Followers

Monday, September 30, 2013

Look ahead

Morning everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. I know i did!!! It was soo nice to catch up with family and friends and just have some fun. I really needed it and im just sorry it ended soo fast. With that being said. Today i thought about how important it is to have something to look forward to in life. So many times i can get in such a routine rutt that i don't see the big picture by looking ahead. See, looking ahead keeps you encouraged when your present situation may not look the best. Looking ahead helps me mentally by envisioning myself where i want to be physically,mentally and spiritually. It's not always easy to do that when you are in your present situation. But it sure does help you to not stay depressed and down trodden in your spirit. Life is a mixed bag of good, bad and in between. But our focus should be towards what is coming. Because what is coming allows us to step out of our current situation and expect some good stuff headed our way. Don't allow yourself to get wrapped up in what's going on currently because it won't last. Look ahead, take a deep breath and get excited about your future! Sodas down! Waters up! Peace and Love!!!

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Take a lickin' and keep on tickin'

It was a day just like any other day. I got off my exit that takes me to work and out of nowhere BAMM!!!! A freekin deer hits the side of my little Corolla. Most of the time people will say, "I hit a deer!" When the truth of the matter is more times than not Bambi runs out in the road and collides with you. SMH! Anyways..as  i said...that big dummy runs into the side of my car. I'm thinking what the heck? Screw it! Just keep driving. Aint a thing you can do about it now. Just look at it when you get to work. And so i get in the parking lot and look at the drivers side of the car....nothing! Wow! Really?? Nothing?? I mean he hit my pretty good!! All i remember is sipping my coffee and seeing antlers to the left of me...lol! But when i looked at my 95' Toyota there was no damage. Now my attempt here is not to be a spokes person for Toyota, but to simply share that just as my little car took a hit and remained unscathed. We too should be the same. Ohh yeah! See..my car is what i call a "beater." LOL! It's got 340,000 + plus miles on it and it faithfully takes me wherever i need to go! I've driven in snow 6" deep, high water and yet it still keeps plugging along. As a matter of fact. When my other vehicles were giving me trouble..it was the "Yota" that remained sccrong!..lol. The point im making fam is that no matter what happens today or tomorrow, or next week or next year. We all have to keep on tickin'! In spite of the licks that life throws us. Now i will tell you that the "Yota" don't look like much, faded paint, peeling clear coat, missing hub cap. But you know what? It don't even matter!! I can get to the same destination that a Lexxus will except they may look better when they pull up!..LMBO! But who cares??!! I made it! And so will you. Some people wonder how in the world my car has lasted so long. Routine maintenance?...a little..as much as i can. I don't dog it either. In our own lives we have to approach everyday as though we were built to last! Invest in yourself. Get active, read a book(im trying to do better with that). Stretch yourself in areas that you  may be stagnant in. Try to learn something new about yourself everyday if possible. And above all else...trust the God that made you. He's rooting for you..He's rooting for us!!! He knows you have what it takes! Job took a lot!! But maaaaaaaaaan!! Did he keep on tickin or what????? One day at a time fam. We gotta lot of miles, but we in this to win this!!! Sodas Down! Waters Up! Peace and Love!!!!!!

Monday, September 23, 2013

Demands.

Good morning and God bless you. Take care of this and run and do that. Make sure the kids do this. Go to work and handle your business and repeat! It seems that life is filled with soo many demands that there is hardly ever time for you. But what i have found over the past few years is that even though demands have a voice so do i. Responsibilities abound when you are living your life and the process of digging through what is meat and what is bone is challenging. While it's true that there are things that must be done, there are some things that can go undone for now and will really be ok. It's amazing to me how that people try and place demands on you without your permission! The truth is, you and i are only singular in our daily decisions and dealings. So we are only capable of doing soo much in a day. Again, the difficult task can be deciding what you will allow yourself to become attached to and what you won't. I try very hard to do the best i can with all of my decisions, but i will admit there are times when the demands of life can seem overwhelming. It's during these times that i have to step back and decide, "What is it that Adolph needs to do today?" After all that's all any of us has is "today". I think that's one of the many reasons why i run. It's my place of solitude and a source of strength to get grounded. Our lives are never short of things that need to be done. But the truth of the matter is if you don't take a break momentarily, you will break eventually. Sometimes we can act like the world will fall apart if we don't do this or that. Funny thing is, the world keeps on turning and will keep on turning with or without us. I remember when my dad passed years ago. I was sitting in the hearse and it was as if the world was passing me by in slow motion. I remember how i felt sitting in the back seat looking through tinted windows as we made our way to the funeral home. Looking out the window i saw people living life as normal. Kids playing, people going shopping, cars going here and there. I thought to myself, "Don't they know my father just died?" How could you just go on with your life? Well, life does go on. Demands are all around us. But don't let demands choke the life out of your life. I'm not saying throw caution to the wind. But please don't let demands keep you from enjoying the life that God gave you. Sodas down! Waters up! Peace and Love!

Friday, September 20, 2013

Going from "I can't, to I will".

I can't explain it. I don't really know when it occurs?? But at some point on my journey in life i decided that "I can't" just isn't good enough. We've all experienced highs and the ever so crazy lows of life. But getting up again as i've stated before is the difference between those who talk it and those who walk it. Any time i think about how i feel and let emotions crowd out my "I will" it just proves i have more work to do mentally. There are times when i'm preparing to run, or should i say contemplating to run that i literally cuss myself out!! Hahaha! I be like get your fat blankety blank up from here! Lookatcha lookin all crazy!! Maaan!! Stop being a punk and let's get this workout in!! LMBO! You see..the path to "I will" isn't traveled by many when it comes to certain things that we should really be doing for ourselves. Just think for a moment. Nobody has to tell you to get up and go to work....well maybe they do?..lol! Because you know if a man don't work he doesn't eat. Nobody has to tell you to take care of things that sustain you and your family you just know you have to do it!! Sooo...why is it soo different when it comes to you pushing through a work out?? Hmmmm..well im not sure if this is the answer, but i think it's partly because we don't always immediately see the issues that come with not taking care of ourselves. You know? Its like a gradual progression to the body you don't want, and the health issues that rob you of some happiness. When i think "I can't" i think about the people i see running with an artificial leg..the people pushing parapalegic people in strollers in a Half Marathon. "I can't?" Ummmmm yes! " I will!" I've been gifted with another day to move my body in the day that God has blessed me with and so have you!! So pick yourself up and leave "I can't" and head up the street to "I will!!" In the end we only have us to blame for not living the life that we want to live. I read a real nice quote the other day. "Summer bodies are built in the winter!!" I love it!! Going from "I can't to I will" is totally up to you. Start today and don't wait!! See i used to do that a lot. Well i will just start Monday to move, but why don't you start just a little bit today???? You can do it!! I have faith in you! More importantly God knows you're able to do anything you put your mental to. With Him on board you got this!!!! "I can't??" Hmmp! Not hardly!!! "I WILL!!!!" Sodas Down! Waters Up! Peace and Love!!!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Don't touch that dial!

Wow!! Chilly this morning! More reason to lay in bed. More reason to pull the covers over your head and hibernate. More reason to skip out on the gym and forget your goals. More reason to come up with excuses for not doing what you promised yourself you would do back in January. NOT!!!! I'd like to say something. Can i just say something??!! It's more the reason to hit it harder. You see. This is the hardest part of the year!!!! Good food! Family! Entertainment! Some of us will soon have time off from work!! Ohh yeah!! This mess is gone test you and me!!!! Hmmp! Stuff smelling all good!! Turkey cooking! Chestnuts roasting on open fires and all that!!!! LMBO!! But don't you dare get it twisted!! We still in it to win it!! So don't touch that dial! The same commitment you had back in the spring or whenever you started your journey MUST continue!! My big brother use to say it like this. Maaaaan  if you think about it. Winter is the time that you can build up your body and reveal what you've been working on in the spring! Hmmmm..sooo if there was ever a time to work on you it's now!!! I'm not saying eat nothing but carrots and celery all winter. But what i am saying is work like there's no tomorrow so you can be happy next year when the birds start chirping and the weather gets warm again!!!! Feel me??!! Back in the day on the radio the announcer would always say, "Don't touch that dial." This was to keep you listening to their programming so you their ratings would remain high! The same is true not only in your workout life, but in your life in general. We have sooo much to be grateful for in this life and yet it is easy to get off track with murmuring and complaining. Don't touch the dial that is your life by doing what others want you to do instead of doing what you NEED to do for you!!!! My friends you are healthy, wealthy and wise....say it with me! I am healthy, wealthy and wise!!!! haha!!!!! The fight is just beginning ya heard??!!! Stay focused through this period of your life. Why?? Because it's sooo critical! You bout to do things you never thought you could! You bout to be what you thought you couldn't be!!! DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL!!! And dance to the beat of a different drum! That's what makes us all soo unique! Lookatcha!! All blessed and stuff!! hahahahahahaa!! Sodas Down! Waters up!! Peace and Love!!!!

Monday, September 16, 2013

Be encouraged! Change your address!

Good morning all! Today i'd like to encourage you and remind you that today is a day that you've never seen before. If you're reading this post that means that God thought it was necessary for you to be here. Oh yeah...that means you. It means that inspite of every difficulty, oposition, depressing situation and dissappointment you are still here. Take a collective deep breath today and appreciate the fact that while you may not have everything you want, you still have life. Some of us are in the midst of great trials and tribulations, but God is still with you. He gaurded you last night so that you could be here in the morning. It's really ok to be discouraged as long as you don't stay there. None of us have time to stay there. Today is a new day filled with its own challenges and yet there are opportunities waiting on us as well. You have what it takes inside of you. You just have to believe what God sais about you and not the press. We all make mistakes and we all fall short. But that's no reason to give up. Get mad! Throw a fit! But get your tail back in the ring! So what you fell off the wagon! I have done the same thing. But aint no quit over here! I don't know where he lives, but i changed my address and you need to do the same thing. If quit lives at your house give him an eviction notice! AINT NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT! We got stuff to do, places to go and people to see! Keep it moving crew! Quit no longer lives here! Change your address! Sodas Down! Waters Up! Peace and Love!

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Get up.

The single most hardest thing in life to do is to get back up when you've been knocked down. Prize fighters struggle to do it, football players try to do it as well as every other athletes who've been down by many points and have to find a way to get back in the game. You and i have those moments in life as well. Getting up is not always easy, especially when you pay to close attention to the odds against you. Sometimes i have the tendancy to monitor the opposition too much. The problem with that is you take the focus off of your own life and that makes getting up that much harder. Today let us all remember how we got here. Our lives were predistined by a God who loves us and is always cheering for us. He's not just the cut man in the corner ready to wipe the sweat from your face and clean the blood from your nose and eyes when life gets you down. Nooo..he's there in the ring with us. Through every punch that life throws and every stare down that our enemies gives to try and intimidate us. I like a quote that Colin Kapernick the quarterback of the Sanfransisco 49ers said on this past Sunday. "If intimidation is your game plan, pick another game plan!" With all you have family let's make it one more round. I know you have it in you and so do it. Get back up!
Sodas down! Waters up! Peace and Love!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Make it or break it!

Back in the day when I was kid there was a show on the radio called "Make it or Break it". You know? They played a new song and you had the chance to call the station and place your vote about whether or not they should keep making this single or break it and throw it in the trash. I feel like our lives are a lot like  that show. Except that in this case, we decide whether or not to "make it break it" when it comes to our own lives.  You see, sometimes in life when we are faced with soo many different obstacles and challenges and the opinions of others about our life we don't always speak up about what it is we will allow or won't allow! Ohh yeah...its up to you to keep making the hits that surround your life and who you are as a person. And you know what?? It doesn't matter who doesn't like the lyrics that you write or the melody that you sing. It's up to to you and the God that made you to "Make it". Keep on keepin on as the the older folks would say. Align yourself with some good producers and vocal coaches who want to see you succeed in life so that you can grow and be the very best that you can be. I have this thing about negative people.....I don't like them!..lol!! I mean seriously. Isn't there enough negative stuff going on in the world today without hearing it constantly from people everyday. I'm not saying we shouldn't acknowledge when there is a problem, but for God sakes can you find something positive at all in a bad situation? And if you can't? Could you at least look at the fact that things will get better eventually? If someone played THE SONG that is YOUR life, would they "make it or break it?" You know what?  It doesn't matter how the voting would go because you're the one who casts the deciding ballot!! I say "Make it!" In spite of all your inadequacies...."Make it!" In spite of what you don't have..."Make it!" In spite of all the challenges that you know of and the ones that all of your friends know of..."Make it!" Your song is beautiful and it belongs to you. You might not win a Grammy but your song should be playing in your head everyday! And that my friends is a beautiful thing! Sodas Down! Waters up! Peace and Love!

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Distractions!

Morning all! Fall is definitely in the air and i am loving it! The cool brisk air is refreshing when you step outside and the slight chill in the air is perfect! Well i am about 4 days removed from my race and back to training for my next one. I gave my body a break to recover and now my sights are set on the next race. Im thinking about doing another Half Marathon in November and the cool temperatures would serve me well in this one. On Tuesday i noticed a little spot in my vision in the right eye. I haven't ever had any problems with my eyes so i got a little concerned. That night i went home and wiped my eye out thinking it's probably just some lent or something stuck in it. But it didn't go away!!! Soo.. now im still ok but my concern level jumps up a notch! You ever had your mind like fast forward to events that haven't even taken place???!! I do and i did! I'm thinking..Maaaan they gone have to remove my eye!...Suppose i go blind?? You know momma had trouble with her eyes because of diabetes?? Maaaan you might have glaucoma!!! Dang!!! Shut up!!!! LOL! I had to actually tell myself to sit down and shut it!!! Good grief!!! Long story short..they checked my eyes and no nothing! The doc sais i have whats called a floater. Never heard of it. But its not serious. Its just a dot that you see from time to time in your vision and there is no way to really fix it. He said he even has one. Soo i keep an eye on it for any change and go from there(Pardon the pun). I was thinking to myself how there are times in life when you can be flying hight after running your 2nd race and then BAM!! Something out of the freeking blue happens to try and kill your joy! See! This is why it's important to stay humble!! Dang! Life is full of ups and downs. Celebrate your victories but don't stay there. Challenges abound everyday to keep us dependent upon God almighty! It felt good to be back in the gym and doing what i do! Distractions? Yeah that's a given...but nothing can stop us but us baby!!! Sodas down! Waters up! Peace and Love!!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Coming to end of yourself.

Good morning everyone! What a wonderful day. I'm filled with so much encouragement,happiness and joy right now i can't even contain it!!..lol! I had probably one of the best weekends of my entire life!!! I ran my 2nd Half Marathon down at the beach and i had an absolute blast with my friends,family and other fellow runners. You know? I had kinda sorta thought in my mind that this race would be a lot easier than running in the mountains of Central Va. I mean Va. Beach is flat right?? Yeah! Wavy Gravy Baby!..LMBO! Ummm NOT!!! It was the hardest race i have ever run to date! Dang!!!!!! The start wasn't bad, but by 8 am the heat and humidity wrapped you up like a wet blanky! Can i tell you i wanted to quit!!!! OMG!! At about mile 9 going into 10 im thinking,"Man just walk the rest of the way." "Screw this!" It's not a big deal, i said. Who would know if you walked? I said. Then i started thinking about the runners i saw at the beginning of the race. One guy had a prosthetic leg, and another guy was pushing his mentally ill son in a stroller!!! Sooo i pushed...i thought about how God never quit on me even when im at my worse. Sooo i pushed.... I thought about where i've come from and the fact that each step i take will get me closer to the finish line. Sooo i pushed. I thought about how i'm tired of being FAT!! Sooo i pushed. I thought about all the many people who look at Adolph as a template to say to themselves, "If he can do it than i can do it." Sooo i pushed! It was grueling! It hurt! My legs started to cramp! People were laid out on the ground being attended to! Sooo i pushed! I literally came to the end of myself!! All i could do was block out the pain and Push!!!!! Push!!!! Push!!!! See! When you come to the end of yourself, that's when all you have is God. Let Him carry you beyond what your mind and body may be saying and feeling. I realized i wasn't running for me alone. I was running for soo many other people who are battling their way to a better person! Ohh yeah!! I felt like all of you were on my back! And if i had to drag my cramped up leg like EGOR across that finish line?? I was going to cross it!! Thank God for showing me on Sunday that when you come to the end of yourself, that's when you put it on auto pilot and let God take you the rest of the way. Be encouraged crew!!!! You can do anything you allow God to be a part of! Sodas down! Waters up! Peace and Love