Most of us do a few of the same things.
We eat, sleep, think, workout, or don't workout, walk, run to name some.
We do lots of things daily, and most of the time it is just normal routine for us. We do most of these things, talking, walking, eating, reading, thinking, with little to no thought.
We don't see the beauty or amazement in forming a complete sentence, or running down the sidewalk with our kids. I don't appreciate every time I get to move heavy weights around, or swing around on the pull-up bar. I am usually just griping to my workout partners in between breaths about how this is REALLY heavy or how this work out really blows.
We do the-what-seems normal activity because we can. It's second nature to us. Nothing extravagant, nothing spectacular.
But when those "normal," activities are taken from you or someone you know, you start to put a different value on the things you can do and the choices you make. When you see others who have been affected by illness, disease, freak accidents, and their normal is no longer easy or available to them , you start to realize how many actions we take for granted.
I know I do....
I gain perspective, when I see the blind widow who by memory walks on our sidewalk everyday, or the veteran who is now confined to a wheelchair or when I see others dear to me struggling to speak or make sense of regular conversation.
Today I was reminded how the "normal" things I GET to do are a joy and blessing. They are pretty spectacular and should be full of amazement.
It gives me a new motivation to take care of the body and mind God has given me in this season of life. Nourishing my body, enjoying and honoring it with what I put into it, and how I use it. The motivation to continue to feed my mind on a daily basis, soaking up learning opportunities, letting God's word permeate me, and serving with all my heart.
It doesn't mean stressing about how to eat, what to eat, how many calories, or what I learn, how I learn, and all the other questions that keep us from starting a healthy journey. Many times it means starting by not eating a Dairy Queen, REESES PB cup blizzard with extra hot fudge everyday. (Thank you Dairy Queen for not being in my city). Most of us, when we really think about it know how we can start the healthy lifestyle of mind, body, spirit. We pro-ba-bly know what we need to eliminate in our lives, whether it be toxic food or toxic relationships. We also pro-ba-bly know what should go in it's place.
Our bodies are temporary.
What many of us have now, our functioning minds and bodies, we may not always have. Be grateful for them now, by honoring them. Learn, grow, be passionate, be healthy, care about the inside and outside because it's a gift. And what better way to say thank you to the giver, by taking care of what has be given to us.