It's all about perspective...

We returned to Europe for vacation before we move to the West Coast this summer.  We had a wonderful time.  We visited with life-long friends (American and German), ate wonderful food, saw things we had never seen before, and were reminded of how much our family lives on autopilot.  Thank goodness for the opportunity to just get away. We were also reminded of wonderful memories of our recent past and learned  of history made long before the Americas were colonized and brought into the "civilized" world.

Here's a truth that I am reminded of once again...

For Americans, 100 miles is short and 100 years is long.  For Europeans, 100 years is short and 100 miles is long.

Speyer Dom, 

Standing in the middle of the Cathedral (Dom) in Speyer, Germany, this never seemed more true.  A fortress church built between 1025 and 1061, it's walls are between 10 and 21 foot thick, so as to be able to hold off invading armies.  And it was the last big cathedral built before the Eastern and Western Churches split in 1054. Think about that... this church building is over 1000 years old and still sits majestically on the banks of the Rhine river.  It is the largest Romanesque-style cathedral still in existence today, and its architecture influenced all of the large churches built in the 11th and 12th centuries.  And it's not just a building... it's a vital Roman Catholic congregation, worshiping and working in the community and sharing their love for Christ with all who enter their doors.

Or how about this cool motorcycle guy?  He is a replica of one the characters in Easy Rider... but he's not just a motorcycle rider... he was created out of parts from old motorcycles.... from far away he's nostalgic... but up close he's amazing!

Visiting Germany is a little like going back in time.  Some things seem not to change.  And yet, there are the modern conveniences that we love... like internet and GPS and Coke Light.  We went into a small German restaurant one evening - the frescoes on the outside of the building indicated that it had been open since 1756.  We were very proud that we could still order from a German menu and as we waited for our wonderful food, we realized that playing in the background was a soundtrack of easy listening music, including Elton John, Prince and Adele...musical trends must be universal.

Living in Europe and visiting again has really helped me to get things into perspective.  It reminds me that my view of the world is not the only view of the world.  Others have different perspectives that are informed by their own experiences.  And some of my best experiences, and my most meaningful times of personal growth, have come from seeing and experiencing the world through someone else's eyes.  Not judging it by the standards of my life, but seeing the world in a new way, and always coming away richer in the process.  This is really hard sometimes because our own experiences give us a sense of boundary and expectation.  We become accustomed to ourselves in the reflection of our little, mirrored world.  But who wants to be like a koi, a small type of goldfish that will only grow to the size of its pond and no larger.  Amazing things can happen, lives can be changed, and the world made a better place if we can only be brave enough to examine the world through someone else's life.

In truth, we all have so much in common.  We want the same things... a good life, friendship, love, respect. My life is so much fuller, so much sweeter, so much more complete because I have learned that "new" isn't better or worse - just different.  Thanks to all of those who have shared their lives - to all who have challenged me - to all who have coaxed me out of my shell and welcomed me into a brave, new world.

I think our biggest challenge in life is to be open to all the new people and places and foods and experiences we can, to learn the lessons that they teach, and to end each day a little different than we started.

Peace, Deb

“All great changes are preceded by chaos.” -Deepak Chopra

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

“All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.” –Walt Disney

Habit Forming...

I heard a radio interview on NPR a couple of months ago.  Terry Gross was interviewing Charles Duhigg about his new book, The Power of Habit.  You can listen to the interview here.

I was quite intrigued with his description of how habits are formed.  In the beginning, there is a conscious choice to participate in a certain behavior.  But as the behavior is repeated over and over, it moves from the part of the brain that is responsible for decision making into another part of the brain – the part that is responsible for things like breathing and walking and putting on your shoes…. Even driving a certain route over and over can become a habit – ever driven to work and not remember how many lights you stopped at?   These habits are usually done exactly the same way every time, like brushing your teeth or getting dressed.  They are woven into the fabric of our days, often so much that we don’t even think or talk about them when looking back at our days.

Now I’m sure that your life is like mine.  It is filled with good habits and bad habits.  And all of us have changes that we would like to make in our lives, but when we try to establish these new habits in the midst of our routines, we find it very difficult to get the hang of the new thing.  But a very funny thing happens when we go on vacation.  We change everything up.  It’s not that we forget how to drive or make our way to work, it’s that we don’t have to implement those behaviors in the same way we do in our everyday environment.  His research has shown that going on or returning from vacation is a great time to kick habits to the curb, or to begin new habits that you want to become a part of your life.

So why I am I talking about this, you might wonder?  Well, I just went on vacation.  It was a wonderful, beautiful trip to The Netherlands and Germany, to see the tulips in Amsterdam and visit our friends from our previous assignment there.  Yes, it rained most days, and in our five days in Amsterdam I wore my lined raincoat from morning until night, but we ate great food, saw amazing sights, and share many laughs with both German and American friends.  We wondered before we left whether we would remember what all the road signs meant, or how to get from place, or how to order in a restaurant.  And it was amazing.  Within a few hours, all of the information that had been locked away for over four years was almost immediately accessible.  In fact, we found ourselves using our Germany dictionary a lot less than we had before.  It just all made sense.

For Christmas I got a new pedometer – a Fitbit Ultra – that not only tracks my steps, but also the flights of stairs that I climb each day.  And while we were in Amsterdam there were a couple of days that I walked over 9 miles (for me over 20,000 steps) … and survived!  Sure, I was tired at the end of the day, but a couple of Advil and I was ready to tackle it all again the next day.  So as we started the process of returning home, I started thinking that if I could walk that many miles on vacation, there wasn’t any reason not to use my return from vacation as a motivator for forming a new positive habit.

Our trip home day started early – a 3:30am wakeup to be at the airport at 5:00am .  Several delays ensued, but we took off at 2:00pm (Central European Time) and arrived in Baltimore at 4:00pm (Eastern Daylight Time).  A two hour journey to retrieve luggage and travel home… we walked into our house at 6:00pm.  Unpacking suitcases and sorting laundry helped us make it to 9:30pm – and the magic of being up for 24 hours.  We snuggled into our wonderful bed with its amazing pillows and fell asleep almost instantly. 

My husband woke up at 3:30am – I made it to 4:45am.  And as he headed off to work about 5:30, I watched the sky start to get light and remembered that conversation about making new habits.  So I got up, put on my walking clothes and started trekking around my neighborhood.  Thirty minutes later I returned home and felt good about my day.  And every day since, instead of sleeping in to 7:21 (don’t ask me why that was my body’s programmed wake up time, it just was), I wake up 6:00am, and I get up and go out for a walk.  On Wednesday when it was raining, I considered taking the day off, but I was afraid that if I stopped for even one day, I might not go back out. Yesterday I walked 2.5 miles in 40 minutes and it just felt good.  (Just so you know, my friends Jenn, Katie, Bobbie & Catherine are jumping up and down for joy because they think I’m only one step away from running!)

So here I am, 10 days into new habit formation... and breaking bad habits: I didn't drink but one Diet Coke while I was gone, so I decided that it would have to go… and I’m good.  I am thanking God for a wonderful trip with new sights and sounds, and a time to renew old friendships.  But I'm also thankful for this time of resetting my body and my priorities.  And now that I have publicly committed to this new endeavor, I hope you'll all keep me honest and encouraged in my journey.  And I encourage you to use your time of vacation to think about new habits to form or old habits to break.  It's really been a time of revelation.

My new motto:  "I am a new creation… God is doing a good work in me."

Peace, Deb

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.  Romans 12:1 (The Message)