Hibernating Humans

I have seen some people in the past couple of days shaking off the hazy cobwebs of hibernation. We have hit the first few days of warmth of the year and I have been out running. Normally I would have run in the slush, muck and snow of the season, but not this year. I, like many of the people in the northern part of the United States hunkered down and stayed out of the elements. It seems that we do this almost as instinctually as the bears. Regardless of how much fun wintertime outdoor activities are and how great cold weather gear has become, people seem to relish the idea of some time off from the physical grind of warm weather activities. Maybe we need this time to re-charge our batteries, or maybe the weather is just a convenient excuse to not get wet and a bit cold and to let our bodies and minds recover from our months of warm weather.

Maybe this hiatus enables us to live longer. Doesn't it seem that longevity is usually centered in colder climates? Could it be that people in warmer climates just don't take the time to stop, fatten up for the winter, and rest their tired bodies?

Smart TV, I think not!

I have a real problem with weight loss infomercials.  It is no secret that the citizens of the United States are overweight and that most of these "heavy" people are undoubtedly in denial of their precarious health situation.  It is so bad, that a better description of their mental state in relation to their weight and health might be oblivious.  This has been brought on by a shift in what has become acceptable because of the "cushy" lifestyle that has been afforded to us by our county's ability to adapt and overcome in the past global environment.

 

The price of the sweat and perseverance of those that forged this country is coming to pass in the cost of keeping fat people "healthy".  Our country, both citizens and government alike, have spent way too much money reacting to weight related health problems rather than taking a proactive approach and keeping people from becoming fat.  One cannot go an hour through the day without have some contact with the weight loss industry.  We are surrounded/bombarded by different tactics to lose weight and get ourselves back to the correct frame of what is healthy.

 

Weight loss infomercials are a huge part of our problem.  The message delivered in these programs, preys on the quick fix that everyone wants.  Very few describe to the viewers that these devices or programs are only helpful as part of the big picture of healthy living.  One machine will not make you thin.  One pill will not help you fit into those pants that you used to wear, 50 pizzas ago.

Can't and Won't

There are few things in this world that grate on me more than someone telling me that they "can't". I would rather have a person tell me that they "won't" do something. At least if you refuse to carry out a task or a request, you have the courage to inform someone that you are not willing to do. To me "won't" means that you have the ability but for some reason, whether you tell me or not, you are not going to do what I have asked. This refusal involves several admirable traits.

"Can't", to me, implies fearfulness, lack of courage, and lack of intelligence and/or imagination. Can't is the opposite of Can. Can't then would mean that the ability is present, but that fear has taken control and blocked the persons will. This is weakness at it's core. You must have power over your mind and you willfulness. If you are too weak to override your own mind's fears then who are you to even try to present yourself as a powerful, person able to accomplish a perceived difficult or impossible task.

There is a solution to any and every problem, a person just needs the courage, determination and imagination to solve problems. Cowards and liars allow the word "can't" into their vocabulary.

Cabin Fevers

This winter season appears to have caught up to my family. Ear infections, mysterious headaches and bronchitis are currently moving through our lives. These afflictions make daily living all the more difficult over and above the usual semi-controlled chaos of a large family.

I am able to look past these current minor trials and see the future, to a time when the little people of the family will be ripping and tearing around regardless of the weather, season, or location. I see adventure in their eyes and restless wanderlust lurking in their spirits and I will not curtail this by giving them the trendy, heartless objects that will beckon our children in the future. However I promise to feed their spirituality with love and intensity. For some time now I have refused to grow up and I will rely on their passion to keep me young, and in return I will keep up with them where ever they will have me.

Life Like Onions

If we were onions, our outer brown papery skin would be analogous to our false traits and actions that we use to fool people and deflect attention about who we really are. This skin is indeed part of the onion just as our attempts to hide ourselves from others is part of our persona.

If an animal were to bite into this skin, it would get a mouthful of dry, lifeless waste. It's only function is to hide the true character of the onion from the outside world.

Why hide from so much life?