When the Pipes Rise up to Meet You – Just Run!

Hurdles? Anyone?

I’ve been reading, listening, and striving to improve my blog. While I am seeing an increase in my readership and I like the overall presentation better, sometimes it isn’t joyful. Not that everything in life should be joyful. Without adversity we would lack opportunities for true growth and we would not recognize true joy. Today, however, I am blogging for fun, because it brings me joy!

It’s not unlike running. Running is not always joyful. In fact, running is often painful, exhausting, and even dreaded. Yes, sometimes I dread the run. It’s too hot, cold, early, late, or far. I’m too tired, old, hungry, weak, or uninterested. Something hurts. (Oh that’s right, something always hurts!) I have learned that those obstacles which we conquer can be means by which we discover joy.

I have been preparing for the Grand Teton Relay. Even the name of this event brings me joy as I grew up in the shadows of those majestic peaks. My running buddy, Kelli, who had been missing in action for a while, joined me a few weeks ago. Kelli is faster, stronger, younger (Wait! All my running buddies are younger!) and more determined than I. It has been good for me. I am feeling stronger and I truly enjoy her company. She has brought more joy to the run.

That’s Kelli in the photo at the top of this post. Yesterday we encountered some obstacles on our run. We chose a route that wound through some farm fields. We had not been on the route for some time, but we had a plan. As we rounded the end of a potato field we discovered rows of sprinkler pipes crossing our path. We had to make a quick decision. Should we turn around and adjust our route or move ahead, hopping over the pipes and adjusting our stride along the way? Our quick decision was to move forward. We dodged mud and hopped over pipes for nearly half a mile. We did not anticipate the distance nor did we expect to have a lot of fun – but we did. We became stronger and we found joy as we conquered those unexpected obstacles!

Now that I have had some fun on my blog today, I’m going to get back to studying and striving to improve. Here are a few more joyful posts for you!

Tuesday's Training Tip: Find the Joy
Guest Blogger: Paulee makes decorating easy
Guest Blogger: Jennifer shares some thoughts on happiness

Thanks for stopping by and remember, when the pipes rise up to meet you - just run!

Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus!

Happy Running!

Carol - aka Running Granny Green

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Guest Blogger: Jane writes about her best daily practice

Meet Jane Freund, an author, speaker and book coach based in Boise, Idaho. Previously, Jane taught Communication for ten years at Boise State University.

My Best Daily Practice

One of the best things I've done for myself is to take perfection off my table of expectations! One of the benefits of doing so is admitting that I am a human being who makes unintentional and intentional mistakes. Furthermore, I interact with other humans who do the same. Such errors can be in my personal life when I miss a crucial date, say something I shouldn't or otherwise screw up. In terms of my professional life, I can forget a meeting, blow off a deadline or do something that I should not. Of course, others are guilty of making similar or other mistakes that affect me. So what am I to do?

At the end of the day, I have a choice: unpack my bag of mistakes and deal with them OR carry them into the next day. Simply put, am I going to forgive or hang onto the offenses on the road to building a first-class grudge? I have found that the best thing to do at the end of each day is to forgive and to move on. Please note that I did NOT say stuff your feelings but rather acknowledge and deal with them. Facing the feelings is at the core of forgiveness. The feelings may be small and more easily dealt with bigger ones that have likely hit old nerves.

I define forgiving as "A premeditated decision (NOT a feeling) to let go of negative feelings toward someone who has hurt you." If I wait until I FEEL like forgiving, I may never get around to it (particularly if the offense hits an old nerve). Rather, I CHOOSE to forgive so that I will feel better. Hanging onto the negative feelings takes energy I would rather expend in more positive ways.

Think of forgiving as making a healthy choice for YOU! When I made the choice to start forgiving on a daily (if not more frequent) basis, I began feeling better physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Oh and if you are waiting for the other person to forgive first, then I have a question for you: Why are you giving YOUR power to somebody else? You have the capacity to feel better without somebody else's involvement. That's a much easier route to take!

Most importantly, forgive yourself because then you will feel better about yourself and in turn, about others as well.

Jane Freund is an author, encourager, speaker and book coach who has written 17 books and helped over 70 people achieve their publishing dreams. Her latest book is "Fascinated by Forgiveness - A Practical Guide for Forgiving & Being Forgiven". In addition, Jane taught Communication for ten years at Boise State University. Her books can be found at http://www.amazon.com/Jane-Freund/e/B003U516LY/, https://www.etsy.com/shop/JaneFreundship, and Smashwords. You can find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/janefreundauthorspeakerandbookcoach/

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Happy Running!

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Guest Blogger: Savanna writes about Moving Forward



My name is Savanna Taylor. I was born and raised in a small town called Parma, Idaho (perhaps you have heard of it?) After getting my degree in History Education, my husband Brycen got accepted to the Healthcare Administration program at WSU in Spokane, WA. We have one crazy daughter named Addlee who is smart, spunky, and has a lot of curly hair. I love a good book, anything that has to do with Real Housewives on Bravo, my family, shopping, and my religion. I love to blog, it is such a great outlet (even if being a mom might come first to updating it)!

Push Play

It seems lately that my life has been put on pause. It is waiting for the next “big step” in life. My husband is finishing up graduate school at Washington State University in Spokane and we are still jobless. So imagine that every time the phone rings you hope it is good news, or every email is a “can we have an interview?” email, but alas nothing. I have envisioned myself already living in seven different states before he even got a rejection letter. I didn’t want to buy a deeply discounted jacket for my baby for next winter because “what if I live in Arizona?” crossed my mind. I am silly that way. That is just one example though, of how I have been putting my life on hold lately. 

My family recently had some major changes happen in it (I will spare details, let us just say it changed the career path of several people) and all of the sudden I was left thinking that everything I knew as normal was suddenly well not normal. I thought, they should just stick it out, just let it blow over, just hit pause. Now I see though, that by pushing that play button of life and making things happen they found out how much happier they really can be.



Playing with a toy any way she wants!

I have found that if I hit pause on my life and wait for something to happen I often miss the most important parts of it. I miss the opportunities to hang out with my friends, continue to explore a city I have grown to love, and even the little moments with my small family. I have put off big decisions because I am waiting for the next scene of life. Like a movie, I am paused. I had the thought, “why am I not enjoying this life I have? Why am I waiting for life to happen?” Think of it like the lottery, you won’t win it if you don’t play it (granted your chances are very slim). Isn’t our life like the lottery though? Think of all the amazing things that you and I take for granted every day, hello we have running water! I just think of how we sit and wait for a trial to pass, or sit and wait for the rainy day to be over, or sit and wait for that clock to slowly click to 5:00 p.m. so we can leave only to rush home and sit in front of a TV. I love to watch my 18 month old daughter play. If she gets frustrated with something she just throws it down and moves on to something else. She doesn’t just sit there and wait, she reacts, and she moves on, she finds something else! We are not meant to be stagnant. Either we are moving forward or moving backward. There is no pause. So if we live life in this limbo we really are doing ourselves a disservice. Today I went to the store and I bought that discounted jacket, because even if I do live in Arizona, California, or Alaska I did something progressive. I planned for the future, I embraced this pause in life, I recognized it, and I decided to push play.

 Follow Savanna's blog Savanna's Saga's

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Happy Running!

 

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Guest Blogger: Jennifer shares some thoughts on happiness

My first Guest Blogger, Jennifer is back today with a few thoughts about happiness! Jennifer hails from Utah, but began her journey in Parma, Idaho.  Thank you, Jennifer, for contributing this week!

Well, hello again Friends!

When Carol asked me to guest post again I honestly had the hardest time coming up with a topic.  I like to think I’m pretty clever, but when you’re preparing a post for another person’s blog there seems to be a little bit of pressure that comes with it.  So I decided to treat it like I would if someone asked me to speak in church and told me I was free to choose my topic.  My guidelines for that situation is that it must be:

1-      Something I truly believe in.

2-      Something relevant to my life.

3-      Something that is appropriate and not TOO embarrassing.

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I was standing in line at Target on Saturday and was casually listening to the conversation that the cashier and a shopper were having.  They were talking about life and getting super personal about marriage.  I’m not sure how it came up; maybe they knew each other. I just pretended to be really interested in the jerky and candy assortment in the checkout area so they didn’t get creeped out by my intense listening.  The conversation got really juicy when the cashier asked the shopper how many times she’d been married.  Long story short, I found out that they were both currently married to their second husband.  The cashier then said, “Yeah, they say the second marriage is the best and happiest marriage.”  The shopper agreed but then they went on to talk about how both of them were beaten in their first marriages and they now disagree and fight a lot in their second marriage. But boy, are they happier!

I didn’t even know what to say to the cashier when it was my turn to purchase my items because I was so sad for her.

I know it’s not my place to judge.  I know that my life isn’t better than theirs and that I’m not perfect.  I don’t know their lives, the situations that they really are in and the choices they have made to get them there. I do know, however, that life is short and we deserve to be happy and to be treated with respect.  There is nothing I hate more than settling.  OK, I also hate whales, “50 Shades of Grey,” drive-thru windows, and the stalky white part of romaine lettuce.  We’ll save that for another day.

I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been judged for being “too picky” just because I’m single or people have given me sad puppy eyes because they think I’m some lonely old cat lady without a husband or kids.  Newsflash! I don’t have cats either.  I have a roommate I barely talk too and a picture of a bunny wearing a crown on the wallpaper of my phone because I can’t even commit to a pet right now.  That’s apartment life for you.  Oh, and did I mention that I don’t date? I don’t do anything to try to date but you get what I’m saying. I’m not picky, nor would I ever settle, and I would never wish someone to be in a relationship just for the sake of being in one.  I see this a lot and it makes me sad and a little angry.

No matter what faith you belong to, I hope you believe that there is something bigger than you out in the universe, that you are here for a reason, and that you are unique and special.  For me, I believe that God put us on this Earth and He wants us to be happy, to be kind to others, and to be kind to ourselves.  This can be hard.  People do rotten things sometimes. We get bugged by the way we look, we get down on the way our life is going because we think we are meant to do so much more or because we are comparing our successes to someone else’s.  And, “Why can’t we find our (immortal) Augustus Waters for crying out loud?!”  The truth is that life isn’t a feel-good movie.  Life isn’t perfect, but we can make choices that will help us have a happier life.

If someone in your life is making you feel like you aren’t a special creation of worth who is loved by God and others, then I believe you should seriously reevaluate that relationship.  I’m talking friendly or romantic here, people.  I think the best thing I’ve learned in my life is that if you truly love someone then you should be able to be open and honest with them about anything.  If someone you love is treating you like garbage or is making you feel sad then you need to talk about it!  Don’t tip-toe around it and hold your feelings in and only confide in the cashier at Target or other irrelevant people.  Be an adult and go to the source to solve the issue.  You can do it in a loving way without blaming.  Simply state what you’re having a hard time with.  Someone who truly loves you will work on it and try to do better.

When all is said and you’ve given 100% and if they still aren’t willing to meet you there ... then you do what you’ve got to do. (#BYEFELICIA). Please don’t just settle with unhappy friendships, relationships or situations just because you’re worried about what people will think or because you’re afraid of it getting worse. The world is filled with so many people and we aren’t meant to be besties with every one of them.  We are, however, meant to have a happy life filled with wonderful people we love and who love us back.

If you aren’t willing to have the conversation then you should really evaluate the relationship.  Do you really love them?  Do you respect and love yourself? Please find someone to talk to about this if the answer to these questions are no and you still can’t walk away.  I most likely don’t know you but I really believe that you are worth something.  Picture what advice you would give your best friend if they were in your same situation. You would probably tell them how they are worth way more and that they deserve better and to be happy. I bet you would.  Try to take that advice!  You should treat yourself like your best friend—a concept I’m still working to achieve.

{Now, I don’t want to downplay abuse at all.  If you’re scared and can’t find a way out then please seek professional help or go to another loved one who will help you get out of the situation safely. Abuse is disgusting and should never be tolerated.}

Resentment is gross and takes too much time.  Cut it out.  Find your worth and believe in it.  Try to be kind even when it hurts.  Respect others and expect that same respect back.

You, my dear, deserve to be happy :)

Jennifer Hansen :)

You can read more and follow Jennifer's own blog at Anything But Ordinary ! Find her first guest post HERE.

Stop by each Thursday to see what the rest of my Guest Bloggers have to say.

Happy Running!

Monday Mood Mender: A story about a mushroom



This story is from my first book, Gold Pans and Iron Skillets. I hope it makes you smile.

New Mexico Puffball Incident 

My childhood was crowded with adventures, many of them real, some imagined. To the impressionable young mind of a five-year-old, even threatened adventures can be horrific. So it was with the New Mexico Puffball Incident.

Giant Puffball Mushrooms, technically known as Lycoperdon Maximum, can appear extremely menacing to a youngster upon first encounter. One particular puffball was discovered alone in a grassy field in the hills of New Mexico. The Miner Forty-niner, a.k.a. Wells, had taken his youngest girls and their mother on yet another adventure, mining Mica and Amazonite with the assistance of some New Mexico Natives and a few sticks of dynamite. On one damp morning the Giant Puffball was discovered. The Miner declared that Esther would be fixing this tasty dish for dinner. After all, we were living off the land. The idea did not seem too incredible as we were also residing in a pickup and camper, bathing in ponds and making imaginary motorcycles out of old tree stumps. Never having encountered a puffball, I was somewhat apprehensive. It resembled a batch of bread dough, minus the bowl and warm yeasty scent. I still associate the aroma of damp milkweed with bulging puffballs—and danger!

Esther, ever ready to play along, ceremoniously presented the monstrous mushroom on a large dinner plate. I was certain my parents were going to make me bite into that thing! Only when the knife was inserted and a triangle slice removed was I certain they could not force me to take a bite! The interior was dark olive green goo. Disgusting! It was so disgusting that my younger and older siblings have both blocked the experience from their memories. Esther denies it. Wells is no longer here to argue about it. But I know there was a puffball with a knife in it on a plate in a camper in New Mexico!

Lycoperdon Maximum. It is edible while yet unripe. It can grow to nearly 20 inches in diameter. Ominous! When ripe the flesh turns green, flaccid, and mushy. Odor and flavor become, yes, disgusting! As it continues to age, the green flesh dries and becomes a dark powdery sponge that escapes its skin, scattering spores to give life to yet more puffballs. If conditions are right—humidity and temperature allowing—additional ominous edible mushrooms may appear.

 Now I knew I didn’t like the looks of the thing when I first saw it. The Miner’s threat of consumption made it even more disagreeable; and on closer inspection, it was apparent that I would forgo the edible experience—at all costs! Fortunately, it wasn’t necessary that I snub my proper upbringing by refusing to clean up my plate—another sign of danger. The Giant Puffball itself saved me. Its hideous flesh had the last laugh, for neither of my prankster parents could bring themselves to partake of that green gooey surprise!



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