Hope & How We Get There

It's about pacing.

Hope Matters

Well, Hope Buddies, this one is going to be slightly different. I was reading through some of my random, sporadic journal entries, and I ran across this one that took me back to last year.

September 24, 2023 - 6:40 a.m.

I love my tech stuff and the insight they mostly provide. Me and this scale though? We ‘bout to fight! How dare you tell me my body is [some ungodly age]?!

Hell, I know I don’t push myself hard enough with cardio *sticks out tongue in 5-year-old*. I also know that I’m not going to strictly monitor my eating the way I did when I first started keto.

I know this, too. I’m going to have to do some things differently, if I expect any of this to change. I’ve got weight to lose, a hypertension pill to medically get off of, and a heart to protect from disease. I’ve got some decisions to make, and maybe some people’s feelings will be hurt in the process. However, those people and their feelings won’t help me accomplish these goals. *shrugs in it-is-what-it-is*

My body cannot continue to be 7 years older than it actually is!

I know machines are gonna machine, and the people who calibrate them aren’t perfect, but I also know I’m not doing as much as I should. I’ve got to make time for this.

Welcome to my brain and some of my tamer thoughts! I say some crazy things in my head, and my frankness is on 5000% in there. 😏

These thoughts in September are what led to Hope & Habits and Hope & Investment (Part I). As I looked back at the journal entry, I sat in my chair thinking. ‘Oh yeah! This is how I got here.’ Meaning, to this point in this year with my health and other new things I’m doing.

Every major (or minor) life change begins with a point at which we decide that something has to give. The point at which we decide that things can’t continue to be the way they are. This was one of mine, which happened to begin with stepping on the stupid scale. 🙄 Please know, I do not like that thing and continue to torture myself by stepping on it once a month. But, it also supports my health journey, so step on it I shall. But I digress. It was on this date last September that I made the decision to change some habits.

If you look at the timeline between this journal entry and the two hopeletters I mentioned above, you’ll see it took me a full 3 months to decide what to do about it, then do it. Here’s what I learned. The gaps between awareness, decision, planning, and activity can be broad. That doesn’t mean you won’t get it done. It simply means it might take you longer or that you’re more intentional in accomplishing it.

Now, Hope Buddies, I’m not knocking folks who can move through these steps at the speed of light. There are sometimes when I do that. This was not one of those times. What I’m trying to convey is that we have to be okay with our marathons as well as our sprints, and we have to recognize which is which. The things that need our immediate attention should get it; those that require deep thought, planning, and intention should get that as well. We have to be sensitive enough to the still, small Voice that tells us to sprint or long-distance run.

Reflection

Now, I want you to think about yourself, the things you know need shifting in your life. Ask yourself:

1. What’s the most important thing that deserves my attention?

2. Does it need immediate action or deep strategizing sessions to implement the action?

3. What am I going to do about it?

Challenge

I encourage you to write down the answers to these questions. There’s something powerful in getting things out of your head and onto paper (with an actual pen or pencil 😏). Electronic devices are cool and all, but educator-me is telling you that pen and paper have a connection to the brain that’s proven to be more results-oriented and support memory.

Now, once you write them, pray about what you should do and either start moving on them or get to strategizing. I can tell you from experience, it won’t work until you do. You won’t receive Divine Insight until you’re serious about it. Getting there is indeed a process, and it begins with knowing that something has to give.

Hope in how you get there. ☕️

Coffee Matters

Coffee Buddies, I’m back on that drip!

(Depending on where you’re from and whether you can relate to me culturally, you may or may not have heard that like I said it in my head. 😆)

Anyway, I’m using my drip coffee maker again. Specifically because, a friend of mine brought me some ground coffee from Bogotá, Colombia. See…

It’s tasty, y’all. I’m enjoying every sip. The taste notes on the package are brown sugar, plum, and apple. What’s most prominent for me is the brown sugar, but also I’m not slurping and activating my knowledge around properly “tasting” the coffee. Sorry, y’all, but I haven’t looked up where to purchase it either, so I can’t share that. However, I plan to savor every sip until the last ground has been immersed in the last drop of purified water. 🤭

What’s the most important thing you can think of that deserves your attention and action?

I appreciate you taking the time to read this hopeletter about my life and coffee. Please share with a friend who could use a little hope or coffee recommendation.