By Pat Antonopoulos
As you can see by the date February 23, 2009, I have not been posting on this blog, but have decided to post on Four Ordinary Women blog. Please visit Four Ordinary Women to read our blogs and to post your comments. You are most appreciated and welcomed.
Thanks.
p.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Weighing In
by Pat Antonopoulos
Noticed some Academy Awards photos.
Noticed 'thin', almost to skinny.
Know that our culture seems obsessed with weight, size and shape.
Huge amounts of money can be spent on trainers and gym time.
Groups flourish for the expressed purpose of regulating our size and shape.
Women diet to loose weight and undergo surgery to add dimension.
The value of the shell trumps the contents.
Consider all the reasons we consume food.
Two reasons are precious: sustenance and sharing love and the times of our lives.
Consider all we consume that is harmful to both nutrition and sharing special moments.
Interesting concepts.
I pay dollars to the gym so I can exercise when the weather is uncomfortable.
More of my dollars go the local high school pool so I can burn calories. Daily walks and weekly ice skating chip away at the imbalance of intake and output. Granted, I love every minute of exercise and it does much more than sustain the body.
In the distance past, I even became part of a group designed to teach the discipline of eating. Now eating habits are almost lock-step in routine. My grandchildren tease that I eat cheesecake once each year and that is my quota of dessert.
How absolutely silly that types!
When I was 50 years old, I joked that at 70 years, I would eat dessert first and probably take up cigarettes. Age 70 is now five months gone and dessert is not on the table. Cigarettes? Never!
I rationally understand my regulated patterns, but those patterns are terribly annoying. My new resolution is for age 75. Then I will eat nothing but desserts so I have that ton of excuses to walk, skate and swim even more.
Noticed some Academy Awards photos.
Noticed 'thin', almost to skinny.
Know that our culture seems obsessed with weight, size and shape.
Huge amounts of money can be spent on trainers and gym time.
Groups flourish for the expressed purpose of regulating our size and shape.
Women diet to loose weight and undergo surgery to add dimension.
The value of the shell trumps the contents.
Consider all the reasons we consume food.
Two reasons are precious: sustenance and sharing love and the times of our lives.
Consider all we consume that is harmful to both nutrition and sharing special moments.
Interesting concepts.
I pay dollars to the gym so I can exercise when the weather is uncomfortable.
More of my dollars go the local high school pool so I can burn calories. Daily walks and weekly ice skating chip away at the imbalance of intake and output. Granted, I love every minute of exercise and it does much more than sustain the body.
In the distance past, I even became part of a group designed to teach the discipline of eating. Now eating habits are almost lock-step in routine. My grandchildren tease that I eat cheesecake once each year and that is my quota of dessert.
How absolutely silly that types!
When I was 50 years old, I joked that at 70 years, I would eat dessert first and probably take up cigarettes. Age 70 is now five months gone and dessert is not on the table. Cigarettes? Never!
I rationally understand my regulated patterns, but those patterns are terribly annoying. My new resolution is for age 75. Then I will eat nothing but desserts so I have that ton of excuses to walk, skate and swim even more.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wii Wondering by Pat Antonopoulos
A mother of a five year old boy believes in trikes and Big Wheels and I shout 'Bravo'. She follows that with the belief that Wii promotes exercise and I revisit my memory of two young nephews playing with a Christmas gift Wii. Following that experience, I saw two older relatives using the same activities. Both experiences took me right to that place where I store all my rationalizations from my children's growing years.
My young relatives used the game for baseball, tennis, bowling and even more play after I left the room. Their arms got a nice waving workout and they moved a bit from the waist. The activities lacked the impact of muscle with racket, bat, whatever.
Contrast Wii activities with the fresh air, sunshine and actual running on a tennis court. Consider hitting a baseball and all-out focus on rounding the bases, being part of a team. Feel the power of pounding a serve across the volleyball net. The bend and stretch of bowling coupled with handling the weight of the ball just does not balance with holding the Wii control and watching a TV screen.
Granted, ti was fun to watch the kids enjoy yet another electronic toy. And each of these relatives is active in age appropriate sports plus enjoying the trikes and bikes for the sheer exhilaration of challenging their own abilities. The sport exercise came long before the electronic board game called Wii.
My doubts extend to the belief that playing a game on Wii will carry a child into the actual sport by creating interest through the TV game. Wii is couch potato compared to smacking a ball across the net or racing to make that third out catch.
There is a place for Wii and the laughter and fun associated with it is good for family and friends. But the benefits of real exercise are so much more than laughter and fun. Perhaps every hour spent on Wii should be matched with an hour of true physical exercise and at least one hour with a book. That would approach balance!
My young relatives used the game for baseball, tennis, bowling and even more play after I left the room. Their arms got a nice waving workout and they moved a bit from the waist. The activities lacked the impact of muscle with racket, bat, whatever.
Contrast Wii activities with the fresh air, sunshine and actual running on a tennis court. Consider hitting a baseball and all-out focus on rounding the bases, being part of a team. Feel the power of pounding a serve across the volleyball net. The bend and stretch of bowling coupled with handling the weight of the ball just does not balance with holding the Wii control and watching a TV screen.
Granted, ti was fun to watch the kids enjoy yet another electronic toy. And each of these relatives is active in age appropriate sports plus enjoying the trikes and bikes for the sheer exhilaration of challenging their own abilities. The sport exercise came long before the electronic board game called Wii.
My doubts extend to the belief that playing a game on Wii will carry a child into the actual sport by creating interest through the TV game. Wii is couch potato compared to smacking a ball across the net or racing to make that third out catch.
There is a place for Wii and the laughter and fun associated with it is good for family and friends. But the benefits of real exercise are so much more than laughter and fun. Perhaps every hour spent on Wii should be matched with an hour of true physical exercise and at least one hour with a book. That would approach balance!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Celebration
Whenever there is a personal milestone of celebration, the family sits in the first several rows of the church. During the service, the pastor will recognize and bless the occasion. Our congregation is small and such a gathering is obvious throughout the church.
On Valentine Day the front pews filled as the extended family continued to arrive, beautifully dressed with smiles to match.
The service began and the pastor came forward touching the shoulders of the oldest couple in the family group. He stood quietly for a minute or two as if he were awed by the occasion.
Facing the congregation, Fr. Frank announced that today was the 60th Wedding Anniversary of this couple. Applause, sustained and sincere, filled the church.
Their life together began in Croatia 60 years ago. They came to the United States, raised a family, struggled with all the problems that come with learning a new culture, cherishing the former culture, finding work, educating the children, blending while staying separate.
A tribute to the bedrock meaning of love. It was a privilege to share this celebration.
On Valentine Day the front pews filled as the extended family continued to arrive, beautifully dressed with smiles to match.
The service began and the pastor came forward touching the shoulders of the oldest couple in the family group. He stood quietly for a minute or two as if he were awed by the occasion.
Facing the congregation, Fr. Frank announced that today was the 60th Wedding Anniversary of this couple. Applause, sustained and sincere, filled the church.
Their life together began in Croatia 60 years ago. They came to the United States, raised a family, struggled with all the problems that come with learning a new culture, cherishing the former culture, finding work, educating the children, blending while staying separate.
A tribute to the bedrock meaning of love. It was a privilege to share this celebration.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
One More Time
Still stuck on that rink ice, I guess.
And I found a card dated Feb. 13, 2002. The front has a Maya Angelou quote:
"Have enough courage to trust LOVE one more time. And always one more time."
Inside, my friend wrote: "I guess part of being a parent is"...always one more time".
Close to perfect, right?
Patti Dickinson, an author of 4 Ordinary Women, probably sent the card because one of us was struggling with a parenting issue. Could have been that we needed a reminder because one of our kids was tugging against that one-more-time. I don't remember.
What I do remember is that some women intuitively know about sharing--- the when, what, how, and with whom to share. The why is the easy part. We share because through sharing, we can become better at parents. We help one another sort the mysteries and fill in the blanks. We learn together in a most ordinary way and 'always one more time'.
And I found a card dated Feb. 13, 2002. The front has a Maya Angelou quote:
"Have enough courage to trust LOVE one more time. And always one more time."
Inside, my friend wrote: "I guess part of being a parent is"...always one more time".
Close to perfect, right?
Patti Dickinson, an author of 4 Ordinary Women, probably sent the card because one of us was struggling with a parenting issue. Could have been that we needed a reminder because one of our kids was tugging against that one-more-time. I don't remember.
What I do remember is that some women intuitively know about sharing--- the when, what, how, and with whom to share. The why is the easy part. We share because through sharing, we can become better at parents. We help one another sort the mysteries and fill in the blanks. We learn together in a most ordinary way and 'always one more time'.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Just home from the ice rink and one hour of bliss, skating in the quiet cold. Not the religious sense of 'bliss' but the joy of physical activity coupled with time of solitude. And that solitude can be in a crowd or true alone time when I am the only early bird on the ice.
Parenting.
Today I thought about parenting. Round and round the rink like running on a track...no spins, no jumps, no tricks...just round and round the rink.
No matter how many children bless our lives, we live to the end by going round the track. From babe to woman/man, we are the parent.
Parenting.
Today I thought about parenting. Round and round the rink like running on a track...no spins, no jumps, no tricks...just round and round the rink.
No matter how many children bless our lives, we live to the end by going round the track. From babe to woman/man, we are the parent.
Authors, Writers, Women, Joy
Good Morning,
An ordinary greeting from an ordinary woman who is part of a most extraordinary experience.
Four ordinary women will become published authors in late April presenting the world of books with Four Ordinary Women, Seven Locks Press.
Being part of the experience of writing, submitting and acceptance for publication is a gift that this 70 year old is relishing with both joy and trepidation. We welcome all who share this journey with us.
An ordinary greeting from an ordinary woman who is part of a most extraordinary experience.
Four ordinary women will become published authors in late April presenting the world of books with Four Ordinary Women, Seven Locks Press.
Being part of the experience of writing, submitting and acceptance for publication is a gift that this 70 year old is relishing with both joy and trepidation. We welcome all who share this journey with us.
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