"Thumbs Up" -- Voluntary or Involuntary Reaction?

We tugged along the folding chairs, quartered oranges, drinks and snacks. This particular day required extra baggage as we found new places to tuck our blankets and umbrellas.

We sat in the rain on what was turning out to be a miserable morning. We were cold. We were wet. The wind was blowing. My son forgot to bring his ball. I'm not even sure I gave him anything to eat. The other team even got the advantage of playing the entire game downhill.

And the final straw, we didn't have time to stop for coffee.

Coach Randy led the kids in their "Go Tigers!" pre-game, hands-in cheer. He sent them to the field and encouraged them to have fun. We sat down and bundled up.

Somewhere near kickoff time, the wind and rain washed away our rushed, unpleasant morning.

Dominic skipped into position, as he has done at every soccer and basketball game he has played in his stellar 5 year career. He really, REALLY enjoys the game. Not the passing, or the shooting, or the running, or the cheering, or the body placement, or the throwing-in, or the scoring, or the steals and fast breaks.

Not even the oranges.

He loves the GAME.

Dominic has this smile that only appears on the court or field.

After about every sixth play he turns to his parents and gives us the "Thumbs up." And it is not connected to a goal or a great play. The "Thumbs up" is almost an involuntary reaction that occurs when my son is overwhelmed with love of the game, completely content that he is doing what he is doing.

My return "Thumbs up" was equally involuntary.
And so were the tears that began to well up in my eyes.

Or maybe it was just the rain.

But it was, without a doubt, a Perfect Moment!

What?! I'm not into FITNESS?

I used to think it was all about fitness. But I've realized that it's really about WELLNESS.

Fitness = No pain. No gain.
Wellness = If there's pain, find another way to accomplish the same goal in the same amount of time.

Fitness = Workout before anything.
Wellness = Sometimes the doing the puzzle or the book to your child comes before the workout.

Fitness = Going faster, going further, lifting more.
Wellness = Squeezing in 24 minutes of cardio before the family wakes up. Finding satisfaction in a quick but intense session of body squats, pull-ups and push-ups.

Fitness = Measuring every ounce of chicken and cooking a week's worth of meals on Sunday.
Wellness = Stashing bags of nuts, turkey jerkey and bottled water in the most amazing places so my family always has healthy snacks on hand.

It took a lot of time and experience to learn that Mommy doesn't mean fitness.

Mommy Means Well.

Twist and Turns

Life brings a lot of twists and turns. "Experts," also known as coaches, self help gurus, counselors, therapists, and even friends, tell us to have a long-term plan.

A PURPOSE.

And I suppose they are right.

But even when you have identified your purpose, sometimes life throws you a twist you didn't expect. I first defined my purpose in 1999. That's when I recognized that wellness was always going to be a part of my life. That's when my husband, Gino, and I decided to take the Body-for-LIFE Challenge. Since neither of us commit to anything without being REALLY committed, we won 2nd Runner-up, Couples Division, losing a combined 30 pounds and 11% body fat. Our purpose, once defined, allowed us to achieve greatness we had never before imagined.

A few years later, we had a son. Had I incorporated that into my purpose? Not really. We had been married 12 years and while "family" was important to both of us, it had meant sisters, parents, nephews and nieces. NOT children. As you can imagine, welcoming Dominic changed my purpose and priorities. The woman who had been a Type-A, 80-hour-a-week business owner had found something more important. MUCH more important.

Purpose changed.

Raising my son was instantaneously my most important job. Nothing mattered more. I still ran my business, but it always took a back seat to my son.

Just when I began settling into life as a part-time business owner and full-time mom, Gino was attacked by a devastating disease that left him paralyzed from the eyeballs, down. Guillain-Barre Syndrome was not nearly as wonderful as I had found motherhood to be, but it impacted my life in a similar manner.

Purpose changed again.

Now I was a full-time caregiver. Not only did my 2 year old son count on me for every thing he did, everything he ate, and everywhere he went, my husband had the same demands.

As Gino graduated from power wheelchair to manual wheelchair to walker to canes to walking on his own, I graduated as well, finding a part-time job that allowed me to incorporate the things that had become most important to me: Teaching kids to love being active and helping parents realize they already ARE perfect ... all the while being able to guide my husband through total body rehab, keep my son close to me and teach HIM to live active, too.

Just as life was settling in, I discovered that we are expecting our next child in September, 2010. Along with these changes, I'm no longer allowed to do some of my coaching.

Another change in purpose.

Do I regret dedicating so much of my life to defining and redefining my purpose? Absolutely not. It has helped me direct and redirect throughout my life so I continue to move forward. Never get stuck.

But I've also realized that the purpose isn't something that remains constant. It will change as life changes.

So I revisit my purpose often. Usually iI find it totally on-track. But once in a while, I know in my heart it's time for a re-direct.

I wonder where this baby will take me?