The Fish Tank

My instructor told us our next rotation would involve burpees and planks. If any of you workout, you know that burpees are probably the absolute worst exercise ever created in the universe but quite effective. Today, however, he wanted us to do them on one leg. All of us looked at him like he had (clearly) lost his mind. He wanted us to do what? And this after punching and running, and box jumping, and lifting for almost an hour? But, we all got on our way doing our one-legged burpees. This exercise took quite a bit of balance and I knew immediately that I was more dominant on my left leg than right. That was not the first time that morning the word balance came to mind. Balancing on one leg while trying to jump up, back, and into push-up position only solidified my thoughts on the word. I have been thinking about balance for a while now. We talk a lot about finding balance in our lives giving our energy first to God, then our spouse, kids, work, etc. But, I had other thoughts about ...

Stuck. Icemaggedon. Entombed in ice. We were warned days ago that we were going to experience the storm of a lifetime; to be prepared to be stuck in our homes for a few days. The stores were packed and shelves cleared by panicked patrons trying to stock up. I thought we had enough but am now craving enchiladas so bad I'd walk ten miles for them. Funny what you would do when you don't have the freedom to do what you want when you want. As I got a quiet moment in the middle of the day today I began to think about this moment and how many of us are going stir crazy and it's only day two of what could be a four day or more entrapment. God tells us to be still. We talk about, preach about, read about, and pray about being still. However, I don't think we practice being still. I was outside with my middle guy watching him break icicles off plants and eat them while trying to stay on his feet. As I watched him, I listened. There is something very still and quiet after a snow...

Last week I went on an adventure of a life time. I always dreamed of visiting the vast city that moves so quickly. I jumped at the opportunity. As I stepped out of the yellow taxi cab onto the busy streets of New York I was transported back to my 12 year old self needing my mom to guide me through. I didn't know what to expect when I arrived in NYC but thought I would be fine. I grew up in Southern California where a fast paced life style is the norm. Or so I thought. SoCal looks like a slug compared to the bustling streets of Manhattan. But, I was with my trusty sidekick who knows how to keep me in line and focused so I knew we were going to tackle this city like a beast. As we ventured around town what I came to realize is that life is out of my control (duh). We walked for what seemed like forever passing men in three piece suits and the homeless at the same time. It was a bizarre yet seemingly normal site. I thought about the lives of those two and how drastic they lived; one ...