Quick apologies

I haven't been blogging much.  Not having a laptop is taking a toll on my desire to blog.  I don't like writing if I feel like I don't have privacy to write and since my husband is usually in the room with me while I'm on the computer, that cuts down on my desire to write.  But, I have a quick apology to make tonight.

Nikki, I wasn't meaning to single you out.  My views on the Bible were something I meant to include in the original post and I enjoyed reading your comment on that post, so please don't feel that I was criticizing.  I may not have explained well how I feel about the Bible.  I do believe that it is a useful tool for introspection and for inspiring our own Faith.  My issues with it are more how it can be used, how it is used, by some to justify how they view the world, how they condemn groups of people, how they use it to say God hates certain people.  God hates no one.  Every person, every living thing, is a creation of God and he loves each and every one of them.  Bad things happen in our world because God allows us free-will and free-will means that we are also free to destroy or build, depending on our inclinations and choices.

Reyna, I hope I haven't driven you away with my Faith talk.  I love seeing your comments.  I was raised in a multitude of churches as well.  My paternal family told me how I was going to Hell because I chose to have my ears pierced and because I have an incredible love for bacon (who doesn't?).  My mom bounced from church to church to church, depending on whether she was the object of gossip or the instigator of gossip (she loves to be the first to know things, but hates to have people talk about her....imagine that?).  I think between that and the environment of my childhood, it's no wonder I questioned the existence of God!  I'm finding as I get older though that the more I can let go of control of my life and believe that God is there to help me and guide me and hold me up when I no longer have the strength to keep going on my own, the more comfort I find in the belief.  Not to mention, the more people I say good-bye to in this life, the easier dealing with their loss is when I believe fully and whole-heartedly that I will see them again at the gates of Heaven.  I don't want to push my views on you or on anyone else.  We're all free to believe as we will or won't, worship as we will or won't.  Some believe, but object to organized religion (church is not a requirement for belief!).  Others don't believe at all.  For me, it's all good, as long as people are happy with how they choose to live.  One of the most incredible things about this world we live in is the infinite diversity!

Notes from the gym and some clarification...

I need to clarify something about my Faith.  But first, I want to say...I love, love, love comments.  I love getting them, I love reading them, and I love hearing from people, regardless if their comments are positive or negative or completely in-line with my thinking.  Here's the thing....I don't quote the Bible.  I won't quote the Bible.  And while the Bible can be useful as a guideline for behavior, for me, it's not the basis of my Faith.  My Faith is separate from the Bible and I have some pretty contrary views on the book.  I think we should all actually think, really think, about the history of that book and how it came to be.  Thousands of years ago, several someones sat down and wrote each of the gospels.  In ancient Hebrew.  Many, many years later, when Christianity was brought into the mainstream, a bunch of men with agendas sat down and translated those gospels from ancient Hebrew to Latin.  And they put their own spin on them.  The Bible has since been translated many more times and each time, something more gets lost.  Without the original gospels and a deep understanding of ancient Hebrew, we can't know exactly what was added in, what was original, and what was flat-out lies.  So...the Bible is a useful tool and has a lot of great things, but my understanding of God and Faith is very separate from it.

I need to come clean now.  The gym stuff hasn't been going so well.  There's been an entire week-long break from it here and there.  I'm having a hard time finding the energy and motivation on some days.  I try on other days, but sometimes, my heart just isn't in it.  I've gained some weight back.  I'm not sure how much because I don't want to step on the scale.  I'm trying here and there, but it's just not enough.  I need to try harder.  I need to go back to getting in a walk each day, to making sure every single day has some form of exercise in it.  That being said, I have been making it to the gym the last week or so.  

The more I make it to the gym, the more I notice certain groups of people.  It's funny how alike people at the gym are!  They make not seem alike at first, but there are so many similarities!  Picture this.....a nearly 6-foot-tall woman with dark-blonde hair, pulled back into a tight ponytail.  She's about 50-years-old and in near-prime physical condition.  Another woman, same age-range, maybe 5 and a half feet tall, fluffy brown, shoulder-length hair, also in great physical condition.  They look so different and I'm sure if you met them, their personalities would be incredibly different.  But....similarities, aside from just the physical....they both dress in skimpy little outfits that show off their health.  The taller woman always wears incredibly short running shorts and a sports tank.  And the shorter woman...hides her legs with long yoga pants, but knots her t-shirts just below her rib cage to show off her stomach.  I find people so fascinating!  The hard-core runners who run around the track (and who I'm incredibly envious of....if only I could run without peeing my pants!).  The buff, well-muscled strength-trainers who lift weights.  The beef-cakes who just want attention, so they grunt and groan and slam weights down so people will look at them.  One of my favorite groups to watch are the pick-up men....the gym is like a buffet-line for them!  Only problem is....more often than not, the "dishes" aren't all that interested in them!  They wink and do the "hey, how you doing" thing and hope they'll get lucky.  They hop on machines in hopes of impressing the lady next to theirs only to have to hop back off when they're out of breath because they can't keep up with her.  It's so much fun to watch!  

I need to keep all that enjoyment in mind and use it to try to get my butt into the gym more often!