June 15, 2007 @ 2:22 pm | Filed under: Uniquely Me

I think of these three words and smile.

Every. Single. Time. 

A poor use of the English language?

Yep, prolly so…

Still, sometimes just the right person uses just the right words at just the right time…and it creates a lasting memory.

Samuel La did that for me with these three short words. With his oh-so-cute dark, soulful eyes and a slight shrug of his shoulders, he uttered "I got nothin’" literally every Sunday morning for an entire six months.

Before each lesson, my co-teacher and I would go around the room and ask each of the seven year olds to name one great thing that happened during their week. We always heard a wide range of subjects.

"I made all A’s on my report card."

"My friend had a sleep-over and I got to go."

"God healed my dog. He doesn’t scratch anymore."

You name it, that class of second-graders had done it, seen it, and never failed to report it. (Parents: you should be afraid, very afraid! lol)

And yet, when it was Sam’s turn, he would stare off into space, trying with everything within him to conjure up some great praise report. Or…um…he gave the appearance of giving it his best shot. With a tilted head and knit brows, he’d pause and pause and pause…and pause…

"Come on, Sam. Anything. How about school? Anything great happen?"

"Hey, Sam. Tell us about some cool place you and your family went this week!"

"Sam, my buddy, tell me the funniest thing that you heard this week."

But, like clockwork, Sam’s response was always the same. With a barely disguised grin, he’d finally shrug and look me straight in the eyes. "I got nothin’."

I love that little guy! I may have been his teacher each Sunday but he taught me many, many things about laughter. Now we all knew that Sam had many grand and great things going on in his life. And he knew we knew it. But it was a game and it was one in which he never, ever dropped the ball. Now whenever I want to cop out of answering a question or just feel like eliciting a smile from my family or close friends, I know just what three words to pull out of my hat.

"I got nothin’."

This is Sam, with Keilani. I miss them both since they’ve been promoted up to the big ‘ol 3rd grade class! 

This is how I’ve felt lately as I’ve sat down at this very computer to blog. "Help! I got nothin’!" While a million-and-one things vyed for my attention I’ve had very little inspiration or inclination to post on any of them.

But that certainly doesn’t mean that great and grand things haven’t been happening in my life. And since I have absolutely nothing (still!) of true relevence to write about, I’ll just tell you about what I’ve been up to this summer.

After a year of grueling school and writing schedules, I gave myself a gift at the beginning of this summer. A chance to get healthy. Really, truly healthy. I opted out of my scheduled Maymester and summer courses, took a month off of writing and - next to God and my family - made my health top priority.

It has taken a little while to find the rhythm that is right for my own body but, now that that rhythm has been tapped, I’ve settled into something that feels very, very close to harmony. Combining a concentrated effort at healthy decision-making with daily exercise, my body is slowly but surely responding in soft and subtle ways. I walk every morning, bright and early, averaging 3-6 miles per day. The day I was actually able to begin running on the treadmill without growing winded after two minutes was a red-letter day in my life.

A very wise and close friend told me years ago to "eat balanced meals and let your weight fall where it will." That can be a very scary statement for us girls, can’t it? But the truth is that, after literally yo-yo dieting for most of my adult life, I am finally doing just that. And you know what? The pounds are falling off. Naturally. Without pain, without deprivation, without guilt. And that’s an entirely new concept for me, let me tell you!

Does that mean that I have to say "no" to all the things I love? NO! I’m a chips & salsa girl through and through. Truly, it should be a food group all on its own, don’t you think? If I was a prisoner on death row, I promise chips and salsa would no doubt be my last request. And no way am I going to give up romantic Friday night homemade pasta dinner nights with my husband! But I’m finally learning what moderation is all about. I’m listening to my body for the first time ever and I’m making a concentrated effort to give it what it needs to be healthy.

Since we banned scales from our home last year, I have no real idea what my starting weight was, or what it is now. So I’ll never know the exact statistics of this summer gift to myself. But what I DO know is that I’ve never felt healthier, more energized, or happier. The exercise has played such a dramatic role in reducing the stress that had plagued me for months. And the insomnia I suffered from? GONE. G-O-N-E! Now I can hardly wait to crawl into my bed at night, snuggle down, and fall into a peaceful sleep.

But aside from the fact that I love that I’m feeding my body fuel that is GOOD for it, and in addition to the surprising realization that I really do love the feeling of a grueling, sweaty workout, is the best part of this whole gift to myself. I am sharing this ride with my friends. These are the women who know my struggles and my weaknesses and my bad habits. Sharing walks, Friday morning tennis games, Monday night Rough Rider games, and countless emails and IMs and texts encouraging one another to stay the course has only enriched our already amazing friendship. (Girls, I love ya!)

I know that in a few short weeks the hectic schedule will pick up again. I begin revisions on Finding Faith in two weeks, and then will be preparing the boys to head off to college in July, and will be beginning fall classes myself in August. But even as the pace increases, I pray that this summer gift to myself will only continue to blossom. Or, um…shrink. Oh, you know what I mean!

So even on days like this when it seems as though I have nothing to say, the truth is that I have more than ever!

I have God. I have the love of family and friends. I have health, and happiness, and one remarkable gift to myself.

God gifted me with one body.

The least I can do is take good care of it.