Doable Things Yet May Seem Impossible

On a climb up to The Highest Point along Halsema Highway. My legs did not want to budge anymore. But I still had 45kms to go

Even on the most difficult days when all you can think of are everything but anything positive, there are still reasons to think otherwise. Difficult to do yes. But doable. Again, it is possible. I think.

Nowadays the pressures of life can be too much. There are many troubles a day can offer. Where have those days of simplicity gone? Long forgotten perhaps with the change of tides. The reality of it is this world has turned into a ball of mess and war. Where is the love?

Our country currently sits in a situation deemed rather hopeless leaving the people helpless and yes, hopeless. You wonder where the leader of the nation is. You think the leader of the nation knows nothing more than a pail full of gibberish words. And yes, I qualify that as a fact.

How can people want to bring more souls into this kind of world? Again, we have a choice to make the deemed impossible still possible.

It is doable.

For the Love Of It

Over the weekend, we had the opportunity to share our passion and interest in triathlon to a group of home schoolers in Baguio. There were a total of 29 children who joined the activity. It was a 2 day intro to triathlon camp where almost all if not all children had no idea what triathlon was all about. My husband prepared a 2 day schedule full of activities for the kids and in between we included short talks and simple lectures about the sport, proper nutrition and support the parents were to give their children especially if they decided to seriously pursue the sport. It was an interesting mix of children and parents and I must say the interaction of all participants was just plain awesome. Some of the children were hesitant about the activity mainly because they saw themselves as 'not the sporty type' while the others were just down right excited to expend their physical energy.
We tried our best to keep things simple and keep the children busy with the activities and boy did I experience the unending energy of the kids! I found myself getting even more tired than when I would actually do my workouts! Haha! I think one of the more amazing things that happened during those 2 days was being able to help kids discover things they never thought they would even like or have any interest in. One little girl rode a two wheel bike for the first time. Initially she could not balance. But come lunch time when everyone was eating and taking a break, she chose to practice and practice and before anyone knew it, she was pedalling on 2 wheels! It was a really good experience for us to witness how children can be so determined and focused.
Overall, I'd say the weekend was a good one.

Relative to that saying, "Practice the Pause."

200m before ending his 18minute 5km run, my eldest son decides to quickly pause to check "what time it is."

Oh how times have changed. At the break of the millennium we were all scampering at how technology and its effect on our lives could affect us even more. Little did we know how much more it could affect us in the years after year 2000. The humans that we are, we are able to adapt to everything happening around us. The beauty of our being human lies in our resiliency. Our capacity to understand the importance of adapting to our environment has propelled us towards where we stand at present.
As I look back on the 17 years that have passed, I can't help but shake my head and truly wonder where those years have gone. From being a college student to becoming a wife and a mother to living in the corporate world to easing out of it. The years have gone by way too fast. Now I can say I forgot to slow down -- to smell the flowers, to stare at the beauty of the blue sky. I'd be a hypocrite to say I have no regrets at all. I can make a list of them. But today, I choose to accept all of them as part of my learning. There is no sense in as they say, crying over spilt milk.
So in the busyness of this fast paced life we live in, I don't see any harm in stopping a bit somewhere in between. And yes, taking a look at the time.
It can change one's perspective.

Heed to the Warning

On a bike ride, I wanted to have a picture capturing me riding towards the waterfalls (but I did not want to get wet) but I knew it was risky because the road was very slipper. But I wanted to have that picture. So I told my husband to take the picture when I was close enough to the falls and then I would take a turn just in time to avoid biking into it and getting wet. Nice picture? Seconds after that I took a turn albeit a bit sharp and then I crashed.

Sometimes, regardless of how cautious you are (whether it was by choice or due to certain circumstances) the inevitable happens. You crash.
More often than not there are a million warning signs going on around you. Sometimes you even hear it all to clearly. Yet you still decide to proceed even if you know fully that the end results or the outcome will not be what you want it to be. So we ask ourselves, why did I still do that? The plain and simple answer to that it because we chose to. Even if we know the consequences would not look too nice at all, we decide to do it. Mainly because of our selfish desires -- to satisfy our own cravings.

A tangible example of this is our spending habits. Consumerism says buy this, buy that. You NEED this, you NEED that. Life is EASIER with this, life is EASIER with that. And we look around and see that yes, the whole world have those things. You conclude that yes, I NEED those too. You end up buying things that you do not actually need or worse you end up spending on this that are far beyond your means of living. Bottom line is you find yourself unhappy with a huge amount of debt.

Ultimately, we have a choice to make. We must remember though that we can never choose the consequences of our choices. That's why before deciding on anything, I think we should never forget to pray and seek Gods will above all. Crashes can be painful, nasty and dirty. We would not want to always find ourselves in situations like those.

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

If The Shoe Fits

Today I look back and realize I have been running for the past 5 years. What started out as 'running to lose weight' has propelled into a love and passion not just for running but for multisport. Although I started running ahead of my husband, he was the first to buy a bike (so he could start doing duathlons) and then eventually enrolled in swim classes (to do triathlon). Eventually, I got myself a bike and yes, enrolled in swim class too. But running always had (and still has) that number 1 place in my heart.
When I started running, I had no legit running shoes. I would shuffle between my old Nike shox and my Nike Presto. Eventually, my Prestos gave way while my legs gave way to my shox. Since I was already practically running everyday, I knew I had to look for a good pair of running shoes. As a newbie, my first consideration was always still the aesthetic value of the shoe. I wanted one that looked very attractive. So yes, I ended up investing in the wrong shoes - pretty and cute but gave my calf muscles the worse sore feeling. Then someone told me the best would be to get a stability running shoe. So I did. It provided me with the right support but boy were they heavy!
So anyway, as the running years passed I came to realize that we all have our unique needs when it comes to choosing the right pair of running shoes. Setting aside the attractiveness of the shoe, I went for one that did not look that attractive but did seem to provide me with the perfect fit and comfort.

The Brooks st5 did not immediately appeal to me -- it looked like an old school running shoe to me! But once I started to use it, there was no more stopping me. It was light but provided me with the proper foot support and its mesh material provided my feet with enough air to keep them from getting too hot. After running numerous half marys and a marathon with my st5, I ended up buying 2 more pairs thereafter- of the same color. I used them on long runs, short runs, during training, when I did my 1st duathlon and even during my 1st triathlon.

It is important to choose the right running shoe for you. Sticking to something that looks great but provides so much discomfort and eventually lead to dangerous consequences or injuries that can affect you long term. Again, not one shoe fits all. Sometimes it really is a trial and error journey. Most sports or running stores provide gait analysis to their customers which could assist and help you choose the right shoe for you.

RUN HAPPY!

A While Ago

A few years ago, ok 11 years ago (wow) I was going through a lot. My Dad and Mom had just passed away, I was just getting the hang of being a full time working mom and I was looking for a way to release the pressure and cope with the circumstances.

And that's  where my love for blogging was born. I would have wanted to take off exactly from where I left but because it was only a few years ago (haha), I can no longer remember the email address linked to my former blog. I feel bleh about it, but I am looking at it as a way for me to start anew. I found myself laughing, smiling and shaking my head altogether while reading my old posts. Funny how people change. Just like wine we are aged over the years. Experiences refine us, mould us, break us sometimes. Some remain close to their former selves while some come out as completely different. Not quite sure which among the two I am.

After all, 11 years was @just a few years ago."

Of Those Things You Realize

Times have indeed changed. As I previously mentioned a while back, I resorted to blogging a few years ago. It was at that time the best outlet I could find as I struggled to cope with my circumstances back then. At that time, smart phones were no where near in sight. The internet was starting to gain popularity in developing nations where it was becoming more and more accessible to everyone. And blogs were an in thing.
I blogged actively for 3 years. Along the way I met so many virtual friends. Some I must admit I felt I developed a very personal connection with. I would get so attached to their daily musings thinking I really knew them personally. I'd say it was a great experience. However, somewhere in between blogging and the ever changing times, my blogging activities slowly diminished. Time and effort were poured elsewhere. Together with that social media sites were born. Suddenly one liner's were enough to 'express' a persons feelings, opinions or sentiments. Add a picture and voila! No more need to sit down, search the heart and then put all that into writing.
So yes, I became that.
But it dawned upon me. A few days ago. I told myself, I gotta be true to myself. Writing is to me, life. And I gotta start living again.

Cry Out

There are days when we feel we are everything. Ever felt that? Like you had total control of everything, you felt indestructible. That feeling when you felt you had everything taken cared of. Nothing could stop you, your plans, your goals. On those occasions you have that feeling that nothing could ever go wrong. But everything goes wrong when you eat on those thoughts and allow yourself to believe in all that.

And then Baaaaam!!

PRIDE comes crashing down. And that once indestructible person that you were ends up shattered in a million pieces.  When that happens, there is an unexplainable pain that we feel. Emotions take over even if we think we are being objective in our approach.

But it is in these moments that truly define us. Do we accept what just happened to us? Do we allow it to consume us?

I've had countless times when I found myself in situations like that. Yes. Many times I actually believed I had it all just to find myself in the darkest of dark pits buried in my own web of sinful beliefs and eating the bitter truth of pride's consequences. Being the emotional person that I am, I see to it that I cry my heart out -- puffy eyes, sore throat and all, and it is on those occasions that I find myself down on my knees crying out to God. Humbling oneself before another is never easy more so if its before the Almighty one who you can never escape with your excuses. Remember, pride. But to cry out to Him must be the most relieving feeling ever.

Today I am looking for that relief.

PSALM 109:26
Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love!

It is what it IS.

Life can be defined. But sometimes, life should not be defined.

We use the word 'life' casually. Sometimes we express it with a heavy sigh. Sometimes we have so many good things to say about it. Sometimes we do not want to talk about it.

We know it is a gift. New beginnings we refer to it as a miracle. When we talk about it as full of regrets we know it was wasted.

But really, what is life?

Sometimes I feel I have seen too much of it. But on occasion, I know I have not even seen half of it.

We do not define life.

Life defines us.

Todays starts a new.

Ah writing. Yes, therapy.

Are there still bloggers out there?