Less

Faithful followers may have noticed that I took a bit of a break from the blog and social media here at the beginning of the year? Why? I'm trying to re-evaluate. My husband pointed out that although I enjoy a lot of things, the stress of doing so many things outweighs the joy in doing them. So I am trying to do less. In fact, "Less" is my word for 2026.

Less is not the word I wanted for 2026. I had other contenders:

Dream

Joy
Margin

Priorities

Try

But what I settled on was, "Less." I don't really know what that looks like, but I am trying. May the Lord be my guide!

For now, I am experimenting. I am unsubscribing and unfollowing. I am trying to purge excess items (though not going minimalist, because that is more work in and of itself!). I am trying to scroll less and read more. I am trying to stop accumulating (even if it is just more books on my to be read list, or more podcasts on my too listen list). I am trying to keep myself more accountable and put less pressure on myself at the same time. I am trying to have less priorities, so I can focus more on the main one(s). 

Am I doing great? No, honestly, I am not, but I am here for it. Maybe in less, I can learn to be more present, even if that does mean being present for some of the stuff I'd rather not acknowledge.

Strong(er) in November

Whew. It's been a month. And how has it already been a month? It seems like it has just flown by! We had our Utah trip, sickness, the Foster 5K, and Thanksgiving, and now the month is over.

How is our marriage doing? Up and down. That Utah trip was a boon to start the month, as we were stretched and strained in the weeks afterward. Our recent Thanksgiving trip, while not for our marriage specifically, was restful.

The good news is that we are founded in the Lord. The good news is that we are talking about the stress. The good/bad news is that we do not have answers to what needs to change about everyday life in order to grow stronger together.

Physically, I have kind of plateaued. I did accidentally use 15 pound dumbbells for my workout 11/5/25, and I made it. Otherwise than that, I am still working on pull-ups, but feel stagnated. I have one more month to go, but I might loose the power tower for the Christmas tree, so we will see if I even have a place to practice!

Spiritually, I am thankful to report that I have at least had some learning this month. I got some extra time to read my Bible while my husband was gone, and for some reason when I read my Bible over a meal, I seem to get more out of it. This time, I noticed some new things about the apostles in Acts. I also learned from The Bible Project introductions and Bible recaps. [For example, did you know that Jacobus/Jacob wrote James? (The Bible Project, n.d.). I have also been reading more of my wife devotional (which I guess could go towards my goal of strengthening our marriage.) While it is designed to be weekly, I started late and am only about halfway through. Therefore, I started reading daily. I might finish it this year....

Well, that is a wrap on this month. One more to go. May God find me faithful, even if not strength-full. His grace is sufficient for me, for his power is made perfect in my weakness (English Standard Version, 2016, 2 Corinthians 12:9). Praise Him! 

Reference:

The Bible Project. (n.d.). The book of James. https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-james/

English Standard Version. (2019). Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/English-Standard-Version-ESV-Bible/#copy

Strong(er) in October

Well, at the end of the last round of my pull-up program, what do you know, but I can actually pull myself a little higher on the pull-up bar. While I am not there yet, this was encouraging. Now, can I get to one full pull-up (my goal), by year's end? I am still progressing through the program, but admittedly also doing less strength work overall, because it's race training season, baby!

My first race of the "season" was a bit of a slog, but by God's grace, I eked out a PR. I am learning what it means to be strong in mind, as well as in body. Thanks, Deena Kastor for the timely book on this subject.

Marriage has been hard, not necessarily bad, but hard. My husband observed that both of us are stressed right now. I have not been communicating well. I am struggling with some bitterness and resentment. Maybe we are having growing pains. Whatever the case, by God's grace, may we get through this season and come out stronger in the Lord on the other side!

I did a few word studies with my Bible reading this month. I also subscribed to the new TBR Deep Dive podcast that covers some topics more in depth. I have been catching all of the sermons from church, but with illness all of our travels, we have not been there in person as much. We need to get back to that.

And we're on to November. Only two more months of the year remain to grow stronger in body, marriage, and spirit. I need to be intentional, but will I?

Strong(er) in September

I am not sure I am every going to get a pull-up. I have almost reached the end of another cycle of the Nourish Move Love Assisted Pull-Up Plan, and I just don't possess the strength to really pull myself up as a lower the weight of the resistance band. Oh well. I said I would try, and I am trying. Maybe this exercise is building mental strength, if nothing else. 

While I did finish the 30 day core challenge from Run to the Finish, I don't think it did much for me, so it is back to the old PT exercises of eccentric step-downs, banded lateral walks and resisted supported fire hydrants. Sometimes it's the simple stuff that works best. A few more weeks and I will be tapering for my next goal race!

We seem to be getting hit with some hard stuff in our marriage, not the hardest of hard, but what feels to me like spiritual opposition. We have both had individual stuff weighing on us. The circumstances of life have reduced some of our usual quality time. It's been hard, BUT we are as committed as ever and working even harder to stay connected. Recently, that looked like buying a new game to play instead of watching TV, and going to a running event together for the first time in about five years.

I have learned some stuff spiritually through my reading. The pressures of life and culture remind me daily of the importance of being in the Word. I am trying to keep my nose there so that I can remain strong to do the work set before me. I have been living on a wing and a prayer more days than I would like, but maybe that is what growing stronger means: relying ever more and more on the strength of Jesus and the prayers of His people.

Strong(er) in August

No pull-up gains this month, but I did go up one more pound in the dumbbells I used for strength training. No, it is not a lot, but it is something, and I will take it. Although I still an't do a pull-up, I think I might be gaining a little bit of strength, as push-ups seem a little bit easier, and like I am doing them more fully. I have committed to eating more protein in this season, but it is just hard to gain muscle when I am training to gain strength to hit my running goals.

On the running front, I did switch to a new training plan this season. I bought the 30 day core challenge from Run to the Finish and have been working through it instead of doing my daily physical therapy exercises. I have had the return of some foot pain, though, so after this 30 days I am likely to return to what works. With the heat and my strength, I am not hitting the prescribed paces in my new training plan, but I am trying and that takes some mental strength. I will take it and thank God for it.

Our marriage weathered another air conditioning outage this month. Thankfully, my husband is just working one job this time. (Our air went out three years ago when he was also in school.) It was not pleasant, but we survived (in part thanks to my hairdresser, who loaned us their portable swamp cooler). We continue with our devotions, and we have even fit in a few fun date days (a culinary day and a paint by numbers day). Quality time helps fill my love tank, which gives me more bandwidth to weather trials like the air conditioning outage. An addition to our Sunday routine has been couples yoga or stretching after our walk around town. That has been a fun way to connect, and I think that having fun together also strengthens our marriage.

Spiritually, I am sticking with my same routine. I am not sure if that makes me stronger or just maintains strength. Either way, I will take it.

I guess that is the theme of stronger this month: I will take it. While the limits of my strength are finite, God's are infinite, and for that I praise God and look forward to the next month of growing stronger in the life that He has given me.

Strong(er) in July

I don't think I am getting stronger, at least in terms of my pull-up goals. Sure, I went down another band size, but now I can barely get to the top of the bar for one rep, let alone the three, five, or eight reps in the Nourish Move Love Assisted Pull-Up Plan. I tried to do one pull-up and nope, couldn't do it. I didn't even get half-way up. Still, I am committed to finishing this plan, because if I don't try, I can't know if a pull-up is really impossible for me, or just not possible yet.

Overall, I felt like I gained strength in the Overload 30 program, but now I feel that waning. I held my mileage steady these last few months, but started a specific training program on Sunday, which means less strength. Sigh. I am realizing that life is about priorities. I can't be strong everywhere, or at least not at the tip-top of my strength game in every area of my life.

Thankfully, marriage is going pretty well. We have our fits and starts, but more time to communicate, and re-communicate. I give God thanks for that. We are still working through The Marriage Devotional by Jennie and Levi Lusko, and I still try to listen to a marriage enrichment podcast each week. I am thankful for those resources. 

I continue reading the chronological Bible reading and listening to The Bible Recap podcast episode each day. I don't feel like I am not getting anything from this. (Maybe Bible reading has a cumulative effect?) I don't feel like I am getting as much as I can from it, either.

Maybe the theme of this month's post should be the summer doldrums. I am not not making progress, but I am sure not making the progress I would like. At the same time, I don't have the energy, or want to put in the energy to push harder. Maybe this is a rest. Maybe rest is a flex to get ready for the next season of God growing me stronger? We shall see.

Strong(er) in June

 

How has it been another month already? Life is certainly flying by, but here we are!

In my strong(er) updates, I praise God for continued growth in strengthening our understanding of one another in marriage. We aren't perfect, and I think we are starting to recognize more and more how we are different, trying to work through those differences, rather than forcing the other person to take our position (an effort in insanity). We continue our work through The Marriage Devotional by Jennie and Levi Lusko, and that alone promotes good conversation. It also points out areas where I need to grow stronger in my identity in Christ. Most recently, we read about pride and the spirit has convicted me several times about my weak identity in Christ contributes to this sin.

On the physical front, I completed Nourish Move Love's two week Overload 30 challenge. I know I am not lifting as heavy as I could (because I am still running), but whew! That first week, I had trouble walking. This is for sure a plan to build strength! While I am focused on running and maintaining strength for that, this is a plan to bookmark for the future. As Lindsey Bomgren says, it's not about changing your body, but building strength for your 70 year-old self. I like that!

Spiritually, I feel in the same place. Maybe I should do more? Maybe I am maintaining strength? Or maybe I am still growing in strength (albeit slowly) through regular spiritual disciplines? I have heard several things lately about how staying in the Word does strengthen us to be able to recognize counterfeit truth when we see it. So many the regular humdrum disciplines are the strength? May the Spirit continue to show me the way, and if there is to be a different way.

And that's a wrap! (Maybe more pull-up progress next month as I finish another progression of the Nourish Move Love Assisted Pull-Up Plan? I am not convinced, but we will see!)

Strong(er) in May

It's been back to the "rat race" after our first vacation, and now a second one. I hoped to carry some of the ease and joy of vacation back into real life, and at moments, it seems like I have. Other times, it seems like I have just fallen right back into the rut of rush, rush, rush, and fail to enjoy life.

Vacation itself was a victory for our marriage, though. By God's grace, I did not drive my husband nuts despite spending almost 24 hours straight with him for four days on end (and a lot of that in a car hurtling down the highway at high speeds). In fact, I missed him the first day we went back to work. Being apart just felt weird! I guess we still like each other. We survived an almost seven day road, trip, too. Praise the Lord!

God is growing us in our teamwork. We tend to do things pretty differently, but we have been able to tag-team a few things. I called the doctor and left a message. He was able to coordinate with the doctor. I ask a question. He gets the answer. I prep for the company. He cooks for and serves the company. We have failed many times in our collaboration, but I praise God for each and every success.

The Bay Bridge Half was a physical victory for me. Praise the Lord for my fastest half-marahton yet! I think I *might* be making progress in my pull-up program, but I also want to be careful. Several men I know have tendonitis/tendinopathy from doing too many pull-ups. I hope not to get that! I continue to do physical therapy exercises, too. I think I now need those for both my dystonia and my running career.

Spiritually, I don't think I am stagnating, but maybe I am just steady? At least I hope so. I can't name a whole lot of mountaintop moments, but I seek to continue in my spiritual disciplines of weekly prayer time and dedicated Bible reading. The Spirit is showing me how much I worry on a daily basis, and convicting me to pray more. That is a growth area, for sure!

All in all, I am thankful for this month. May God continue to grow me stronger in him, stronger in the body and life he has given me, and stronger in my marriage, for his glory and my good.

Strong(er) in April

Phew! What a month. It was full. It was long. It felt hard, but by God's grace, I got through. Am I stronger? Maybe. Maybe not. Here's my summary.

Faith: Lent is over. I think it was a beneficial experience, but man am I glad the reading fast is over. That was tough! Did it make me stronger in my faith? I hope so! I do think that fasting builds strength. It is just very, very hard.

Marriage: I am thankful to report that my husband and I are doing well. Is that a result of the work we are putting in through our marriage devotional and regular dates or just God's blessing? Both? Whichever the case, I give God thanks and pray we can continue in this trajectory and enjoy a summer season in our relationship.

Body: I did complete my first round of the pull-up program, too. If I jump hard and high, I can almost pull my chin over the bar. Dropping down to the next resistance band size, though (as instructed in the program) was humbling. I am back to not getting my chin back over the bar. Do I continue to increase reps, or try to get up at least one with this band? I am not sure of the correct protocol.

Praise the Lord for an amazing Pat's Run, especially after sickness weakened me and brought me down for a few days. My feet have started hurting a bit again, though. I changed up my physical therapy exercises, so is it that? Or that I got new shoes? Who knows? Lord willing, I have one more big event, and then turning down the running (or at least the speed portion of it). 

What's next? Lord willing, diligence in continued Bible reading, some summer trips to spend time with my love, and continued strength training and at-home physical therapy exercises. What to do about those pull-ups still remains a question.

--

Readers, do you have any goals as summer approaches? Please share in the comments section!

Strong(er) in March

What's going well? We've gotten into the swing of having more regular dates. We've had some epic and some everyday ones (exploration of new places and commonplace errand running). Regular dates definitely strengthens our marriage and helps me feel more positive about life overall. Praise the Lord!

What's about the same? I am still reading my Bible and doing the Bible recap. I am fasting for Lent (from a food and a few activities). The goal of Lent is to focus more on Jesus and grow stronger in my faith. I hope it is doing that, but I am not sure right now.

What might not be getting stronger? Although my pull-up program reps are increasing, I am not sure I am getting stronger (Bomgren, 2023). I am getting tired of them and without seeing progress, I am tempted to quit the program. Shall I? Is it serving me? I have yet to decide.

I am still running. I am thankful for that. I have been having a few weird health things, which makes me worry that I will not be able to run like I want to run. I also caught a cold this past week. Boo!

I did buy more collagen and running fuel. I do not like the new running fuel brand, but if I have a hope of getting stronger, I have to fuel! We will see how things work out for my race in a few weeks.

Overall, this month, I feel like I am getting hard, not strong. Truth strength is not hardness. Hard things snap and break. Strong things handle the load. They are flexible (to an extent). I want to be that kind of strong.

The thing is that I am not strong on my own. I can only be strong with the strength that Christ gives me. As Tara-Leigh Cobble (2025) says in The Bible Recap “True strength and courage is established by being mindful of God's presence in our lives.” May I grow in my awareness of the Lord, even as I seek to grow stronger in the every day of this life.

References:

Bomgren, L. (2023, October 4). How to get better at pull-ups (12 week guide). Nourish move https://www.nourishmovelove.com/how-to-get-better-at-pull-ups/

Cobble, T. (2025, March 23). Day 082 (Joshua 1-4) -- Year 7. [Audio podcast episode]. In The Bible recap. https://thebiblerecap.podbean.com/e/day082-year7/

Strong(er) in February

I realized this month that I have been equating strength with "hard." It can be hard to make time and find focus to read my Bible. Sometimes I want to listen to another podcast before The Bible Recap (and sometimes I think I have).

Selflessly serving my spouse is hard. Not arguing is hard. Accepting help is hard. Sometimes we find it hard to fit in dates (though thankfully we fit in a few this month).

Pulling-up to the top of the pull-up bar is hard (and I cannot even always physically do it). It is hard to push paces in run training. Fitting in physical therapy is hard. 

Life is not all hard, though. And there is that saying, "Choose your hard." I have chosen to prioritize reading my Bible. I chose my spouse when I married him. I decided that I wanted physical therapy to work, so I committed to work the exercises. I reminded myself on a workout this week that I get to run. No one is chasing me.

Is all my hard work building strength? Maybe not in externally obvious ways yet, but surely they build mental strength, something I did not aim to build, but nonetheless benefits me. To be fair, I did see my work pay off in the 10K, and I thought I saw muscles in one of my race photos. For as many years as I have spent picking my body apart, this made me proud. I also managed to convince my physical therapist that I had gained enough strength to graduate and do exercises on my own again.

Thank you, Lord, for this body. Thank you, Lord for this life. It may not be easy. It may just be hard, but you give me the strength to endure, survive, and sometimes even thrive day to day. I praise you!

Strong(er) in January

When I chose my word for 2025, I pictured myself focused, fierce, strong, brave. This month has not been that. Instead, I feel like it's been more of a grit-my-teeth, put-in-the-hard work kind of month. Everything has not been hard, but it has all taken effort. I think I always forget that. Good things take work. I need to put in some more before I really start to see gains. So here is the work I have been putting in for the three areas of my life that I want to strengthen:

Faith:

I continue with The Bible Recap reading plan. It has been a little bit of a switch to read my Bible every morning instead of in the evenings. I try to listen to The Bible Recap Podcast before I listen to anything else. I appreciate the fresh perspectives this practice is bringing to my faith walk. So far, I am really happy with this practice.

Marriage:

We did start a new marriage devotional from Jennie and Levi Lusko. That has been very good, with readings, discussion questions, and prayer to keep us focused on the Lord, which is where our ultimate strength lies.

I have listened to a few marriage podcasts. In my pride, sometimes I think, "I already know that," but then God humbles me and reminds me how much work I need to put into my marriage. Two specific podcast episode I would recommend are "From Conflict to Communication: How to Heal After a Fight" from A Purpose-Driven Marriage and "Tips for Planning Memorable Date Nights" from Focus on the Family. 

On that note, we have been slacking on official dates. We concluded our downtown scavenger hunt for the Gnome on the Roam. I proposed a year-long journey to visit all the public parks in our 138 square mile city. We started off strong, and have waned. Hopefully we get back to that pursuit. That is an area to strengthen for next month. 

Body:

I am keeping up with my physical therapy schedule. I have progressed at least two of the exercises in difficulty. Two out of my three ailments have gotten much better. Praise the Lord!

I completed the two week Perform 20 program with Nourish Move Love (NML) this month. It was the most accessible program from NML yet, but still a bit much with as much as I am running. A few times a week of strength work versus every day are better for my current schedule.

I am training for my next race. Overall, I have not getting back down to the paces I was running during marathon training, but oh well. This is where gritting my teeth comes in. Running is not agony for me. I like it, but it requires some strength of will to keep putting in work when not getting results right away. I keep trying, and we will see what happens.

I don't know if I will ever be able to do a pull-up, but my husband put back up his bar, and I bought pull-up assistance bands to start NML's pull-up program. I am far from progress, but am trying to grit my teeth and put in a few reps every other day or so. Will I gain strength? We will see.

--

That's my recap for strong(er) January. May the Lord's strength carry me forward. To Him be all glory for any progress made.

Strong(er)

Simplify was my word for 2024. Strong(er) is my word for 2025. To be honest, I wanted a different word for 2025, but as I thought and prayed about it, the words of Ephesians 6:10 kept coming to mind, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might" (English Standard Version, ESV). This is a year I want to grow stronger, in my faith, in my marriage, and in my body (in that order).

How will I work towards my goals this year? I like Lindsey Bomgren's (of Nourish Move Love) of having rocks, that is specific things to do each month or quarter that contribute towards those goals. As of right now, those are starting The Bible Recap reading plan (for spiritual strength), doing a weekly marriage devotional with my husband, and keeping up with my physical therapy regimen. Is there more I can (and am trying) to do? Yes, but for now, these are my focus.

The Filter Question. Another strategy I am keeping in mind is that of a filter question. My husband came up with this idea while planning our wedding. The idea was to run every decision through a question. Using my word of the year, I can ask myself, "Does this make me/us/others stronger?" If the answer is, "Yes." I can ask myself, "How?" Everything I do does not have to make me stronger, but if it doesn't, I really need to ask myself if it is worth my time. Although I tried to simplify last year, I still had a lot of stuff on my plate. I still have a lot of stuff on my plate, and I think, in reality, a lot of it is going to stay there. I can choose where I focus, however. I can choose to prioritize.

So there you have it, my word, and what I hope to start to do with it. With God's help, hopefully I can grow stronger in 2025. Stronger in the Lord. Stronger in my marriage. Stronger in my marriage. To God be the glory!

The Simplified Life (Year in Review)

I set out to simplify this year. I would say I have done anything but. It is not that I have purposely complicated things, but rather that this year has been full, very full. Still, I think that starting with this intention, and revisiting it each month has been helpful. I did prioritize more. I did enjoy more. I did live more. That's important!

As I wrap up this year, I settle on the competing phrases: Less is more, and sometimes more is less. Focusing on a few fewer things has been helpful. Sometimes having more things has helped free up more brain space. I am thankful for luxuries like integrated Apple products and AirPods that let me multi-task (even if that is not simplest for my brain). I realize how often I get caught up in things that don't matter (like those blasted monthly challenges in DuoLingo-I say I won't do them, and then spend hours getting sucked right back in). At the end of this year, I don't think I leave so much with a simpler life, but hopefully a more meaningful one, and that is what I want for 2025: more meaning, more passion, more fervor, more faithfulness to God and to the people around me.

To all who helped support me this year, thank you! To those who really matter and help me focus on the eternal, thank you! To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who did anything but the simple thing of incarnating Himself to come to earth and die on the cross to make a home for me in heaven, my debt is eternal.

If you want to read through all the months of my journey, I have shared the month-by-month links below:

The Simplified Life (An Update)

The Simplified Life (Month 2 Update)

The Simplified Life (Month 3 Update)

The Simplified Life (Month 4)

The "Maybe" Simplified Life

The Simplified Life (Vacation Edition)

The Simplified Life (July)

The Simplified Life (August)

The Simplified Life (September)

What's Simplifying My Life (October)

When More is Simpler (November Update)

The Simplified Life (An Update)

You know that word I chose for the year? (Simplify. Yes, it's also a form of my blog title.) I am realizing it has a lot more nuance than I thought. When I chose it, I imagined simplifying, paring down, doing less. I am realizing I don't really want to do that, or at least all of that. As of now, simplifying is looking more like prioritizing what is really important.

I like variety, really, I do! When I read about people eating the same breakfast every day, the inner me revolts (Becker, n.d.). Sure, I eat varieties of the same breakfast most of the time, but I also like to switch things up! When I read about minimalism and think about paring down, I get it, but I also don't want to do it. There are a lot of little used things that bring me great joy when I do use them (think bundt and doughnut pans in the kitchen), and I want to keep them. I have also come to the conclusion that some splurge buys are worth it, like random new flavors of things, which are totally a gimmick, but bring me joy, and little holidays things that just enhance the mood. [Thanks, Hungry Runner girl (2024) for reminding that "novelty can enhance our moods."] I guess, at least for right now, the minimalism version of simplifying is not for me.

So what am I doing? I am trying to prioritize. I'm trying to stop doing things that feel like have-tos, but really aren't. For example, I like doing a lesson of DuoLingo every day to keep my brain sharp, but why do I have to keep up with the quests? They just eat up my time and make me angsty. Next! I am also trying to reduce items in my fridge and pantry, not to get rid of variety, but to limit it so that it is less overwhelming. In terms of cooking, I am making larger batches of things and freezing them. This gives us variety, with a little less work. (Thank you, husband, for buying us a chest freezer and being willing to eat frozen and reheated food.) I am also trying to make less recipes that require me to buy unique ingredients. When I do buy those ingredients, I am trying to have a plan for using them up. Again, this results in less overwhelm and decision fatigue for me.

In terms of my closet, I am not trying to pare down to a capsule wardrobe. I have some single, or rarely used items that bring me great joy! I am trying to work through wearing everything in my closet, though. There are a lot of pieces that probably have neutral value and aren't needed (eg t-shirts), and when I find those, I am trying to set them aside so that I can consider getting rid of them. Things I have discovered? That though I have a lot of leggings and yoga pants, I have already worn them all, multiple times! Having less would just necessitate more frequent laundry. No thanks!

What will this journey towards a simplified life look like by year's end? I truly don't know. Whatever comes, may I be receptive to the Lord and what He has to teach me!

References:

Baron, J. (2024, January 26). Friday favorites! Hungry runner girl. https://hungryrunnergirl.com/2024/01/friday-favorites-259.html#

Becker, J. (n.d.). You eat less variety than you think. Embrace it. Becoming minimalist. https://www.becomingminimalist.com/meals/

Simplify.

I am not usually one for "Word of the Year" quizzes. Yes, I take them, and yes, I often pick a word for the year (or month, or day), but I'm not usually one to just take the word I get from a quiz and use it as my own. This year is different. When I did the word of the year quiz from Dayspring, that word fit, and I am running with it. Or maybe I should say, I am pondering it.

Twenty twenty-three was a year of hard stuff, for me, for my family, and for my friends. While I like challenges and proving to myself that I can do hard things, right now, it seems like life itself is hard enough. I am (for right now) kind of over forcing more hard stuff. I just want to be present, to focus on what matters, and to enjoy life. 

I have a few races on the calendar for 2024. I am training for them. How hard remains to be seen. We have a vacation scheduled for the summer. I look forward to these things, but I am trying not to over invest in them. I just want to be present here and now.

Challenges are good. Doing hard things is good. Right now, though, I'm simplifying. What that means and how far it goes remains to be seen. God knows, and I rest in that.

Center: 30 Day Yoga with Adriene Challenge Review

I am not sure I actually enjoyed this challenge. It wasn't the challenge, necessarily. It was me. I had a lot on my plate this spring with training for races. I already knew I had limited time during the week due to my work schedule. And I chose to do the challenge anyway.

What Is This Challenge Anyway?

The Yoga with Adriene Challenge is a yearly challenge to do yoga everyday in January. Adriene Mischler, a yoga personality, actress, and entrepreneur, curates and films a collection of practices and then posts them free on YouTube. People who subscribe to her newsletter can get a daily note about the practice, and then do it. The idea is to make yoga more accessible, and incorporate yoga more into daily life. Each year's collection has a theme to unify it. The theme this year was, "Center."

What I Liked About the Challenge

The practices in this journey were a little shorter than in some of her journeys. (Most were 30 minutes or less). Adriene wrote about her intentionality with this in one of her newsletters. She wanted to make the practices easier to integrate into everyday life. I liked that Mischler also included some fitness elements in these practices, like building of core strength, some Pilates-like moves, and even a few push-ups. Some of the quotes in her newsletters were quite moving. I think that is part of what keeps people coming back to Yoga with Adriene. She has a sassy, sweet personality that makes it fun and inspiring to practice with her.

What I Didn't Like About This Challenge

The daily practices were just too long for me. I prefer around 10 minutes maximum. Many days, I did about ten minutes of the practice in the morning, and then I did the other minutes of the video in the evening. I sometimes benefitted from the evening practice, and sometimes really disliked the fact that it extended my to-do list for the evening (but I was bound and determined to finish once I started). Mischler did make a few inappropriate, or borderline-inappropriate jokes (though less than in other journeys) which I could have done without. Nothing striking made me dislike the challenge.

What I Learned

I think I learned through this that I like yoga, but that every day is too much, at least with my life as it is now. Maybe one or two practices a week benefit me, but other than that, running and my other exercise is enough. On the flip side, this journey showed me that I struggle with stillness (I often looked at my phone to read or did my own stretches and foam rolling during slow times), so maybe I actually need more yoga. I guess my takeaway is that I need to center my practices around what matters to me. Right now, that is not yoga every day. Will it be some day in the future? I don't know. Will I do another yoga journey? I don't know. I think I need to consider my priorities and what really matters to me if and when that time comes. (Next year, Mischler?)

All the New Year's Challenges

New year, and all the new year's challenges. Some are designed to get people "in shape." Others are designed to help people make and keep resolutions. Challenges aren't for everyone, and it kind of annoys me that so many fall at the beginning of the year. Still, I am a sucker for them, all of them. I like challenges, because they are well, a challenge. They also add adventure and variety to my life. I might have taken on a few too many this January, though.

It started with the Yoga with Adriene challenge, a 30 day challenge I knew was coming, because I have done it every year since 2017. (Well, I guess I skipped 2019.) I thought about not doing it, but then I decided to go for it, along with the race training I was already doing. Then I added Strong in 20 from Nourish Move Love for my strength training challenge. And then I saw the Good Mood Challenge from Blogilates and thought, why not? Yeah, it was a lot. Twenty minutes of yoga daily, plus 20-30 minutes of strength training (just for two weeks, though), plus whatever was on the day from the Good Mood Challenge. I quickly realized that all of it was not going to happen, at least as written. I considered giving up, but that didn't settle, so I modified.

I did the Yoga with Adriene challenge, but sometimes I stretched during the breathing portions (not the best, but I needed the stretching if I ran). I split up the practices as I needed to. And sometimes I did other things like reading or DuoLingo while holding long poses (not ideal or recommended, but it's what I did). I did manage to make it through Strong in 20, but again, sometimes I subbed other stretches while they stretched, and/or stretched during rest periods. Sometimes I went easier on the weights since I was also doing other training. In turn, I also cut out some of my running workout (eg speed) days because I was tired. And the Good Mood Challenge? I realized it would be really stressful to do every challenge on the day (like trying to make a smoothie while traveling), so I switched it up. The goal was to promote better holistic health, right? Stressing about how to make a smoothie on the go seemed to negate the goal of a good mood?

Am I glad I did all the New Year's Challenges? In the end, yes. They forced me to be flexible. They forced me to decide what I really wanted. Should I do so many challenges again in the future? Probably not. For this year, though, all these challenges stretched me. I learned. I grew. Wasn't that the point? 

Centered.

"New Year; new you" is not how I roll. I am not about reinventing myself, or trying to adhere to strict diets, or protocols, or lifestyles as a way to start a new year. Been there. Done that. It doesn't work.

What I am about is intention. I see the new year as a chance to re-examine, re-configure, and re-focus. As I re-examined my goals for last year, I see that I had to many. I didn't make big goals, but I made a lot of little, very specific goals. I accomplished a lot of them, but not all of them. That leads me to see that this year, I need to simplify, again. There is nothing wrong with goals, but I need to be able to accomplish them.

Once again this year, I need to reconfigure to focus on what matters. We've had life changes, major budget expenditures, illness and more this past year. These lead us to need to regroup and perhaps do things differently.

I particularly want to re-focus. I don't think I have lost my center per se, so much as focused on too many things that did not matter as much as I thought they did. Everything tends to be urgent and/or a crisis for me. My husband often reminds me that it is not. That does not always help in the moment, though. What I need is to have both a larger perspective and a smaller focus. I need to be able to accommodate more of the unexpected while remaining tied to what matters. Because what matters is what keeps me centered. When I am centered, I believe I am of more use to God, others, and even myself.

So on that note, here's to a more centered 2023, and perhaps a few more blog posts along that topic.

Happy New Year!

Endurance, Patience, Perseverance

I never quite know what I am getting into when I choose a word for the year. This year is no different. I chose endurance, knowing I needed to learn and practice it, but not knowing how much. I am not not sure I really knew what endurance meant, either. I thought it was staying power, standing fast and lasting through the hard times. I am learning that endurance truly means so much more.

As I have studied through Romans, I have learned more about endurance. In Romans 15:4, the King James Version [KJV] translates endurance, "patience." There are some nuances to the word that do quite equate with patience (Thayer, 2011), but there is a relationship, a relationship which connotes some waiting, waiting not just for the hardship to be over, as I have been doing, but waiting with hopes of good things on the other side. Believers are not promised good things in this world. The Bible promises trouble on earth (John 16:33). The Bible promises eternal life for believers in heaven, however, and that is worth hopefully enduring and waiting for.

Biblical endurance also has connotations of perseverance. Again, the KJV translates the word endurance in the English Standard Version [ESV] translation of Hebrews 12:1. The New International Version translates the same word perseverance. What is the difference between the two? According to Difference Between (2015), "endurance is experiencing or surviving pain or hardship," while "perseverance refers to continuing in spite of difficulty and lack of success." So endurance means staying, while perseverance means forward motion. The Bible as a whole commands us to do both.

Endurance requires stamina (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). But how do I endure biblically, in a way that honors and glorifies God? That is another matter. From a recent sermon, I learned that God-honoring endurance means running well (Walters, 2021). Endurance means looking for the joy, and not just seeing the hardship. Endurance also requires perspective, something I think I often lack when trying to stand my ground.

God is enlarging my view of what it means to endure this year. His plans are always so much greater than mine. So may I, by his power, endure. May I practice patience. May I persevere. May I have the perspective that this is all for the greater good of God's glory, because when it comes to endurance, only God endures forever.

References:

Hasa. (2015, October 17). In Differencebetween.com. Retrieved from https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-endurance-and-vs-perseverance/

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Endurance. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved October 11, 2021 from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/endurance

Strong, J. (1890). G5281-hypomone. In Strong's exhaustive concordance of the Bible. [e-book edition]. Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5281/kjv/tr/0-1/

Thayer, J. H. (2011). Strong's NT 5281. In Thayer's Greek Lexicon. [electronic database.] Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5281/kjv/tr/0-1/.

Walters, W. (2021, July 25). Embrace the race. Retrieved from https://willowhills.church/series/stand-alone-sermons.