Posted 6/2/21
For he says,
“In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”[a]
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation! –2Cor 6:2
Hi all! I hope you had a great Memorial Day holiday weekend! Thank you for the grace of letting me take Monday off. It was a great weekend at the Applegate house. It was relaxing, for the most part, other than my long prep run on Saturday, as promised. I deployed the Jeff Galloway method for the first time, one that has you set a timer and run X number of miles, then power walk a shorter number of miles at pretty much the same pace in my case. I did 25 minutes jogging and 5 minutes walking seventeen times and finished the event in a little over 8 hours. Next stop: June 19th when I still need to tack on 6.5 miles to my last prep run (aka a 10k-ish). The next 16 days I will still work out, but in much smaller smatterings and with less intensity. I have to stay sharp, but I have already accomplished what I needed to: I showed my brain that I can do it.
Are you, like me, amazed at just how much of everyday life is between the ears. The physical in life is important…sure…but how we perceive things is infinitely more valuable in many cases. Here are two examples:
Running- There is a physical part of preparing to run 37.5 miles to be sure. You have to prepare to run. You have to exercise. You have to strengthen yourself. Even when you are completely prepared, bad things can happen. (Read this amazing article from my Weight Watchers coach’s husband‘s blog) You have to pre-hydrate by drinking a lot for a couple of days before you run. You have to buy the gear, stretch, know the course, and get ready on other ways. You have to understand eating and drinking while running because it is hard on you to go 8-10 hours without taking in calories if you are running. I burned over 7,500 calories in my run alone. Notice that these are all things you have to do and to know….but they are pretty fleeting, like knowing a trivia question. You either know it or you don’t and I am trying to check off the “know it” box wherever I can. Why? Because of the other component of running: knowing you can do it. (Just a reminder here…I am still 240 pounds, giver or take. I am not the kicker on the running team’s football squad, I am still between a light lineman and a linebacker, mixed metaphors notwithstanding. If you looked at me, aside from getting skinny arms and losing my rear end, I don’t look like someone who would run. This is slowly changing and next June I may look more like a runner, but for now I have a Dad-bod.) I now know I can do it. I have broken a few hurdles that I was worried about. I tried to get from Bolivar to Walnut Grove a couple of times over the last few months and it was too much…but it isn’t now.
Caregiving- There are many things you must know…many of which you not only didn’t expect to need to know, but would like to NOT know…but you need to know them. I know maybe 10% of what I need to know to be a knowledgeable, full-time caregiver. I am not the expert because I haven’t spent more than a part-time schedule doing it, but even then I do know quite a bit. One hump I have passed though, is belief. I can do it. I can figure it out. I NEED to know stuff…more stuff…but in order to do it, you simply must believe you can.
Break your task down into small parts if it helps. That is exactly what I do. I can’t run 37.5 miles…but I can run from here to that puddle or to the box turtle in the path. I cannot take care of my mom by myself for 10 years while she declines day-by-day, but I can do so today. Keep not quitting. Keep on not giving up. Success builds confidence. Get help…lots of help, and give yourself help by believing in yourself. It really is, quite often, between the ears.
#EndALZ
#Sweat4YourBrain
#TheLongestDay
Update: They are going to let us back in early again, so I will get to see mom tomorrow morning. I wish I had more to report, but alas, all I have is reports from hospice and my sis. Praying for peace, comfort, treatments and cures…
Runnin’ Til I’m Purple update: $4280 raised on a $5280 goal. 🙂 The shirt money will be applied soon too..,.just around $700-800 to go. One step at a time. One box turtle at a time. 🙂 This is soooooo encouraging to me and it will make a difference 🙂
Last note for the weary: Please don’t mistake this as a piece that downplays your effort expended and/or required. Your job as a fulltime caregiver is infinitely harder than running the Frisco Highline Trail. It is physically, emotionally, spiritually, and every other -ly you can come up with, exhausting. However, we can do it. We need help and we can find help. Call the Association’s toll free line at 1-800-272-3900. Find your local Area Agency on Aging (like SeniorAge). Gather friends from church. Gather friends from the lodge or your bowling team. Ask your neighbors for help. Getting the job done doesn’t mean you doing everything yourself. Even in running, I would fail without my family’s help…more so in caregiving. It is a team issue…but we can do it. Together. Don’t give up. Believe you can…