Laughter is Good, But I Know Something Better

They say laughter is the best medicine. I like the sentiment. But I'm not sure I agree entirely.

I think exercise is good for what ails you.

Stretching. Walking. Dancing. Hula hooping. Marching. Jumping jacking. Pick your poison. As long as it's ...

Moooooooooooooooving.

(And sweating. A little sweating proves you're moving enough.)

When my life feels like it's about to spin out of control, when my mind races, when my heart palpitates, when I can't catch my breath ...

The best thing I can do is shake my ass in some way.

The very action of shaking your southern half has an equal and opposite reaction that slows your accelerating northern regions.  

I spoke with an old friend last night who is going through a very rough time. She's got lots of balls in the air and all of them are on fire. She's hurting. And I feel kind of helpless because there's not much I can say or do to make it better.

But the one thing I can tell her--with certainty--is that taking care of herself does matter.

If there is one noticeable difference between the me of today and the me of yesterday, other than the size of my behind, it is my ability to handle stress. The things that used to keep me up at night or cause me to fly off the handle no longer do.

Some of that comes with age, I'm sure. You just get better at handling the "bad" stuff because you realize that it's going to happen and you have to deal with it. Some of the ability to let it roll I've learned from my husband. He's just built that way and I've been taking notes for 11 years.

But some of it comes from my new lifestyle.

1. Exercising gives me time to think. It's an hour a day that's all mine. The methodical pounding of my feet on the pavement or my toes on the pedals provides a rhythm for me to hammer through the issues causing me grief.

2. Exercising makes me strong ... physically and mentally. And when I'm strong, I can face anything. Waking up at 5 a.m. to get a workout in makes me feel like I have conquered something. Knowing I am doing something good for me gives me a mental edge. When I feel that power in my head, I don't spiral down  into the dark place of thinking that I'm not good enough, strong enough, capable enough.

3. Exercising gives me control. It's not control over everything in my life, but it is control over something in my life and that is comforting when the world is spinning.

My friend is taking care of herself. For that I am grateful. I wish I could magically make the fear and frustration disappear.

I can't.

But I can offer to go on a walk with her. It's a good place to start.