream on top. Tastes just as good!

So at the end of the day, the lesson is that you may not get what you want. And that's okay. You can always turn it into something just as good or even better. And sometimes, exactly what you wanted still makes it way to you.

Lesson 30: I've Got a Secret!

Today I learned that NOBODY in my family can keep a secret--except for me, of course. ;-)

Also learning that sometimes it's good to keep secrets to oneself for a while before deciding to share them with someone--even a trusted someone. Sometimes it's just good to let those "sweet nothings" (or whatever) marinate in your brain for a while before they come out all juicy and tasty!

Lesson 29: Do You Know What Your Legislators are Doing?

An email from a colleague recently crossed my desk regarding H.R. 3359, the US and the World Education Act. H.R. 3359 is designed to raise student achievement in international education by a) increasing competence and literacy of school teachers and b) supporting curricular and extra-curricular programs that supplement international education. Pretty good cause, huh?

In the email was a statement from a congressman who said "If you think that your input doesn't count, imagine that in my office, we NEVER hear from constituents on about 98% of all the bills that make its way through the legislature. 98%!!!"

Although the number is probably an estimate, I was shocked to learn that statistic. During my time as a political science major and my volunteer time with organizations such as APIA Vote, I became very interested in civic participation and having a voice. We do have a government that is, after all, by the people and for the people, so why wouldn't I want to participate?

It seems that we often take advantage of the fact that we have so much freedom to petition our government freely. Not everyone has that, you know? And nations that aren't blessed with this privilege are willing to fight for it. It seems that the more we're denied these freedoms, the more we value them. Since we as Americans have always had this allowance, is it true that we don't value it as much?

Why, for instance, does voter turnout decrease during non-presidential elections when the elections for Congressmen and local office are more likely to affect constituents? In a crucial time in our history when our nation is at a significant turning point, I urge all Americans to participate in the civic process, make their representatives earn their money and use their voices to advocate legislation that matters to them.