The power of the mind is ours to control....

Have you ever really thought about the power of our minds? Sometimes I wonder if it's our minds that can lead us to think of things that bring us less than happy thoughts or if it's just us that refuses to take back the power to allow these thoughts to wander about?

I have been there in that unhappy place with my unhappy "feel sorry for myself" thoughts. I have watched the scale slowly move upwards while I ate my "feel better soon" snacks. Why is it that we allow our minds to be consoled by sad thoughts and salty, sweet, bad for us- snacks? Isn't it true that usually after the snacks are gone and the scale is up a couple pounds; that we feel even worse than when we fell into this "feel sorry for myself" state?

What if we could take back the power of our minds and have complete control over all of the thoughts we encounter?

The good news is, that I believe to a certain extent; we can do just that.....

My morning started with an email that threw me for a bit of a loop this morning. As a matter of fact; I felt like I needed to do a couple loops to be able to deal with it. I texted a friend to confirm that it was as ridiculous as I'd suspected and I tried to follow his directive of mellowing out a bit with a cup of java but caffeine was the last thing that was going to settle my already cluttered mind. I knew this was the moment that I had to take control and bring my mind to a better starting point for my morning...I knew what I had to do...

I stretched my "too long limbs" toward the ceiling and let out a deep breath and I laced the pink and white skips that faithfully led me to a more zen me on most days. I strapped my music on and found the perfect starting song as my feet made their way to the door. I gave my legs a final stretch and my feet took off before my mind; and just like I'd imagined it followed their lead. The sun beat down on my tired back as my trusty legs made their way up the hills ahead of us one by one pitter pattering their way along the trail as I heard the words of Jodee Messina singing "That's God". My mind was rerouted just as I'd planned.

"Have you ever stepped outside, felt the sun on your face?" and as she sang those words, I no longer wanted to complain about the heat of it on my back but rather embrace the chance to be here and a part of it on this beautiful day. "Have you ever seen a mountain top reach up and touch the sky, That's God" and I knew I had seen those beautiful Texas Mountains reach up towards that big Texas sky and the thought of it made me smile as I thought of my maker. I finally made it to the end of my journey covered in a puddle of sweat with little on my mind but the blessings that surrounded me.

I smiled as I thought of the email that had caused me a bad start to my morning and it seemed like such a small occurance now. I simply hit delete and laughed to myself as I put my phone away...The culprit that sent it would never even know that I'd read it thanks to a much needed run and a newly cleared mind. The outcome is a success my friends; exercise feeds our soul and our hearts and can give us a greater power of our minds...put on your shoes and never let them know you even got their petty news...Life is so good, don't waste a moment on anything that's not :-)