The Weekly Word: May 15th, 2022

Thoughts on Parenting...
Tuesday night turned out to be an eventful evening. Marisa had an exam Wednesday morning and was going to spend the evening out so she could get a good nights rest. As she was preparing to leave, we heard a bunch of noises coming from our cat. We thought she was playing with something but as she walked toward us, she was out of balance and her head was crooked. We thought, "did Smudge just have a seizure?" This is not the first time something like this happened as she had a neurological issue in February. Smudge seemed better and Marisa left. 

Then, I get up to bed and I hear Emi's breathing and thought, this is not normal. It sounded wheezy and then I heard the dreaded barking cough and thought here we go again. This was not the first time Em has experienced croup-like symptoms so I began to get things prepared for when she woke. I got the bathroom prepared with medicine, a thermometer and a pulse oximeter. Then, whenever she woke, we would turn the hot water on and steam the bathroom for as long as necessary to improve her breathing. I gave Marisa a call to inform her and she came home. We spent a solid two and a half hours in our tiny bathroom with me sleeping on the tile floor and Marisa and Emilia laying on a collapsible mattress. I am sure it was quite the sight if someone saw us crammed in there!

When this happens, it really sucks. Em couldn't even say a word without coughing and we resort to communicate by points and head nods. You just hold her and think over and over about ways to get her relief. The next day I was thinking about what happened and thought of the saying "there are no atheists in foxholes". Well, in this instance, "there are no atheists when your child is sick". I called on any higher power I could think of to help her feel better that night. 

Fitness Tip of the Week
A few weeks I wrote about the importance of using a device like Fitbit to give you measurable data. If getting more active is on your "to-do" list than knowing your "Point A" is required. The device gives you that. After identifying where you are, the next step is to take a look at the the general recommendations and see where you are relative to them...

The general recommendation for physical activity in this country is 150 minutes per week. Broken down over 7 days this equals roughly 22 minutes per day. How you get to 22 minutes per day is where the creativity can begin. Let me share a quick story with you. Last week I was scrambling to get some yard work done. The forecast had nothing but rain in it for 3 days and the area around the gym needed some attention. I got on the riding mower and did as much as I could and then pulled out the weed whacker to finish up. I may have been outside for about 75 minutes before the rain started. At this time, I looked down at my Fitbit and couldn't believe what I saw: I almost hit my daily step total and it was only 11 am! 

Now that the weather is finally breaking, there is a tremendous opportunity to add movement into your daily routine simply by getting outside. Remember, 22 minutes a day over 7 days is your starting point. Go for a walk around the block, garden, clean up sticks, use a push mower, wash your car, or do whatever else you wish. Get outside. Get work done AND hit your daily movement numbers at the same time. You cannot beat that!

What I've Been Thinking About...
There was a time when young Chris did not understand the importance of separating white clothing from colored clothing in the washing machine. I remember one holiday, most likely Christmas, loading the washer and threw all my new clothes in there. Colors, whites, it didn't matter! Lets be efficient here and wash everything at once. I learned an irreversible lesson that day: if you do not separate things appropriately, one will bleed into another. Things need their own domains. When they do not have them, they contaminate one another. 

On a personal level this concept has shown up many times in my life. Take, for example, the idea of work time and family time. The pandemic brought on an incredible opportunity for individuals and businesses to set up work from home. This seems like a great idea until you get emails at 7 pm saying URGENT! and taking calls when you should be spending time with your loved ones. One area bleeds into the other and you end up lost not knowing how to juggle your time. When I coached athletics, I saw this play out as well. This is where people attempt to have multiple roles but in the end, they contaminate one another and leave the kids confused. This is when say an athletic trainer gives weight lifting or football advise or when a football coach gives injury recovery advice. The intermixing of roles creates confusion as the athlete has no clue who they should be listening to. One thing contaminates the other and it all gets murky. 

This concept also exists on the national level. Should we allow politics into the workplace? Should Church and State be separated? Should schools be teaching this or that? The list can go on forever. I don't know the answer to any of these questions but thanks to the laundry dilemma, I now know that when boundaries collapse, contamination occurs. Tread lightly my friends!

What I've Been Reading...
Burmese Days by George Orwell
My love fest for Orwell continues as I work my way through his books this year. This was his first novel and it was written in 1934. The story takes place in a fictional district of Burma and it is loosely based on Orwell's time spent there as an Imperial Police officer for five years. This book shows the good, the bad, and the ugly of human nature. One thing I learned from this is that Orwell does not believe in happy endings. If you've read this, you'll know what I mean!

One quick side note, I find it almost unbelievable the amount of countries and territories that the British Crown ruled. It is such a small country and yet it dominated the landscape of the world. Take a look at this map and check for yourself: British Empire. 

Quote of the Week
"I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend." -- Thomas Jefferson

I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck