Today was a pleasurable day. I went to the gym for a spin class and felt much better today than yesterday during my workout. I kept up with my heart rate to be sure I was maintaining a reasonable level of intensity and paid close attention to my body. It went swimmingly. Other parts of today were catching up on emails, getting more tutoring lessons prepared, and receiving great news! My hormone levels increased dramatically over the four days between blood work. They went from 631 mIU/mL to 3,898 mIU/mL. They say it increased better than expected and they will see me at my next appointment on June 3rd for our first ultrasound and a general workup. Totally praising God right now for that.

In between all of that I spent time with my #1 girl and I couldn’t stop noticing the raw energy and enjoyment she has for life, like most kids. Their faces light up with delight at the simplest things and it is so inspiring. Jesus even said that “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4). In my mind that shows that in order to know true life we should embrace the mind of a child. If we view the world through the eyes of a child we are able to see the beauty, believe in the good, and be excited about what our lives hold. Children are humble and don’t expect much. Their pleasures are in the basics and I have certainly taken a lesson from that. Today I paid attention so Makenzie could show me the world through her eyes. From noting the things she squeals with excitement over, I really think I learned something.

1. Flahflah & Tees (Flowers & Trees) – Every time we go outside she points at the trees and shouts about the flowers. How amazing would it be to consistently be in awe of God’s beauty found in nature? Why shouldn’t I be just as excited to walk out and witness blue skies, wind blowing calmly through the leaves, and those gorgeous flowers planted by our driveway? They are God’s masterpiece painted for my joy every day.

2. Te-deeee (Teddy) – I honestly believe her special teddy bear gets more love than I do. But Makenzie is still onto something. How great to have the companionship of a special friend. The friendships in my life deserve the same pure excitement Makenzie has for her teddy. Teddy gets love every day and I benefit in sharing that same mutual love with the friends I have.

3. Sweensweensweensweeeeeen (SwingSwingSwingSwiiiing!) – Life is too short to miss out on fun and doing the things you enjoy. You know from previous posts that Makenzie could spend hours straight on a swing. There is no reason for us to avoid taking the time to ‘swing’ in our own ways.

4. Eat (also included are nana, milk, cheese, bokli) – Hmmm…that girl knows her food words well. I think she has her priorities straight. 😉 It is wonderful to watch her take pleasure in eating, including wholesome foods. She isn’t scared of food and doesn’t have any preconceived notions about it either. Somewhere along the way we pick those negative notions up. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the same joyful approach to food no matter what? Look at how happy M is chomping away on whole wheat pasta, sauce, and diced veggies.

5. Book – The girl loves to learn. She will sit with books for long periods of time and just take in all the pictures and try to say all the words she sees in the pictures. Even things beyond her full understanding, such as numbers and letters, she wants to envelope herself in. She will search out numbers and letters so she can point to them and say “eight” or “O” (the one number and letter she knows). She constantly turns to me and asks “Mom-me?” so I can quench her thirsty mind. Her passion for discovery is inspiring. I hope I can keep that drive to learn and find growth in myself as well.

6. Je-ssss (Jesus) – This one makes me so proud. Her face breaks into a huge smile every time Jesus, praying, or God are mentioned. The joy in our Creator and what Christ did for us can’t be kept inside. Does it pour out of me like with her? Do I burst into a smile upon mention of His name? I certainly hope so. The baby girl has it down and it is my responsibility to keep that love burning, so she can grow into the amazing woman she was created to be.

What do you think? Do you think kids have it figured out?

What do the things you get excited about show the world? Do you have the same joy living in you as a child?

I forgot to mention this morning: catch up from the weekend here (Lessons from April) and here (Margarita Fun).

You may remember my rough morning and how that led me to just needing to take a chill pill. Luckily, I did find a few various ones to bring down my nerves, frustrations, and overdramatic tendencies. Even better is the fact that none of these chill pills have warnings for suicidal thoughts, insomnia, diarrhea, or heart arrhythmia. And your excitement from these chill pills won’t send you to the emergency room if the joy lasts for more than four hours like some pills caution. Take your pick of my chill pill wonders. Hurry before I patent them and sell them as $100/month prescriptions.

Chill Pill Option #1 – Girl Talk

I got a phone call from one of my best girlfriends. We were able to just sit and chat for an entire hour. We have been playing phone tag the last week or more and I was thrilled to catch up. I got to hear how well her baby girl is improving and provide some support on the early weeks of motherhood. She was able to commiserate with me on how much this week sucks in the trying to conceive calendars. And we just laughed and talked about any topic under the sun.

Chill Pill Option #2 – Sweat Session

Since I was breathless this morning from stress and not cardio, I knew I needed to get moving at some point today. Working out is always an instant help. It just feels good to sweat. An at home workout of Turbo Kick helped to remedy my angst. 55 minutes of kicking, punching, and shaking can help anything.

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Chill Pill Option #3 – Bloggie Mind Readers

I gotta say that it always amazes me how much blogging can help ease my struggles. I decided to relax by clicking through my Google Reader and was met with numerous messages on various blog posts that were just what I needed to read. Anna talked about how we are truly beautiful in ways that matter. Hallie & Sarah both discussed comparing themselves to previous fitter versions of themselves, which is something I can definitely relate to, and how we cannot allow it to bring us down and keep it from living our lives to the fullest now. Jessica brought up the importance of recognizing who we really are and that our identities in our fitness selves are not who we solely are. I needed that message because a lot of my frustration these days is feeling like I have lost a part of myself with not being the super fit/defined mom and athlete anymore. And my Bible verse of the day just topped it off - “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Chill Pill Option #4 – Listening to Baby Laughs

Chill Pill Option #5 – Laughing at Your Baby

Need I say more???

Chill Pill Option #6 – Getting Lost in a Book

You all know I love to read. Getting sucked into a fun story helps cure my blues. You don’t have to think about what is ailing you. You can either pretend you are part of the exciting story. Or find peace that your life isn’t that bad. It’s a win-win situation.

Chill Pill Option #7 – Sharing the Love

I went to the post office to mail off some goodies. The Amazing Grass products to help Jess get in her veggies along with her fantastic cooking/baking and a care package to my awesome blogger pal Lisa.  You can’t help feeling good while doing kind things for others.

Chill Pill Option #8 – Just Don’t Care

When things look like this? Turn around. Choose ignorance for the moment and move on. Everyone will survive even without your super powers solving everything for a day. No, that isn't too bad...but it's when I took a picture.

Chill Pill Option #9 – Drink

Although margaritas sure would have been nice, I knew that the H2O would be a better fit. After all, a perfect cure to a “feel gross” day is to down the agua to help rid some of the bloat. Gulp!

Chill Pill Option #10 – Leave me a comment telling me your favorite way to decompress. I had to find a way to 10 somehow!