Is It Too Late?

I used to want to learn to sail. Heck, I still want to learn to sail! Motor boats are fine for skiing, and I'd like to do that again, too. But give me a silent, gliding-through-the-water experience over a noisy, smelly motorboat any time. Like canoeing or kayaking. I've done both of those only a time or two, and would like to do LOTS more of both of them. We always made sure the kids got turns before mom did.

Of course I always wanted to learn how to ride a horse...I've ridden, but got seriously thrown when I was young, and have never since been around any horses enough to get comfortable again. I'd like to take classes, nerdy tho that sounds.

I want my own dirt bike, and enough country nearby so I could go riding. A lot. And/or four-wheeling! I always ended up watching my kids try the four-wheelers out, especially my sons.

Here's the thing: I grew up as a tomboy! I grew up climbing trees, playing baseball (better than most the neighborhood boys), running full-speed around the neighborhood (faster than most the neighborhood boys). Then I became a girl. Then a more grown-up girl. Then I became a mom. And got to watch husbands and sons have all the fun, fishing, shooting guns, riding motorcycles, and got to cheer them on, when I REALLY bad wanted to get in that batting cage or go-cart or on the motorcycle or four-wheeler myself. Now, I'm 62, with no sailboats, canoes or kayaks, motorcycles nearby, no budget or need for horseback riding lessons, not much of a bucket-list budget, either. So I'm asking, is it too late?

Vic and I spent most of last week at BYU-sponsored Education Week. We had volunteered to be hosts, which means you answer questions and sort of monitor the entrances and exits in the particular building and class and times you're assigned to. Being hosts meant we were able to attend the entire rest of the week for free. We started with the 9:50AM class, and ended at 9:30PM, Tuesday through Friday.
It was AMAZING! Sometimes we attended classes together, and sometimes not. There was one class that Vic, Anne and I all attended, and another one that I raced the length of the campus the last 3 days to go to with Anne.
The really interested thing to me is that, although we were drawn towards some really different classes, a couple of common themes seemed to come through to us from each of them, no matter how different the subject matter. Apparently, the Lord felt that it was time to get our attention and teach us some REALLY cool stuff.
The ongoing result has been that we felt, and continue to feel, the real need to become more unified, purposeful and dedicated as individuals, as a couple, and as parents (and grandparents). There is so much we heard, and even more, so much that we FELT, that if we don't act on it, we would be REALLY STUPID.
The other very interesting thing -- a "coincidence", if you believe in them -- is that some of our adult children are going through difficult and/or transitory times; the kinds of experiences for them that we can't physically HELP, but where they definitely need support. It has been a very good time to feel that extra charge of faith that we received while at Education Week, so that we "happened" to be "in tune" to be able to add a little counsel in one case, loving support and heartfelt prayers, FEELING more sure than ever that those prayers and our love did and will continue to make a difference to our kids we love so much. Prayer has solid impact. We have learned that.
There was something I learned in our last class on Friday night that I'd never realized before that I'd like to share.
We usually feel like if we're not living worthily, our prayers will not be heard. AND that is a good motivation to become as worthy and obedient to the things we know as we can so that we can feel guidance when it comes.
Brother Ted Gibbons taught something really interesting, though. He began quoting and showing us many scriptures where the pray-er was either seriously unrighteous, or even an out-and-out sinner - even to the point of being called an evil man. Then he quoted where the Lord says, "Weary me no more about this", or words to that effect. Brother Gibbons showed many, many times where this happened. His point wasn't as much that the Lord was tiring of hearing from these men; his point was that the Lord WAS hearing the prayers of these men, unrighteous sinners that they were! So should we ever let feeling unworthy keep us from praying, rationalizing that "He won't hear us anyway"? Clearly, absolutely NOT.
I once told a grown child who had left the Church and was having some painful and serious problems, "You don't have to be a member of the Church to pray and get answers." I felt it was true when I said it, yet wondered at what I had said; wondered whether someone who had purposefully turned away from the Truth they'd been raised with could in fact get answers. Turns out I was right, and hadn't the faith or wisdom to know it. ANYONE who needs answers WILL BE HEARD. Period. It's as simple, and amazing, as that.

About a year and a half ago, I was very ill, and had been for most of a year. I weighed about 100 lbs, was taking a lot of headache meds, not eating very well--well, what I ate was healthy, because it was mostly cooked by my son-in-law, but I didn't eat much. I just could only eat so much before I felt slightly nauseous. After nearly crashing, as a result of a different doctor's take on a headache med, I hooked up with a wonderful naturopath in Portland who, through slow but effective means, got me healthy again. It took a long, long time. Months and months passed, while I gradually was able to sleep at night more than 1 in 4 nights, and could walk from one end of the house to the other without sitting down and breathing hard. Gradually Vic and I could take walks, carefully and slowly around the neighborhood. Natural healing takes way longer, but it sticks, and lasts.
Fast forward to here in Arizona. Health is recovered, and I find I can actually eat without feeling sick.
So I did.
Imagine my surprise when I go to a doctor's appointment and find I weigh 140 lbs!!! I had a flash of gratitude that I was healthy, and not mostly dead, as I had been not that long ago. Then it hit---140 lbs!! Trouble is, I can still eat! I'm all over thicker, so I look better, but I'm embarrassed to admit I have an upper-belly problem.
Anyway, I started having some abdominal discomfort, and realized that some of the organs in that area had shifted and were no longer where they oughta' be. Thousands of jumping jacks back in our Kentucky karate class had probably taken their toll.
So I talked to our new doc about it, and, long story short, the physical therapy people gave me some exercises to do. NOT Kegels, as I expected, and dreaded, because I know Kegels require hundreds upon hundreds for several months in order to have any effect. The new exercises seem simpler, but are supposed to be effective in only 2-3 weeks. I'm jazzed!
Plus, I picked up a tummy-trimming video on sale at the library, and those exercises are fairly simple as well, and somewhat challenging. Not depressing, frustrating challenging, just "Ouch, that feels like a good exercise" challenging.
So, I've had 4 days of exercises, missing one day cause I had a tooth extracted, and didn't want to get on the floor. I'm going to track myself here for getting healthier. I will eat better, eat less, and get more exercise. I downloaded a walk/run tracking sheet that I'm going to implement, besides tracking the tummy stuff. It's nearly a new year--at least, it is for me, so here we go!