Getting Back to Principles

Lately life has been full of change.  Moving, leaving a job and a home, venturing into the unknown where possibilities abound- both exciting and daunting.





I often find myself in a fog, in an unclear mess where the walls quake in my spiritual "house" if you will.  When stress becomes predominant in my life, it becomes harder for me to stick to my principles.

Recently I read Fitness is Religion, a book written by Ray Kybartas.  It resonated with me.  Ray spoke the words that I had been missing every time I feebly tried to explain to a co-worker why I was going for a jog on my lunch break, or the ingredients in "that green thing" I was drinking.  It would be so much simpler if everyone understood that fitness is my religion.  It has become my way of life, my foundation, and the rituals associated with it keep me grounded.  I feel liberated when I am strong, and I feel amazing inside and out when I eat good food.

But when stress starts beating at my door, like the winds of a hurricane, the walls get a little shaky in my house.  The foundation is solid, but I feel the sway.  I may have three square meals in my day, but my nervous hands reach for the Cheeze Its in the vending machine.  They reach for more coffee to get me through my fatigue.  They "sin."

But after the storm is gone and life is a bit more settled, I get back to my principles.  Back to appreciating life in its fullness and for its change.  I take time to breathe in the smells on the wind, I recreate and enjoy.
And when I remember the hard times, they never seem so bad.  Without them, I would never understand how good the good times really are.