Trippin With Dad

Monkey has his eye on you.  It's not about what you say but how you live that Monkey connects with the most.  Monkey is a great mimic, parroting your lifestyle choices almost to a 'T'.  If you refuse to eat vegetables, guess what monkey will hate out of hand.  If you consider "exercise" a trip to the fridge, then monkey won't take exercise seriously.  When we talk about chronic conditions in our community, I am more and more convinced that environment trumps genetic disposition by quite a bit (my opinion).  Besides, most of us cannot affect our genes much one way or another.  But, I'd like to think we have a bit more control over our immediate environment.  The operative word here is 'control'.  Getting a handle on the 'why' of 'what' you do is one of the most important steps in changing the 'what'.  And believe me, it is not all head knowledge.  Many of our observable actions stem from an underground current of emotional hu

We all mess up.  We yell when silence would be the best option.  We speak out of turn thus speaking foolishly.  We mindlessly speak death over a situation, circumstance or person when, clearly, life would be the better option.  We force things to happen instead of allowing God to handle the obstacle.  (we, by the way definitely means 'I').  This reminds me of the countless times when my tongue created problems I didn't have before I carelessly let it loose.  There are many people still nursing wounds that I caused with my rapier tongue.  And to what end?  Someone got 'read', someone else got cut and so no one got healed.  Here are a few strategies I am working on incorporating into my repertoire to harness that bucking colt: 1.  Hum .  There is no doubt the other person will know something is brewing but it will diffuse the bomb. It creates a vibration in your head that will eventually distract you. Hopefully. 2. Smile .  There's another one that's easy

Getting started I was recently inspired by a fellow church member to create a vision board.  I'd thought about completing one before and kind of poo pooed the idea as a bit of a shallow exercise. But, this year we asked our after school kids to each complete one and I must say I bought into the premise while helping the kids flesh our their hopes and dreams.  So, I am in the midst of creating my own vision booklet by collecting pictures and phrases from magazines I own.  I read in my devotional tonight that if I plan to dream big, work hard, stay focused and surround myself with good cheerleaders there is nothing God cannot help me achieve. It's a bit funny to have to visit this idea again at my age but it feels like the right thing to do during any transition phase in life.  You know, those times when the tension between multiple choices occurs?  My sense is, those times of tension and testing can be fertile grounds for fresh visioning.  I have no idea what the end result

A mentor-mentee relationship is a powerful coupling.  When there is a recognition by both parties that information deperately needs to be shared between two willing people the dynamic can be synergistic.  I have been blessed to have had some truly complimentary mentors along the way both in my personal and professional life.  Each one inspired, encouraged, challenged, sometimes admonished and always intrigued me.  There was integrity noted meaning that their public and private selves  appeared to be congruous.  Being able to submit to a trusted persons instruction is indeed humbling but brings nothing but good rewards.  As long as neither expects perfection out of the other a healthy conduit can be built.  Some of my relationships lasted relatively briefly or for a particular season of my life.  A few have lasted for decades which speaks volumes about the power of meaningful relationships.  In my faith walk and in leadership roles in the church I have decided that a Titus woman is who

Hi.  My name is Sylvia and I am an Eater.  If you are a member of Eaters Anonymous like I am then, welcome!!  My eating is not necessarily a PROBLEM (OK, I MAY be in some denial here) but I have to admit to being passionate about my food; how else can I expect to get help for my affliction?!  I really love really good food that, hopefully, someone else has already vetted.  I love to try new spots on a whim, sure, but if I get a great recommendation from someone I trust then, all the better.  And so it was the other day that my honey and I got to eat some really great food on the rec of total strangers from a place we couldn't have imagined in a part of Tampa I had never been to.  THIS is what I love about being a tourist in your own town.  You can hang an odd left and fall smack into a gem of a spot that isn't even on the radar of Yelp.  Our intention was to eat at a Haitian restaurant recommended by our masseur Kendall.  We checked the hours of operation  on Yelp and it said,

We recently made a few improvements to the homestead that make us want to spend a bit more time outdoors enjoying our quiet surroundings.  It is amazing what a coat of paint, some glitter (on the floor and not in my hair) and new chair cushions can do.  This is part of our front porch where we now like to spend time in the morning with a great cup of coffee and a burbling fountain.  It's a nice place to plop after our 2 mile morning walks are done.  I can just BE for about 15 minutes.  He might give me a recap of a news story he's read and I may share what I've learned on a podcast but its a lovely way to ease into a busy day.  What quiet space have you carved out for you to have a contemplative moment?  I feel like time spent on this little patch of home contributes greatly to our sense of well being and unity for the day.

It is never easy to lose a substantial amount of weight especially when you have gotten "comfortable" carrying said weight around.  I'm talking the amount equivalent to the weight of, oh, say, a first grader.  Imagine carrying a first grader around with you everywhere you go. Hungry, sometimes moody but mainly just wanting to constantly cling to you.  I'm talking 8 years or so of dragging around a first grader that I couldn't put down.  More accurately, wasn't ready to let go of.  But when I did finally make my mind up to change, guess who was right there with me as ready as I was?-my husband.  What a nice surprise!  As anyone knows whose tried to go it alone in a household of eaters it's a tough row to hoe.  Having my Boo on the same path as I am means that there is no obstacle that we can't handle together, no temptation that we can't talk each other out of (or let each other cheat on without judgement).   I am halfway to my goal and my homey has

I was in the beauty shop recently and I overheard a mature woman telling the owner of the shop about her "wellness team".  My ears perked up. I was  intrigued.  Wellness team?  What is that exactly and do I already have one?  So, of course I asked this lovely woman what it was and who was on her 'team'.  She explained that she regularly visits a well curated group of specialists who see about her health and well being.  Her team consisted of an accupuncturist, a masseuse, a chiropractor, a medical doctor and a personal trainer.  OK.  Her enthusiasm was infectious.  OK.  We talked about a few things we had in common, exchanged phone numbers and went our separate ways.  Since meeting her I've come to acknowledge that I do have my own 'team' and I've decided it will look very different from here on out.  First person on my team will be God the Father for without Him, nothing I attempt to do will be possible.  I already know that He has my best interest a

I have always admired adults who sow into the lives of the old, young and vulnerable of our society.  To me it seems like there is no better investment of time, energy or resources than to serve others because, honestly, there but for the grace of God go any one of us.  I get to serve with amazing men and women at Life Church who routinely stand in the gap for single moms, widows, folks without a current address, those who are food insecure, many many many who are under resourced, children from struggling homes, those in the throws of substance addiction and scores who are spiritually lost and physically spent.  It is a privilege and an honor to do my small part in Kingdom work along side my amazing brothers and sisters in Christ.  I wasn't sure what 'retiring' early would look like but I for sure knew it meant I would have more time for Kingdom work.  One of the biggest reasons we chose our current church was because of their commitment and heart for local and global commu

Have you ever been run out of your bedroom by bugs dear reader? Welp, I have. It started out as this little sniggle bug on the back of my neck and quickly escalated into dozens of winged ant like creatures crawling ALL OVER MY SIDE OF THE BED!!!  I got receipts! I also got the willies.  It's one thing to catch an occasional bug flitting about in your living space.  But to walk into a swarm on your bedding?  Lets just say it was a looong night spent scratching involuntarily.  I really don't like the idea of squishing bugs.  I try to be a catch and release elsewhere girl, but I had to call in the big guns which of course meant that my husband had to come to the rescue.  I wish I could report that this ordeal lasted only the one night but alack and alas we were still in the midst a few days ago.  I learned a little trick some years ago when Spring time in Ohio would invariably bring Ants into the house (the kitchen no less!).  I would lay down a suppression line of Dawn liqu

Do you have your passport dear reader?  If not, whhhhhhy?  What, pray tell, are you waiting for?Where around the world aren't you going that has been calling to you to visit, minister etc?  I have this really cute purse that I purchased from a young designer a few years ago that is just a simple hobo style purse really.  Nothing more than a lot of floppy fabric, some chain and some leather.  But what I was drawn to was the print on the fabric.  Cleverly emblazoned on the bag are many of the major cities around the world that I have always dreamed of visiting.  To be fair, I have been blessed to visit a few of the cities listed.  But the vast majority are ones on my short list that have yet to be discovered by the explorer known as Sylvia ( I know; millions of people already live there but we have yet to encounter each other 😉.  And I say that with all humility 😌)  Just THINK of the stories that have not been written by you. I have committed to pay for the passports of each an

Recently, out of the blue, a Sister from church gifted me with a cute pair of yellow jeans that were too long for her.  And I had just been thinking about how I needed new pants because my old jeans were falling off me.  Because of my weight loss I can now fit the cutie jeans whereas a few short months ago it would have been a, ' lay down on your back and kick your heels up shimmy shake' of a struggle to get those bad boys on (anybody got some corn starch?) Even if I could have gotten them on, buttoning them would have been a put your eye out impossibility.  It's funny because it was such a generous gesture that it caught me completely off guard.  I admire and respect my church Sister but never thought she'd be thinking of me as she went through her closet looking to give away a perfectly beautiful pair of pants.  But isn't that just how God works?  You're busy with your day attending to all sorts of situations and circumstances and BOOM, the Father whom you lov