WOW!

 Celebration time!  This is my 100th published blog post!  And today's topic could not be more perfect!  

Let me start with a story:

I'm generally a runner.  That's how I get my cardio in.  Jogger might be closer to the truth, lol!  I have been running since 7th grade junior high when our P.E. teacher made us run a mile for the first time in my life, and I literally collapsed at the finish line.  I thought I was going to die.  Right then I decided I was going to conquer running.  I started running around my neighborhood.  I got my sister to run with me.  By the time I graduated from high school I could run five miles without stopping, which may not seem huge to a "real" runner, but compared to collapsing after a mile, it was a great victory!  It has been my mode of cardio ever since.  

About two months ago I  developed popliteal tendinitis behind my right knee.  Within days I was literally not able to run without extreme pain.  Walking was even a challenge.  The timing was not good.  Normally I would just take some time off, but I was smack in the middle of a weight release goal, and I was no way going to put that on hold.  It's hard enough to begin such a journey, and I was having great success.  I was not going to quit.  But I needed cardio in order to be successful.  So I found another way.  I switched to biking.  

My son is a talented mountain biker, and my husband has also biked off and on for many years.  I remembered we had an old (rusty) ten-speed bike under the deck.  I got it out and dusted it off.  My husband put air in the tires, and off I went to see if it would work.  It did.  More importantly, it didn't hurt my leg to ride a bike, and so I started biking.  First it was just around the neighborhood, then a little way up the long hill by my house that I mentioned a couple weeks ago.  Now I can go all the way up the hill, and much further even.  I discovered that I love biking!  It has been a great solution to my cardio problem.

A few years ago I attended a seminar where I was introduced to the concept of WOW.  It imperfectly stands for What's Another Way?  When something in our life changes in a way we don't want, we may want to sit down on the floor and pout, maybe even throw a tantrum and cry.  But then, we can either stay there, or we can get up and figure out 'what's another way'.  

I've had SO many instances in my life where something great and maybe even inspired ended,  or turned sour, and I've had to figure out 'what's another way'.  

Take for example, not just my way of getting cardio in, but the perfect nursing job that wasn't after a while, or the business my husband started and ran for 15 years until the recession hit and brought us to our knees.  And just because something is right for the moment, doesn't mean it will always be right. And just because something IS right, doesn't mean it will be easy or perfect.  In fact, it won't.   Sometimes we have to pivot.  Sometimes we have to turn a corner.  Sometimes we have to change directions and go down a different road.  And that's okay.  It's a bit unsettling, but it's okay.  

If you haven't read the book, "Who Moved My Cheese" I would highly recommend it.  It's all about WOW.  

Is there something currently in your life where WOW could help?

As you look backwards, what WOW things have you done?

It's okay to mourn a change you didn't want.  Go through the mourning.  But then get up off the floor, dust yourself off and ask "What's another way?".  You've got this. ♥