I lied. I said I was going to run 8 miles, but instead, I punished myself for jogging too slowly the first 4 miles and went for the 12. It’s an out and back route on a trail 6 miles long here in Fleming Island, Florida. The weather advisory is, don’t run unless you run early. I start out at 7:30, not early enough. The humidity is already heavy and can hardly breathe freely. My body is laboring and trying to slow me down. It’s only 4 miles!? Turn around, make it 8 miles and call it a day. Besides, you went to bed at 12 last night. But I ignore common sense. At six miles, it’s time to turn around. But how do I get home. I’m practically jogging in place. I am committed not to walk. 8 miles passes– only 4 miles left. I must earn every mile sucking thin air. The heat, 85 plus, is broken by shady places. I pray for water. I really pray because I fear dehydration and heat stroke. God gives me a cool breeze. 2 miles left now. My legs are broken. It’s ALL will power. I stumble like I’m drunk, but I will not walk. I arrive home beat up physically, but uplifted mentally. I am confident. I jogged the whole 12 miles under adverse conditions. Fortunately, I had drank enough water beforehand and survived.
Category Archives: poetry
Forgive and forget for good health
Forgive an forget– try writing a letter to your enemies like the one I wrote this morning.
Dear Enemies,
I want you to know that I have received a revelation, an exhilarating and liberating joy I experienced when I prayed on your behalf. I am happy and I want you to be too.
This letter is to you, my enemies, to whom I am at animosity. I do not wish to point blame; in fact, I am assuming all blame for the conflict that exists between us. I’ve learned that life is too short and too many pleasurable moments from my loved ones have been robbed by taking a self-righteous stance and insisting that justice be served.
Since when do enemies grant justice to each other? The whole enterprise is swiftly resolved when the stronger of the two chooses to forgive and forget.
There comes a time when, right or wrong, it is time to move on from unresolved issues that have become crusades. And I know that you, yes you, my enemy have sought peace with me, but I replied with sullen resentment. I want you to know that I appreciate those efforts on your part. Deep in my heart I wanted to reply in kind, but I had let the darkness of resentment seep too far down into my soul. I will try in the future to reciprocate such kindness should you be so generous to extend it again. Please be patient with me as I am a work in progress.
This letter is the olive branch I extend to you for the sake of our mutual peace and happiness. You need not acknowledge it as you may never receive this letter from me. Then what is its purpose? Its purpose is as a reminder to me that I have ceased to exonerate myself in all real and imagined hostilities. I realize that this futile conquest is purely a wasted focus from more productive endeavors, such as loving and having fun. I have chosen instead to formulate solutions by means of friendly acts and gestures. And when these fail I have chosen to pray for you my enemy, and I pray that we shall be at peace and enjoy each other’s company.
There was a time when I had no enemies. Then I grew up and I realized that there were people who had deep seated grudges towards me, as if they wanted me annihilated or at least my personality assimilated to conform to their wishes. These weren’t the typical playground fights I had in which later on that afternoon or the following day we became friends. These present day enemies literally wanted to discombobulate a chunk of my life. They wanted to exact real scars and damage that would consume years and extend over a lifetime.
It’s time to go back to being a child. The price of nursing enemies or frenemies is too much high maintenance and too much to pay.
From this point on, I no longer acknowledge you as my enemy. That power is now relinquished from you over my heart and mind. You are free to go on hating me, but I will not acknowledge your efforts– except in reply by kindness. You are, hopefully, my friend in waiting and as such I will wait patiently on you.
Until such time, this is my letter of reminder that I shall pull out and read each time I am tempted to engage in the fray. This letter is my creed. And I hope you too will see our mutual annihilation as a foolish occupation and a pointless way to spend one’s life.
Your friend in waiting,
Lew
Are your emotions making you sick?
I learned this little gem while I was reading the book, The Power of Positive Thinking, by Vincent Norman Peale. it said that negative emotional upheavals, not too much work, can make you physically sick with a variety of ailments. It also suggested relaxation exerises, flooding our minds wth positive thoughts/ positive quotes, and reading God’s word, the Bible, daily. The last tidbit is most important for the Bible itself has revealed long ago, “A calm heart is the life of the fleshly organism, but jealousy is rotteness to the bones.” Proverbs 14:30
Live long and prosper,
Lewis Jackson
I did something weird this morning
I did something truly weird this morning. I hopped on my treadclimber, but instead of putting the pace fast, I punched it in at a whopping 2 mph– snails pace. At this pace I read the Bible, and famous quotes. Actually, I have a deck of index cards I read through with a famous quote, a scripture, a relaxation tip or whatever on each side of each index card. It takes me an hour to go through this deck meditatively. After my hour walk, I did a quick workout on my Total gym. Weider also has it’s own version of the Total Gym– so I have one of each machine. This is a weird workout for me, but it leaves feeling energetic and mentally pumped up for the day. :^)
Lew Jackson
I am looking for fitness comeback stories.
I am looking for people who have had fitness comeback stories. Could that be you? I’m attempting a comeback of my own in running. I used to run 6:30 miles in long distance running. I’m now 46 yrs old and the challenge seems daunting. The body just doesn’t do what it used to do– or is that true? When I visited Maine on vacation I had good success in working, even running up their steep mountains. I started to feel like my young self but then I returned home to Florida. I’m hoping to bring some of the success from Maine here. Let me know your success stories. It could be just the encouragement I need.
Your running buddy,
Lew
The BOA Diet
The BOA Diet is not a diet at all. I would classify it as a supplement to a healthy eating plan that gives your digestive system a break. Think of it as cleaning out your carburetor and boosting your nutrient base. I do this “fast” once a week, usually on Monday. BOA stands for eating bananas for breakfast, oranges for lunch, and apples for dinner. You can, of course, substitute these with any variety of fruits and nuts. The objective is to give your body a slight fast without starving yourself of nutrients. Eat as much whole fruits as you like. I like to supplement with nuts and other natural EASY to digest foods. Visit MisterGoodBuy home page and click on Peak Energy Science for healthy supplements.
By Lewis Jackson
7 Minute Core Fitness Training
This is my cup of coffee in the morning. I stop short of calling this an exercise routine. I’d rather refer to it as a core maintenance program. I begin with 10 pushups followed by 15 crunches~ with another optional 10 pushups. Then I have a special 4 minute workout for my legs using a 6 foot plus ladder. I grab the ladder with both hands at about the shoulder height rung. And then I step up with both feet on the second rung from the bottom rung. Now I simply lower one foot to the floor and lift it back up onto the rung. I do the same with the other foot and I keep alternating up and down on a four minute timer.
The workout takes approximately 7 minutes in the morning. At night I recommend doing 10 pushups and 15 crunches before going to bed. This workout, of course, is not a substitute for your half hour plus workouts you do during the week. But it will keep your mood elevated to maintain your regular workout schedule.
By Lewis Jackson
What is natural organic health?
Natural refers to food in nature’s packaging, raw food without processing. I guess you could say the more you manage a food– change it’s properties, “fortify it with additives and the like the more it gets away from it’s most potent state. At my website, MisterGoodBuy.com, I try to promote products that improve health and fitness.
I believe in eating foods that are organic, unprocessed and not “messed” with. I remember my mother’s kitchen, her vegetable garden, and the fruits, apples, pears, and strawberries I used to pick from trees, branches, and vines growing up in Long Island, New York. Life has changed drastically, there are no organic fruits and vegetables in my mother’s back yard anymore. And foods that you buy from stores are very heavily processed. So that is my interest in creating this blog and my website. I hope to create an awareness of what we got away from and I’m struggling to get back to that as much of it as I can.
Poetry of KsanaKai Poem Collection 