Fennel Celery Salad – simple, elegent and surprisingly worth it.
This one had me a little nervous. Fennel? What the heck is that anyway? That was my first reaction
I’m normally quite adventurous when it comes to food. I like to try new cuisines, new ingredient, new ways of cooking, but even I was a little nervous about this one.
I loved the way it looked, but I had not even heard of Fennel, let alone seen it, and I had no idea what it might taste like. Janille, my wife said that it had a licorice taste to it – which got me even more nervous. You can relax, this is just a great tasting quick to make salad that even tastes great the day after. It is also perfect for the winter time, because fennel and celery are available year round.
I got this recipe from the New York Times initially. Most of the time I experiment with recipies until make them my own, but this one was so good from the start, and so simple, there really is nothing more that I could do.
From a weight loss perspective it really could not get any better. It is filling. It is full of fiber, so it is a great cleanse diet, from a nutrient side it is very balanced. It is very low on the glycemic index (just a 2) – so it will not spike the blood sugar etc etc etc. Bottom line, this is a great recipe that will help you have a good cleansing natural diet in the winter time.
So enjoy!
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed, some fronds reserved
3 celery ribs, trimmed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, more to taste
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, more to taste
Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese.
1. Cut fennel bulbs in quarters lengthwise, discarding outer layer if it is exceedingly tough. Use a mandoline to slice quarters thinly; slice celery equally thin.
2. Put sliced fennel and celery into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently to combine. Top with lots of freshly shaved Parmesan and chopped fennel fronds if you like.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/dining/26mini.html?ref=dining
Be Healthy – Enjoy Life!
Matthew Stearmer
Just for fun – Velociraptor test
I could survive for 1 minute, 28 seconds
chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor
Created by Bunk Beds.net
Janille and I thought that this was just hysterical. I’m not sure why honestly, we just got a good laugh out of it. Probably something to do with lack of sleep, being sick and still going to bed a 1am.
Holiday Update
This last week with Thanksgiving was quite nice. We had some family over. Took a nice break from work, and enjoyed a lot of really good food. I worked out every day, sometimes 2-3 times a day just to keep up with the calories I was going to eat. Now, I hope you do not take it wrong. I really do not watch what I eat very much. I just know that if I’m going to be eating more, that I should exercise more. It seems like a nice compromise. I do not give up anything that I love, and I get to be healthy all at the same time. Anyway, I’ve heard it said that people will gain 5-10 lbs over the Holidays. I supposes that is through Dec. So it is not much of a comparison yet, but I know that I will lose at least that much and more over the next several weeks. I certainly did not gain any this week and let me tell you – I ate very well:) Point is we can enjoy life and still be healthy. I hope that you had a great Thanksgiving. Be Healthy – Enjoy Life! Matthew Stearmer
ALL THINGS IN COMMON
A good friend of mine asked the following question regarding my post yesterday on “there could not have been a happier people”
“Please help me understand this part…
You wrote: "All things were common between them. Regardless of being a man, woman, child, divorced, sick, widowed etc. ALL things were equal before them. How they managed to do it id not explained, but the result was peace. One person did not put himself or herself above another. They did not think they deserved more. In sharing and in equality they were all free."
To me it seems quite a jump of meaning from the word ‘common’ to the word ‘equal’… please explain.”
I already responded in the comments to a degree, but I thought that it lead to such a good discussion that I wanted to pull it up to the main level.
This is the dictionary definition of common
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/common
12 dictionary results for: common
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) – Cite This Source – Share This
com⋅mon
/ˈkɒmən/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kom-uhn] Show IPA Pronunciation
adjective, -er, -est, noun –adjective
1. belonging equally to, or shared alike by, two or more or all in question: common property; common interests.
2. pertaining or belonging equally to an entire community, nation, or culture; public: a common language or history; a common water-supply system.
3. joint; united: a common defense.
4. widespread; general; ordinary: common knowledge.
5. of frequent occurrence; usual; familiar: a common event; a common mistake.
6. hackneyed; trite.
7. of mediocre or inferior quality; mean; low: a rough-textured suit of the most common fabric.
8. coarse; vulgar: common manners.
9. lacking rank, station, distinction, etc.; unexceptional; ordinary: a common soldier; common people; the common man; a common thief.
You can take the any of the first 4 definitions of "common" and I see equal all over the definition of common, especially in the first two primary definitions. It does not seem like much of a jump – they sound more like synonyms.
Now, I think that the concern, if I can put words into my friends mouth, is that he an others have been looking at equality from a playing field stand point. We should all have the opportunities, but it is up to us to make of them what we will, and some will be better than others.
That is the main topic that I would like to address.
Looking in 3rd and 4th Nephi we gain a greater understanding of what was meant. We do not have to take the dictionaries word for it. Here are the verses that stick out to me as Mormon describes what happened as the all-things-in-common phenomenon disappeared.
3Ne 6:12-14 – The Nephites began to be distinguished by rank, riches, chances for learning, pride, persecution – "And thus there became a great inequality in the land"
4Ne 1:24-26 – pride, wearing costly apparel and fine things of the world – lead to divisions into classes and "their substances no more in common among them"
Regardless of which scripture you look at you can see that on the good/peaceful side equality and commonality are synonymous with peace. Class divisions lead to dissention and eventually destruction.
There are two other major periods of peace that I think are instructive. Words of Mormon – Mosiah 6 and Mosiah 10. In both of these periods the definition of the common or equal ideal is outlined – especially well by King Benjamin. In both of these instances peace was obtained, one for 3 years and the other for 22. In neither of them was it mentioned that they had all things in common, and in both the period is comparatively short when juxtaposed to the almost 200 years of peace in 4th Nephi.
In both instances it was dissension that ended the peace. The end of peace for Mosiah 6 is found in Mosiah 26. For Mosiah 10 it is in Mosiah 11.
Mosiah 26 and 27begins the story of Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah.
Mosiah 11 begins the story of King Noah
Both of these individuals/groups thought they were better than those around them. They rejected the equality of the church which said that everyone should care for the poor if possible (Mosaih 4) – that they should labor with their own hands (Mosiah 11:6 and 27:4) and not expect others to provide for them.
Their desire to aspire to the riches of man and to set themselves above their brethren led to great dissension, then inequality and then eventually destruction.
Now, the system by which they obtained equality was based on love and free choice. In the two Mosiah examples, everyone worked and apparently followed King Benjamin’s council to provide for the poor without thinking whether they deserved it or not. KB said they would have peace if they did it, there was peace, so it must have been followed to a large extent. In Mosiah 10 all the people worked to provide for their sustenance.
That will help gain a measure of peace, and it is based on the free agency of man. But it did not obtain lasting peace. We can speculate as to why, but I think that I can make a strong case for some thinking that they deserved to retain more than their brethren, because they worked "harder" or had better luck or whatever. We do not know why they thought they should have more, but we see in 3rd and 4th Nephi that some did in fact believe that they did deserve more and this led to dissension.
Now, I see the dissension on two fronts. D&C 56: 16-17 describes it well.
16 Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved!
17 Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands!
If the poor demand distribution, and the rich refused it – I can see major dissension in the ranks.
Anyway, the point of all of this is the most peaceful period in all of Nephite history came during a time where all things were common among them (and I dare say equal). There were other times were there were large periods of peace where all parties worked for their labor, and shared to a large extent with those who’s minimum standard of living was not equal to their own (but to the degree that "all things were common" between them). And in both of these scenarios I see that it was proceeded by a people that were converted to the gospel. Keep the commandments, and developed a great love one towards each other. And that the more perfect the love got, the more equal things became.
It was not forced, but it was equal. And I believe that equality broke down because some felt they deserved more – both rich and poor – selfishness was still the root cause.
If we tried to transfer this into a political realm I think that one could not assume that a governing force of "equality" would obtain the same end result. I supposed you could make something look equal in the short term, but this would only end in tyranny. But we should not assume that all end results that end in equality resulted from tyranny.
Some will also say, well Matt, you know that it takes a great amount of money to become a doctor (for example). Don’t you think that they deserve to earn more? It is so expensive that if they did not earn more no one would go into medicine. To which I have to admit, that yes, under the current system that would be true.
But what I am talking about here, and what I believe to be backed up by these scriptural accounts is a completely different system. Under the rules of 4th Nephi if I had a proficiency in medicine I would be able to attend without the high price. The cost of education is high because we make it so. Not because it has to be. If everyone and every company had all things in common companies would not have to spend billions to develop a cure. And then they would not have to charge billions to receive the cure and recoup the cost. And if that were not in place then the whole organization of the schooling system to insurance etc would be so minimal that it would not take any more to educate a doctor as it would to educate a preschool teacher. It certainly would not be more valued. The doctor, who would have been supported by the community in getting the education he or she needed to provide care back to that community would not feel an obligation to be better off than the community that made them what they are today, but to do all things to support and sustain that community so that all would be better off together.
I’m talking about a radical transformation in the economic and political systems.
But I am not talking about radical change that is forced on these same organizations and people. The change in the scriptures was not based on a government being able to coerce those under their power into equality. That is barely a shadow of the right way, or right end result.
No, what Christ is offering is that if we believe on him, accept his will, keep his commandments, change our hearts and very natures completely from the natural man, that if we will do all of that, we will want to organize ourselves in such a way as to make the conditions of peace possible, which will lead not only to prosperity for some, but to equality for all. And at the same time, this love will ensure that the less fortunate mentally or in talent do not feel that they can take from any other person, they will learn to contribute in their own way to the maximum of their ability. Both parties will see the intrinsic value in the other and not feel better or worse. They will not demand anything of each other, but they will both love each other and contribute in all ways possible.
That to me is the standard that Christ has given to us, and it is up to each of us to decide to live it. We do not have to wait for Christ to come; we do not have to wait for the Church to institute the law of consecration. We can chose to live this way simply because we love our neighbor.
We can start. It starts inside each of us.
Be Healthy – Enjoy Life!
Matthew Stearmer
There could not be a happier people…
I’ve decided to write down some of my thoughts on religion each Sunday. I have volumes of thoughts, discussions, sermons and symposia. Most of them are filed in some random fashion in my office and this is going to be one of my means of organizing them.
A dear friend and colleague of mine has often mused over scriptures like Job 38:7 where the hosts of heaven looked at how the world was going to be organized and turn out, when the scriptures record “…The sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7) and wondered if in these instances did they really just mean that the men rejoiced, and not the women as well, at what they saw would happen in the world below.
When the women of heaven looked at their station in life they must have been deeply troubled. Not even in this, the most modern of times, are women treated with the respect and veneration that they deserve. Most of the world is organized against them.
I’m sure that both men and women saw joy in the plan, but it does seem that women are asked to bear an enormously large burden in this life. They must have seen the reward in it truest light in order to be convinced to accept the plan. Only by understanding the whole plan would it have seemed enticing to them I think.
But despite the evil that can happen in the world there are glimpses of hope.
I was pondering this condition when I read in 4 Nephi the following passages.
1 And it came to pass that the thirty and fourth year passed away, and also the thirty and fifth, and behold the disciples of Jesus had formed a church of Christ in all the lands round about. And as many as did come unto them, and did truly repent of their sins, were baptized in the name of Jesus; and they did also receive the Holy Ghost.
2 And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another.
3 And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.
10 And now, behold, it came to pass that the people of Nephi did wax strong, and did multiply exceedingly fast, and became an exceedingly fair and delightsome people.
11 And they were married, and given in marriage, and were blessed according to the multitude of the promises which the Lord had made unto them.
12 And they did not walk any more after the performances and ordinances of the law of Moses; but they did walk after the commandments which they had received from their Lord and their God, continuing in fasting and prayer, and in meeting together oft both to pray and to hear the word of the Lord.
13 And it came to pass that there was no contention among all the people, in all the land; but there were mighty miracles wrought among the disciples of Jesus.
15 And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.
16 And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.
17 There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.
18 And how blessed were they! For the Lord did bless them in all their doings; yea, even they were blessed and prospered until an *hundred and ten years had passed away; and the first generation from Christ had passed away, and there was no contention in all the land.
I was so pleased to reread this passage, because it was a great remind of how men and women are seen in the eyes of the Lord and what he expects from us in our relationships at home, and the implications of these familiar relationships on society at large.
Here is what I take home from these verses.
1) There was no fighting. They had learned to air their differences in a way that did not disrupt the peace. I imagine this is because they had put away their pride and could discuss topic based on their merit an not on the emotional connection to one idea or another.
2) All things were common between them. Regardless of being a man, woman, child, divorced, sick, widowed etc. ALL things were equal before them. How they managed to do it id not explained, but the result was peace. One person did not put himself or herself above another. They did not think they deserved more. In sharing and in equality they were all free.
3) Marriage was central to the peace. But these were not your average marriages. For one they were established among people that were absolutely equal in every way. Based on that foundation – and then learning to keep the commandments as a couple ensured that there was no contention in the land.
4) This love of God, which started in the individual, moved to the family, and then spread to the nation can and should permeate the heart and mind of all those who desire to be disciples of Jesus Christ. If and when it does will be the beginning of peaceful days, for us as individuals, couples and eventually nations.
5) Then in 16 and 17 many crimes that had been seen in the past were mentioned. What is striking is that the crimes mentioned are those most concerning to women. Arguing, whoredom, lying, personal violence, unfaithful husbands, all of these crimes deeply touch women. And these are the ones specifically mentioned here in the scriptures. A Zion society is one that women would truly rejoice to be a part of. It will not just be good for one sex, but for both.
The final assessment was that there could not have been a happier people on the face of the planet.
Now, I cannot make Zion come any faster. I cannot make Christ come any faster. And given the conditions we believe will be present before we see these events transpire, I doubt anyone will confuse the world with a peaceful place that we all want to be a part of. It is going to be a tumultuous time.
BUT, I can become more Christ like personally and in my marriage. If I will first concentrate on fixing myself. And then learning to keep the commandments with my wife then I can be assured inner peace and peace as a couple.
I know that this Zion society in the home is possible. Janille and I have modified our behaviors to such a degree that we have never fought with each other ever. No arguing, no backbiting, no bitterness. Our marriage has been such a bed rock to us. It is the most wonderful gift from God.
Now least anyone think that we might get translated any time soon, let me assure you that this same peace as a couple is not extended to our children 100% of the time. We still have a long ways to go before being a perfect family. But I can tell you how nice it is to parent together. I know that I can trust Janille to not undermine – or me her – as we raise the kids. And we are both in the house practically 24/7 so we can do most of our parenting together to begin with.
Anyway, my point is that we can achieve at least 2 out of the 3 levels of peace. And in this world 2 out of 3 ain’t bad as they say. And if we can get these first two levels fixed, who knows what influence we might have on the world.
Be Healthy – Enjoy Life,
Matthew Stearmer
Politics for a day: The prudence and constitutionality of the bailout
In bad times we grasp at straws. The question is – is this one of them? I would like to consider from both a constitutional perspective and a moral perspective what rights and obligations our national government has during this financial crisis.
Constitutional Arguments.
I think there has been a whole lot of hullabaloo over the differences between conservatives and liberals over spending. The former claims to be “fiscally conservative”, where the later claims – well, they actually make no claims that I am aware of.
Historically the last time we had a fiscally conservative president was Eisenhower. He did not believe in going to war without raising taxes and did a fairly good job keeping the government reigned in during his administration. Since that time we have let the federal budget balloon out of control. Both parties are guilty of that.
But that is not what this is about really. That is a spending policy and I think that both parties are wacked – to put it nicely. I really do not care about their spending interests per se, at least not in this scenario. I want to talk about whether it should even be an option or not given the laws of our land.
For all the talk about fiscal conservatism vs. spending programs that we have I think that there is a general feeling created that spending programs are somehow unconstitutional. That is a concern that needs to be addressed before we move forward to whether it is necessary or not let a lone if it is moral or not.
It may be instructive to go over the specific powers of congress. I will emphasis the ones that I believe are most important for this discussion.
| Section 8 – Powers of Congress
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; To borrow money on the credit of the United States; To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States; To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures; To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States; To establish Post Offices and Post Roads; To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries; |
To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations; To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; To provide and maintain a Navy; To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces; To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress; To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; And To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof. |
Now, before going forward, I want to be clear that I’m not talking about taxes here. I know that there is a fair amount of concern of the proper means of taxing. We can deal with that another day. I know some of you other political junkies like me will want to cite section 9 and will want to discuss the tax system. Let’s just leave that for now, and let it be sufficient to agree that the United States government does have authority to tax.
So, now into the meat of the discussion.
The main points for me are “general Welfare of the United States”…. “regulate the Value thereof” [money]….” promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors”
In these three areas I find that congress certainly has the authority look out for the welfare of the nation and those citizens who comprise our nation, to follow polices that will stabilize our monetary system and enhance our economy, and to even at times pay for/invest in technology and science in general.
Free commerce promoters may find that a little distressing that the constitution gives the government power to do these things. It is true that it could be quite invasive into the free market system. On the investment side, if there were not a “limited time” clause it might even look like the government was nationalizing resources and turning communist.
I personally do not see that happening, but you could probably make an argument to the affirmative and I think that would be good honestly. It is the very fact that there are those who voice their worries that will prevent it from happening to a large extent.
I am certainly not an expert on all the jurisprudence that has been established in the ensuing years, but the point is that I believe the government is well within it’s constitutional rights and even within it obligation to intervene in the economy at this time.
Now the question is should they, and if so in what way.
I personally believe that the government should intervene. To not intervene in a time of depression economics would be even more disastrous.
Yes, this will increase the national debt.
No it will not be possible to balance the budget for the next several years.
Yes, taxes will need to be raised.
No one really like any of these effects, but if you look at the bubble bust cycles of the past there are good things that can come from this. But right now we are not shaping up to well.
In past bubble busts we ended with more roads than we needed, more dams than we needed, more telephone lines, more internet infrastructure etc. These booms created a litany of resources that would not have been built as quickly in regular investment cycles and even though some companies do not survive they do leave a healthy legacy that future generations can build on.
This bust is not the same.
What is left behind is overvalued homes, empty lots, and excessive personal debt. None of which is particular useful to build a new economy from. This is where intervention can be critically important.
Let’s look at the auto industry. Yes, the Big 3 have made monumentally disastrous decisions. In my opinion they have been wholly unfit for their office. But to let the companies completely fail at this point would be prodigiously more catastrophic.
It is estimated that there are over a million jobs connected to the auto industry. Now, it would take a larger crisis than we see now to make them all go away – but to risk it would be very foolish.
To let the auto industry remain as it is would be equally foolhardy. One of the major reasons the we are in the mess we are in now is because of the power of the auto industry lobby that has ensured their crack addiction continued to be supplied.
The US congress should act now to break that addiction and move into new technologies. This would be both a constitutionally legal investment to make and a very prudent investment on our behalf.
There will be layoffs during this retooling. Make no mistake, moving to “green” technology is going to be a major shock to the system. But if the government will then also use its authority to invest in good infrastructure projects then we can move any of the displaced into other projects of national importance. By investing in this industry for a time the government will help create an asset where little to none existed before.
Also by taking this step the government will ensure that it is not just keeping people off the dole. To make no moves into the economy will ensure that tens of thousands, if not into the hundreds of thousands, will be unemployed. Through no fault of their own the economy in the short term will not be able to absorb them. They did not set the policies. They did not have a voice in the lobby. They are stuck in many many ways. Yes, over time they can get a new education. They could have chosen a different path to begin with, but it is not their fault that the companies are failing now. Morally I feel we are obligated to assist in a way that will give them an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the economy. To use their skills which do have value still. And to help protect these families from the glut that has been the American auto industry.
All of this these moves in my opinion are both constitutionally legal, financially viable, and morally responsible.
Be Healthy – Enjoy life
Matthew Stearmer
The Rubik’s Cube Theory
I had a few really weird dreams last night. One of them was about solving Rubik’s cubes. I was watching a competition where people were solving the mind bending puzzle in just a few seconds. After the competition the competitors were showing the audience how they did it. The problem most people had solving the puzzle was learning that you had to break down your success in order to move forward.
| You see, it is not that hard to get one side of the cube to work. If you concentrate on just one color it is possible to get one side done. Then if you just look at that side – you can begin to think – wow look at me I got the green in order! Yee Ha! In fact we can get so impressed with the success of one side of our lives that we will ignor the rest and even refuse to change anything on the one side to achieve success in another.
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Too bad the other 5 sides are a complete mess. But who cares we got the green and the yellow down!
In order to really solve the puzzle you have to let one area of success break down in order to move forward. We cannot obsess over one side not being completely done all of the time. In fact some areas might even get a little more chaotic before they get better. But we are not focused on just the completion of 1 or 2 sides. That cannot be our goal. We need to have a complete life, and if the goal is a complete life, a complete cube we need to focus on that and not on just one side.
I’ve been writing a lot this week on this topic, and I’m doing that because I think that it is extremely important to get into our brains. We have to focus on the whole.
I’m not talking about giving up on a side. That is not solving the puzzle either. If we get the gree right, and then destroy it in order to get the blue right, did we really accomplish anything? Not at all.
Life has to be solved in tandum.
I found this video on the net as well about how to solve the cube. Sorry I cannot embed it. He had disabled that feature. He says he is going to help you solve the cube problem in less than 3 seconds. He does so by throwing the cube away. Not exactly a solution, but that is what some of us do about life as well. If we cannot solve it all. Or be happy with only a few sides solve then they just throw it away.
The other thing about the cube is it always seems to get messed up again. No matter how many times you solve it – one of your kids will come around and goof it up again, or your boss, or life in general. But if we learned to solve the whole puzzle once we can do it again and we will do it faster this time. We get better and better at handling all the circumstances life throws at us.
My ecncouragement to you today is to not throw it away. Nor to focus on just one side. But to live a whole life so that in the end we are complete and get better and better at solving the messes life can throw at us.
Be Healthy – Enjoy Life!
Matthew Stearmer
Mr incredible.
I so relate to Bob Incredible! I remember back in the good old days when I used to take on the evil forces in the universe and stop their sinister plans to take over the earth. Those were the days. /sigh.
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I guess I’ll just have to move on:) I can relate to Bob and his desired to return to some of his former glory. There is a lot to learn from Bob. He found his motivation and that allowed him to stay focused. Of course getting fired so you have the time to work out probably helped in the short term scheme of things, but the point is he found purpose
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Once we find our purpose we can move from the Really Strong Fat Man mode to one of health and wellness. We will have a reason to be healthy and continue in a lifestyle that will bring us a complete life. Not one just focused on one thing at a time.
One thing that I really like about Bob is that his end result was not what he looked like in his glory days. He was different, but still looked good. There was a maturity about him that was different.
As I work on transforming my body I realize more and more that I will never by 18 again. On some level that used to bother me. But now, I think that I have a better self image in mind. First off, I’m working on being healthy, not just skinny. And second, because of a focus on health, I am free to let my body become its best self right now. I know that I have matured. I will look different, but I still intend to look really good:)
Be Healthy – Enjoy Life
Matthew Stearmer
What’s Your Gene Pool Like? A really strong fat man
I just found a neat tool online that will tell you on average, how long your family lives. Based on genealogical archives the database automatically calculates the average life expectancy of your family compared to all others and then graphs it over a 30 year time frame.
Over the last 30 years my family has about a 10 year longer lifespan than average.
I guess that is comforting. But then I remembered a story a friend of mine told. A friend of his was hitting middle age and decided he wanted to create a 100 year plan. He wanted to live 100 year – and enjoy it. So he went to his doctor to help him develop this 100 year plan. They consulted, ran tests and then evaluated.
The doctor said all of your test came back perfect. Your cholesterol is great. Blood pressure is great. Triglycerides are normal…. And your obese.
What?
The man protested, but I workout ever day. I can bench press twice my weight. Doesn’t that make a difference?
The doctor then went to his whiteboard and wrote "Really Strong – FAT MAN"
The point, there is more to health than just strength, or being skinny, etc. health and living well is much more than that. And if we want to not only live a long time, but really enjoy it we need to be healthy, not just strong, or good in a health measure or two. A real 100 year plan will not just rely on the genes, but will integrate exercise, proper eating, sleep, stress reduction – the whole gamut. When we focus on the whole, not just one piece, then we can have a real 100 year plan that we will want to be around for.
So Be Healthy – Enjoy Life
Matthew Stearmer
Interupted Progress – but getting back on track
The last two weeks have been something else. I’ve barely been able to get a few miles in a week and that is way down from my regular goals. Basically my workour progress has just been a joke the last 2 weeks.
Now, I’m quite please with my diet all things considered. I have continued to eat smaller portions and that has helped. I’ve not gained back any weight, but I certainly have not made any progress. Oh well. I’ll have to be thankful for small blessing.
So now that I finally got back on the elliptical again it felt so good!
I don’t know why, when I need to exercise the most, I tend to do it the least. When I am stressed exercise is the best remedee for me. When I am tried, exercise helps me get back to better sleeping. When I am feeling overworked, exercise helps me to organize better. I know all of that, but for some reason I lose track of that when I am in the heat of the moment as it were.
So, with most of that behind me now Ill be moving on.
Be Healthy – Enjoy Life!
Matthew Stearmer
