Rambleings!

I went for a run this morning. I’m trying to do three times a week, at least a mile each time, but I seem to be having a hard time with it right now. There is one particular hill I call Killer Hill, and I'm sure you can figure out why. When I was fit and healthy, I ran up this thing like nobody's business, but now that I'm getting back in the swing of things, it is just plain hard to get up it. Sometimes my best intentions kick my butt.

I got to thinking some time last night that it would be so easy to give up the task at hand and blame everything on the move. I could gain weight, eat what I wanted to, not exercise and just do packing/moving. Then I think about how hard it is to get started back, and I put down the bag of chips. This has got to be a Mary/Martha issue, don't you think? What is the better thing here? OK, maybe I'm stretching it and trying to make it more of a Biblical dilemma than it is. But I'm really having a hard time with it. The problem might be that I don't want to miss a thing, and then again, I want to stay in bed and sleep. I know that we will never pass this way again, and I remember thinking the same thing when we graduated from high school, but I'd like to think that I'm working with smarter brain cells right now. So I have lunches with friends and after-work gatherings and a few breakfasts with a dinner here and there. (No wonder I'm putting on some pounds.)

I keep thinking, “Why is any of this important? Why do we strive for real relationships just to move away from them?” I mean, we knew that when we were called here, it was to leave here. There are a handful of people that found this to be their new home, but I remember Jesus saying, "GO and make disciples of all nations," not "Stay here where you are comfortable, life is protected and your spouse has a job." But it's hard to do that going thing. I should know; I've done it enough. Here's what I've learned about leaving: It's harder to leave than to be left. You can go home, but it's better if you stay gone for a while and real friends make a point of keeping in touch. I have been in touch with my friend Janet since we left ASU. Now I'm going home, and we will be closer to each other and hopefully, we will start right back up where we left off. However, now I'm leaving Pat, MH, Betty, Kari, Denise, Leslie, Amy and Peg, and I wonder if we will make a point of keeping in touch. Leaving is hard; staying in touch takes effort, and getting back in shape will flat out kick your butt. These are things I know for sure!