L-O-V-E

I received a gift accompanied by a card that was signed L-U-V-Y-A...Luv ya!

Now I consider the person who gave me the gift, one of my closest friends. I read the card again and the second time through it read just as eloquently as the first until I got to the L-U-V-Y-A!

You see those five letters L-U-V-Y-A, made me feel cheated...abbreviated. This reduction of letters somehow conveyed a lack of emotion being shown me. I understand that this world has become a text messaging, technology driven, time conscious society; but when did we start substituting real LOVE for this convenient, cutesy, L-U-V-Y-A?! I equate this term with my teens and early twenties. A time when I did not fully understand what it means to LOVE. I am not just talking about romantic LOVE. I am talking LOVE of friends too. There was a time when I did not know that LOVE was more than wanting to be in that person’s presence 24/7. LOVE is more that missing them when you are apart. LOVE is more than wanting to provide nice gifts, more than extending a helping hand... LOVE is more that an abbreviation at the end of a card!

When I LOVE, it’s spiritual, emotional, physical and present. When I say or write I LOVE YOU, it means, I pray for you, I feel your pain, I feel your joy, I cheer for you, I get angry with you, I long for you... My LOVE deserves to be reciprocated and L-U-V-Y-A just won’t do.

When I say or write I LOVE YOU, you receive and become part of me.

Don’t abbreviate your LOVE for me...

LOVE,

Kristal

Best Shape of My Life

In Spring of this year, I turned 45. Now I’m not one to be concerned about my age but this year I have been suffering through some weird illnesses. I was diagnosed with bronchitis only to be struck with pneumonia and to top it all off, I finished it up with H-pylori...YUCK. For those of you who don’t know, H-pylori is a bacteria in your stomach. You can go for years without symptoms. Thank God I had symptoms. They were horrible symptoms...Google it when you get a chance.

I have always been athletic and I would say I was in the best shape of my life about 14 years ago. I had a six pack, I could do pull ups, my aerobic conditioning was great...I felt pretty good about myself.

When I got over all three illnesses, I felt horrible. I felt fat. I felt weak. I kept trying to think of ways to get back the “eye of the tiger”. I would go to the gym, but I ate anything I wanted. I trained for a marathon with a friend last year and I still ate what I wanted. I walked and went to dance class but, I ate what I wanted. Needless to say...I like to eat!

I couldn’t believe how hard it was to get that drive back. I mean it was a way of life for me 14 years ago. I prepared my meals, I ate 6 small meals a day and I worked out religiously...what happened to me?

Now it would be easy for me to blame it on age. It would be easy for me to blame it on work. It would be easy for me to blame it on being busy; but let’s call it was it is...I got lazy and complacent. I needed to kick myself in the behind.

I’m not one to ask for help. I’m not one to share what my plans are but at this point in my life I felt as if I couldn't be the only one with this problem. I noticed a lot of my friends were struggling too. Struggling to find the motivation to get healthy.

Then it hit me...I am an avid Facebook user. I've seen many people provide status updates about going to college and preparing for job interviews. I decided to use it in a different way.

Approximately 44 days ago, I challenged myself to 60 days of clean eating and intense workouts. To prove I was serious, I placed the challenge on Facebook and asked some friends to join me! I didn’t realize at the time how much support I would get from a social networking site. Facebook has been holding me accountable! When I don’t post, I have friends who are asking, “WHERE ARE YOU?” Facebook has provided a support group at no charge!

Today is day 16 and I feel great! I have lost approximately 15 lbs! I am eating 6 small meals per day, I am drinking a minimum of 1 gallon of water daily and my workouts are intense. I cannot believe that Facebook has been instrumental in kick starting my journey to getting back into the best shape of my life!

Are you with me?

Courage

I recently had the opportunity to hear a friend speak before a group of high school students. She was speaking about making smart life choices. You see my friend is uniquely qualified to speak about this subject. She is HIV positive.

She contracted the virus from her boyfriend 17 years ago. She was in her early 20’s when she found out she was positive. You see her boyfriend had numerous instances of unprotected sex with numerous partners. She only had him. She told the audience that even after he was told he was HIV positive, he continued to have unprotected sex with her and many others.

When did she find out? After he fell ill and was placed in the hospital. He finally revealed his positive status on what would eventually be his death bed. She said he hoped they would both become sick and die from the virus together.

As I listened to her deliver this powerful message, I felt sad. I felt angry and I felt envy. I know some of you are gasping right now. Yes, envy. You see my friend is exposed. Yes she has been exposed to the HIV virus but I’m speaking of a different type of exposure. She has no secrets. She lives with HIV without fear of her deepest, darkest secret being revealed. She has taken that power away from those who would secretly gossip and mock her. She exposed herself. How many of us walk around with some deep, dark secret that we never want the world to know. How many of us are quick to judge others about their shortcomings, when if our lives were flashed across a movie screen, we couldn’t even find a letter in the alphabet to rate it.

As I looked around the audience, the silence was deafening. I saw fear. I saw curiosity. I saw angst. I saw dread.

My friend is living with the HIV virus. She is also living with failing kidneys and a host of other minor illnesses as a result of the HIV...but she is LIVING. The daughter she was pregnant with when diagnosed is now a freshman in college. She attends church regularly and she is spreading the word to whomever will listen. She warns of the dangers of having unprotected sex. She warns of the dangers of making the wrong life choices.

I envy her courage and her freedom.

Eye Opening Moment

How many of you remember the movie, “The Color Purple?” Do you remember the line in the movie with Celie and Shug walking through a field of flowers and Shug says, “I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don't notice it.?” This line came to mind for me recently. I was caught up in my life. You know how it is…I was too busy for everything but work. Too busy to return phone messages, too tired to go to the gym, too rushed to make my lunch for the week…just too busy. Or so I thought.

My one year old niece had a birthday coming and I wasn’t going to make her birthday party so I wanted to drop off her gifts. I rushed over to see her in between appointments. My plan was to drop off her gift and run to my next appointment. My niece had other plans. She was standing in the doorway upon my arrival. I had been too busy to notice how much she’d grown and how she can pull herself up to stand. I was too busy to remember her smile and her “Gerber baby” laugh. I had forgotten how much she likes to play and be tickled. Most importantly, I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed her “Johnson & Johnson’s” baby smell and I how much I enjoyed just playing with her. It took me and hour and a rescheduled appointment to notice “the color purple.”

Have you noticed “the Color Purple today?”

Kristal