Daily Priorities...

The last month or so, I've been doing incredibly well at making exercise a priority. I am really proud of myself. I read in the book "Finding the Angel Within by Pamela H. Hansen that when the LDS Prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckely was interviewed once and was asked what were the most important things he did each day. His answer was scripture reading and exercise.

I find this so interesting. After a lot of pondering on this I have realized the wisdom of this. There are so many things to do each day, it is easy to get buried in them: Cleaning, cooking, laundry, feeding children mulitiple times a day, scripture reading, exercise, meal planning, church callings, errands to run, classes, friends and family to contact,....besides things that are "non-essentials" such as TV/Movie watching, reading, computer use, recreational activities such as going to the zoo and the park, crafting, scrapbooking, sewing...etc.

Life can get so complicated! I feel a headache coming on just thinking of all there is to be done. Of course prioritizing is an important part of this. What should our priorities be? As a mom, the needs of my children do come first. Of course it is easy to let their needs take first priority and for me to become so bogged down in them and their needs that I completely ignore my own needs. Not a healthy option. When Christian was a baby and quite unhappy (colicky maybe?) I was so desperate to make him happy that I didn't pay much attention to my needs and got pretty lost/confused/depressed because I wasn't really doing anything for me unless I was desperate.

Healthy children are born with the the natural instincts to help them get what they need. They cry. They cry when they need something; anything. They are not concerned about anyone else's needs. They are immature; Physically, mentally, emotionally. As they grow they learn to put others' needs ahead of their own and about delaid gratification. Some of us become better at this than others. Of course moderation in all things is a necessary ingredient to learn in life, otherwise we can let everyone else's needs become first and not take care of our own needs which is unhealthy; especially long term.

I decided that the easiest way to prioritize is by figuring out what the most important things in my life are. In my opinion, it's spiritual growth. On top of that, the whole reason I have life is because of my body, so I need to take care of that too since it's the vehicle that will carry me through to the end of my life.

It's silly for people to expect their cars to last for years and years without much thought to matainance other than adding gas regularly or the occasional oil change. Tires need to be rotated, air filters changed,...etc. It's the same with our bodies, if we don't take care of them, they aren't going to perform at the top capacity. They may still get you where you need to go but the ride may not be as smooth. It's the same deal with our bodies, they need nourishment, exercise, to be clean and sleep to be healthy.

I have spent so much of my life fighting my body. Wishing that it looked differently, that I didn't have the maladies I do. I have also experienced moments of triumph with my body, moments when I reached the top of a moutain, finished a race, completed a goal, maxed at 110 lbs on the bench press, held a yoga pose for 10 minutes, and gave birth. Those have been some of the most rewarding days of my life! I need to stop worrying about what I can't control and take responsibility for the things that I can. I can be a strong woman even if I can't be a tall slender one. I can be a loving mother that teaches her children how to become loving human begins. I can become spiritual strong through meditation, prayer, pondering and scripture study. I can do amazing things if I don't let all of the other little things in life crowd out what the most important things are.

That is why I'm trying to follow President Hinckley's lead and try to prioritize wisely and remember to take care of my spiritual and physical needs first. And what easier way than by daily exercising and scripture reading?!