On Thinking Time ...

Giving the mind, body, and soul a chance to rest is one of the most important things we can do.  I do not remember any of the other 6 habits from the bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, which is the version of the book I read in high school.  #7, sharpen the saw, really stuck with me though.

It is so important to take the time to make sure I am taking care of myself.  Pushing exercise to the back burner and grabbing take out ... all in the name of accomplishing other goals ... is so easy.  Its not like I'm doing those things and then sitting on the couch and watching TV.

However, I decided to take some time to do nothing but relax and think.  I have not given myself a chance to sit around and think very much in the past year because I haven't really wanted to think about some of the things I need to think about.  Its easy to just push things to the back if you don't stop and think about them.

So I'm thinking.  Memorial Day morning I woke up and decided to go to Mount Rushmore.  Why not? I drove north and west and north some more and drove through tornadoes and plains and rolling hills and miles where I had no cell coverage and never saw another car.  That was some good thinking time. I've also now officially been to all 48 continental United States.

single buffalo, buffalo herd, Ollie, backside of Mt Rushmore, hiking around a beautiful lake, hidden staircase, somewhere in the Dakotas, my copilot, memories

After a day at home and a bachelorette party, I'm continuing the thinking time.  For the next few days, I'll be thinking from here.  And probably rereading the 7 habits so that I can find out what the other 6 are!  :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  As we all know, 2012 was not my all time favorite year for a couple reasons.  However, it still was a pretty amazing year full of many amazing memories.  My family was able to spend lots of quality time together and we were blessed to see the outpouring of love and kindness and generosity of so many others.  I almost didn't even mention 2012 ... but it was such a life altering year that it deserved a few lines.  :)

here

How in the world did that happen?  I remember 1999 and wondering how we were going to describe the coming years.  Would it be twenty oh one or two thousand and one?  Funny how something that seemed like such a big deal turned out to be very minor.  Everyone gets to call it want they want.  Two thousand something isn't as rough to say as one thousand nine hundred ninety nine.  I'm not sure why we didn't realize that FOURTEEN years ago.  If you did realize that, then keep your mouth shut smarty pants.

As always, new years are full of the hope of changes and resolutions for most.  Last year was the first year I ever had quantifiable goals for the new year and it made it so easy.  This year, I'm following suit, for the most part.  I have 9 quantifiable goals and 4 more generalized goals.  That's right ...

13 GOALS FOR 2013!!!!

I'm sure you are all dying to know what each of the 13 are ... but like last year, I'll share most of them with you at the end of the year.  Some people believe that publicly stating your goals makes you more likely to achieve them.  I believe that keeping them to myself makes it easier for me to stumble and then keep going without feeling like ... damn, I messed up and everyone knows it so why keep going.  

However, I will let you in on the general theme.  This year, I'm going to do what I want to do.  I'm going to take care of Jane emotionally, physically, spiritually, and any other ally that may come along.  This is the year I graduate from medical school.  The first half of the year will be immensely easier than the second half.  I'm going to take advantage of the first half to help me get ready for the second half.

And ... as my first example ... my current trip from Tulsa to Stanford.  I began on Christmas Eve and I'll arrive on January 3.  or 4.  I haven't completely decided.  I've driven through pouring rain (seriously Oklahoma ... it hasn't rained in basically years and it pours when I'm driving?), dense fog, snow, and a bit of sleet.  I've been to Albuquerque where I ate some interesting food and saw a beautiful sunset and sunrise.  I stopped at the Meteor Crater ... which is the most expensive $16 I've ever spent to see a big hole in the ground.  I sure hope that the next time something comes barreling into earth at 26,500 mph it hits someplace equally desolate!  I visited the Grand Canyon ... which is the single most majestic and amazing thing I have ever seen in my life.  I thought I'd see it and be done with it forever.  Now, I just want to go back and spend a week navigating the Colorado River.  Or maybe I should start with two days.  :)  I spent an afternoon in Flagstaff and had an amazing meal of enchiladas de camaron at Salsa Fresca (I think).  Today, I'm headed to Vegas for a little bit of eating and sightseeing!  Hopefully, it will be as much fun as the last two days have been!