Variety, don't overdo, and spread yourself around a little.

The old saying is that variety is the spice of life. It is that and more. When we get ourselves stuck doing the same thing weekly, or worse yet daily, we get stuck in a deeper and deeper hole. Rut isn't even the right word. Groove is what it starts out as, rut is what it becomes, and hole is what it eventually is.

There is nothing that we should do in excess everyday, ever. Should we in moderation? Yes,of course. I mean you do have to eat and drink, but when people go to extremes, it is an issue. The other part of that is that people become addicted. They MUST do whatever the activity is , or they feel guilty, bad, unhappy. When you reach that stage, you are in trouble.Seriously. The next step is OCD.

I know many people who have professionally danced their way into surgery (it is especially hard on the knees), people who have played tennis to the point where they also needed surgery, several weight lifters with stomach, knee and shoulder issues (not to mention that for a while there the muscles were so big they couldn't scratch their own back), runners galore with knee, ankle, and even heart issues (YES heart issues), and climbers that had more sprains and broken limbs that anyone I have ever met. Then we go to the unhealthy side. The drinkers, drug addicts, gamblers, sex addicts, hoarders, and other spenders.

If you NEED to do it, do it every day, and feel bad when you don't, you have a serious problem. It isn't healthy, none of it, from daily hours of tennis to overspending on QVC, not when it reaches the previous criteria. Drug addicts and alcoholics always look 20 years older than they are. They wear away their lives second by second. Even health things are unhealthy in excess.

One friend said she could be an athlete and did a variety of things. I told her to take it easy. She was rail thin and could go all day. She ended up in a hospital in Las Vegas malnourished , with heart issues, and shin, knee and ankle issues. She had to stop. She was on her back for weeks. It made her miserable, but it cured her of her excessive behavior. All at the ripe age of 36.

Athletes have more than a "no pain, no gain" mentality. They have special diets high in calories and protein. They drink more fluids, and not just water, then you or I will even imagine. They also get taken care of by people who know how to attend to tight , sore, swollen muscles and other physical ailments before they become serious.

Does this mean don't climb, don't have a couple of glasses of wine with dinner? Of course not. Just remember the yin yang. The Universal balance. When you go too far out of it, on the bad side OR the good side, you disrupt the energy around you and make it so that you are not only out of balance literally, but energetically also. We need the two sides to be balanced. There is good in the bad, and bad in the good, and when we realize that, we are able to bring health, success, happiness to us without spending 6 hours in the gym and our life savings on drugs.

The key is to get out of that rut and be rounded, circuit training for the soul (and I suppose the body is part of that too!). It is making yourself do different things, not getting stuck, learning and growing, not becoming stagnant. It is about taking on new challenges not the same , safe,  old ones over and over. It is about stopping and looking around and seeing who needs a hard, information, or encouragement, not just focusing on some goal with tunnel vision.

It is about taking on new things, so you learn, grow and prosper, not staying with the old so that you get stuck in that hole or miss opportunities to find a new passion. People tend to not do new things as they get older. Why? It is the perfect time to learn. Your energy will increase, your knowledge will increase, your social circle will increase. You will find paths that lead to even new places. Variety.

You will become stronger in other areas of your body, mind and spirit. Most of all, you will have fun. Things won't be a chore, something you always did, something that if you mis sout will make you feel bad or guilty.

I have a few friends who had to pay a doctor's visit or hospital stay this week. Three were from "overdoing it" in some way, and only one from an illness she could not have prevented. Is it worth three people in medical care??? No. None of it.

Before you get stuck, branch out. When you are already stuck, wean yourself off, and if you seriously cannot, you have a serious problem with deeper issues. Be part of the Universe and its' energy flow in balance. Be in balance. Never act out of fear. People take drugs to hide from life, they exercise to hide or "insure" they won't die young (that doesn't work even, ask any parent of a child who died in High school sports practice), people drink to self medicate....all bad reasons. Nothing even done out of fear is done for a good reason.

Trust in the Universe, be well rounded, have variety in your life, and grow. It will be the happiest you have ever been. Remember the meaning of "namaste", and keep in balance.

Homework for this weekend...find and try something new! Who can take on the challenge!

Namaste



Peshaui Wequashimese




(C)2012 Dr R M Wolf. May not be used, copied or reproduced without prior written permission.