the road

one of the biggest struggles in my life has been my weight.  over the past 10 years or so, i've had some weight loss here & there & have been able to get to & maintain some of my weight goals.  however, i have felt like i'm fighting a giant - so to speak - this year as i've tried to take off some pounds.  well, my sister - who is marathon-y and such - says that i'm "pre-menopausal" since i'm 40 now...which although there is probably some scientific truth to it, still makes me feel wretched.  so in my old aged-ness, i've tried many different diets & exercises programs - and with really no results.  but recently i started watching extreme makeover:  weight loss edition (i am sucker for a make over show!).  it's kind of like biggest looser - except you see the person totally transform (a year's worth of work) in the course of the hour long show...instant gratification.  anyway, these people are loosing hundreds of pounds - but their main exercises plan is cardio (running or riding a bike) and circuit training with free weights.  and then they count calories...so, i'm giving this plan a try.  if it can work for those who are crazy overweight, maybe it will work for me. 

the weights/circuit training is not so new to me, but the running...well, to put it plainly, i have NEVER been a runner.  i have avoided running at all costs.  it just didn't seem like something anyone would ever choose to do.  you run if someone is chasing you...other than that, what's the point?  well, i am doing a running program (Couch to 5K) that starts off with smaller amounts of running time intermingled with walking & then increases the running time over several weeks.  (i have an app for my iphone where the lovely british lady speaks calmly into my ear to tell me when to run & when to walk.)  i am about to begin my 4th week of this program & what i have found is that i LOVE to get outside & run.  i am not calling myself a "runner" as i would not dare put myself in the company of great runners like my sisters or my friend paul. i don't have a great runner's form - i'm pretty sure i look a bit spastic. & i'm not super fast, at least not yet.  but when i'm out there running, it's just me & the road.  on one of my first runs, i was reminded of a scene in what women want where they are working on an ad campaign for nike..."she's running.  it's early, it's quiet.  just the sound of her feet on the asphalt.  she likes to run alone.  no pressure, no stress.  this is the one place she can be herself.  look any way she wants, dress, think any way she wants..."

now, when i'm running i also do a lot of praying & listening to GOD. and through this time, i am learning that my body may or may not change in the way that i would like. but in these early, quiet hours...

i am finding myself on the road.   

heroes

my youngest, winston, is enthralled with superheroes.  really it's almost an obsession.  he knows ridiculous and trivial facts about the usual suspects (batman, iron man, spiderman, etc.) but also about the more obscure (silver surfer, black cat, human torch).  and stuff that comes along his path that he doesn't know - he will incessantly pursue us until we look it up for him.  he is fascinated by their super powers, costumes, & gadgets - which are all frequently exhibited in his play. 

now honestly, i happen to love this about winston because, believe it or not, i've kinda been a superhero freak my whole life as well.  i grew up watching the old-school cartoons - spiderman was my favorite.  and i frequented the movie theater (usually with my dad) to see the latest superman flick. even today - when chris & i are deciding what movie to spend our hard-earned dollars on...it is almost always a show about someone in spandex who is saving the world.  :)

so why do we mere mortals get so caught up in these superheroes?   maybe because the idea of them brings us hope & joy - which always enhances life.  but i also think it's just an innate part of us.  i believe that GOD has put within man a deep need and desire for someone who is superhuman; for someone who can conquer death & save us.  that's what we search for all of our lives, isn't it?  but none of these caped creations are gonna cut it.  they are only reminders that we need a savior...the ultimate hero...JESUS.

"salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." - acts 4.12