A Date Which Will Live In Famy

Here

Oh. Hello there, fellow wayfarers! On this yellow brick road of life, you have stumbled your way, been directed,  or coerced into reading my very first blog post.  Ta da! I welcome you with arms wide open! 

Hmmmmmm...so why am I here, waiting for you?

Because this blog is the culmination of several things --
1) the nagging feeling (the Godvoice) that I could use something I enjoy doing to help others;

2) my slowly distilling philosophy of life that some have found inspirational and motivational;

3) a goodly number of these people mentioning that they would like to read my musings; and

4) the fortune cookie I got yesterday.
Get ready for it.....
Drumroll pleaseeeeeeeee....
(Are you seriously ready for this? It is truly awesome!!)
"Now is a great time to broaden your scope of influence."

                                                                               
                                                   
Well, heck, who am I to turn down opportunity when it is glaring in my face,  after I have cracked it open and eaten its yummy golden cookie deliciousness?  Et voila! Le Blog.

The Name Game
The most important part of a blog is, initially, of course, its NAME. Must be creative, unique, succinct, catchy enough to pique the readers' interest at first glance...must be the epitome of all your talent wrapped into one singular, simple title....must be a nugget which conveys all the myriad topics you wish to discuss... Must, must, must -- Phew, there are a lot of requirements to churning out the perfect name. Having been a creative writer in my youth, then working as a copywriter in an advertising agency, and lastly bestowing four adorable children with equally adorable names, this should be a slam dunk, am I right? But, the more I thought, the more I was overcome with doubts, plagues and fears. I doubted I could nail this, or that I was talented enough to even think  about writing, or even if I was brave enough to put pen to paper (er, pink-and-white acrylic nails to my Acer keyboard?) that anyone would even want to read it....and then plague came in the form of a nasty little respiratory virus that literally and figuratively stopped me cold. However, (Ha! Out, out, damn cold!) I outfoxed it and lolled in bed drinking good hot tea and eating succulent oranges until I came up with the most magnificent idea ever --- I, uh, actually texted my oldest daughter, an incredibly talented and brilliant wordsmith in her own right, and begged her to come to my aid, which she immediately did, as every obedient and dutiful daughter should. Yay me,  mom! Not only did I birth a genius but she's a good girl, too. And a darned handy namecrafter. Kudos.

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Positive/Negative
I'm a big convert to living life positively. I've had some heartaches in my life, which I may share on down the road, but I've wasted a large portion of my allotted time wallowing in sorrow and self-pity. I look back with sadness at that wounded woman, but now also with determination that I will not fritter away one more second of my increasingly brief life. I took up running a year ago and I can honestly say, that trite adage is true:  It DID change my life. I am happier, healthier (despite my recent plague) and, I think, a better person for running. So one of my goals for this blog is to share my challenges and achievements in exercising and getting healthier --especially for anyone who's a little "older" (I'm 53) -- and help motivate you to achieve your own fitness goals.  I also want to encourage you to pursue your other dreams, whether that may be writing, painting, sewing, going to mime school, knitting, Pinteresting (is that a word yet? Remember folks, you heard it here first!)  or anything you think will enrich your own life. I spent many years without a dream, and that's a bleak existence. I want you to dream large, and know, really know, deep down in your heart and your blood and your guts,  that you WILL  reach whatever it is you set out to do. Together, I am convinced WE CAN DO ANYTHING!! So, I will be sharing positive, motivational quotes and posts on this blog, to open our minds wide to the possibilities out there. (The synchronicity of fortune cookies is a topic best saved for a later date.)

Noun

1.

infamy - a state of extreme dishonor; "a date which will live in infamy"- F.D.Roosevelt

All negatives will be relegated to the "Infamy Netherworld" and you won't find them here. Only famy found here! I'll be having "Famy Fridays," where I'd love it if you would share the positives that happened to you during your week, or that you did for others. I firmly believe it enriches us all to be reminded of the good things in life and share our gratitude for them.

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ArmsWideOpen
Yup, this is how I want to embrace life:

Music jacked up,
arms wide open,
head flung back,
eyes, not squeezed shut in fear but
taking it all in,
hair streaming back,
sweat dripping,
screaming at the top of my lungs,
leaping with total abandon
into the great unknown!!

And you're going with me.

You ARE NOT going to be a passive car rider, all belted up tight and watching me drive. Oh no, my friends, you are gonna shove your feet into your running shoes, double knot 'em, and then we're heading off on the journey of a lifetime together, whooping and hollering, delirious with joy, giving it our very best, pushing ourselves to our limit and then breaking free beyond that, achieving, succeeding, living, loving, giving everyone the very best of ourselves each and every day, making the most of this finite time we have here on earth, not wasting one precious millisecond, being the very best person that God has destined us to be, all of us exuberantly living life together and then racing across that finish line with joy on our faces, laughter in our hearts, and
ARMS
WIDE
OPEN.