Oceans and planets and me

November 4th, 2009 at 05:00am Kelly Epperson

A 35-mile crack in the Ethiopian desert has made headlines that a new ocean will form. Hmm. When I was in school, I had learned there were four oceans. (If a new ocean does indeed happen, who gets to name it?) I had also learned that our solar system had nine planets. Scientists have now demoted Pluto from planet status. Hmm. Students of geography also know that countries change names and boundaries too. The lesson here? Things change.

Whether we like it or not, or whether we agree with it or not, life is ever evolving. Life around us and life within us. I venture to say that our inner evolution is more important than global happenings, but we’ll save that for a cocktail party debate. Drinks, anyone?

We need to be a participant in our outer world. We also need to be aware that we too are here to change and to grow. We need to face and embrace the change in our own personal status. I was a young girl, then a young mother, now a not-so-young woman with two teenagers. Do I want to go back? No. Do I want to fast-forward into the future? No.

The most important thing we can do is to learn to be alive in the here and now. The me that I am today is not the same me that I was a year ago. I have had experiences, good and bad, that shape me. Every day, every month, every year, we are continually affected by our outer relationships. How we handle them is the inner growth.

Some people adopt a negative spin. If you think the world sucks, then your world will. If you think life ain’t so bad, your world will be considerably brighter. Clothes do not make the man. Attitude does. And it takes honing and toning.

Maybe you are naturally a glass half-full kind of person. Most of us have to make the choice to see the positive. But what a difference it makes. Take one week and choose to see the positive. Take one week and every time you start to complain, stop yourself. Take one week and focus on all the good in your world - inner and outer.

My money says you will see and feel a difference. We can marvel. We can appreciate. Some days, we can simply take a deep breath and trudge on. I know people who eat right and exercise, but neglect the inner self. They take care of the body to look good, but what about working out the soul to feel good? Isn’t feeling good the real goal?

Take the one week attitude adjustment challenge. I promise you, when you take care of your inner health, it makes the diet and exercise come easier too. If planets and oceans can change, we can too.

www.kellyepperson.com

Entry Filed under: health, Exercise, Diet/nutrition, Fitness