Exercise & Me

I have a dysfunctional relationship with exercise.  Some days (rarely) it's all I want to do and some days you couldn't pay me a million dollars to do it.  I've wanted to be a runner, a triathlete, a pickleball aficionado, and more.  I can't even imagine how often I've started a training program just to give it up after a few days.  It always feels so hard and like an impossible mission.

A recent and random step on the scale was all I needed to find the motivation to get back at it.  And, as I do with most things in life, it wasn't enough to just go on a walk around the neighborhood - I wanted to go a few miles away where I could go up and down some pretty steep hills while I got my steps in.  The loop is about 3 miles long, and the last mile is pretty much steady incline the whole way.

The first day I powered through high on motivation.  But, day 2 was a completely different story.  I was sore, it was hot, and I had already lost sight of what was making me exercise in the first place.  I got about 200 yards away from the car and my calves were burning, I wanted to give up and turn around.  But, then I looked up.  I saw a mailbox and I told myself - just get to the next mailbox.  Once I made it there, I saw another mailbox up ahead and focused on just getting to that one.  Then it was a tree, another mailbox, and then a creek.  Next thing you know, I was almost done with the 3-mile loop, the incline, and I wasn't thinking at all about how hard it was.  I realized if I just focused on the next thing instead of whole thing, it was so much easier.

I think school days and school years feel very similar to a long walk up and down steep hills.  We're so excited at first, high on the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and hope, then sometimes within just minutes or hours, we're faced with the reality that working in schools is VERY HARD!

But, just like exercise, it's necessary.  It's necessary to have passionate and caring adults who show up each day to give kids their all - even when the kids don't get it.  So, as we near the last 6 weeks of school, the busiest days of school - sometimes the hardest days of school - look up!  Look at the next thing coming up (or the next hour) and focus on getting through that.  Then, once you're past that thing - look at the next one.  

Just keep putting one foot in front of the other...minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day.  And, before you know it, it'll be over!  You'll be a little bit stronger, a little bit wiser, and somewhere deep inside, ready to do it again.

8 years later...

The last time I posted on this here blog was January 1, 2017 - that's insane!  Over 8 years ago!  So much life happened that it's really too much to recount.  One of the more significant events of the last 8 years was becoming Principal of the very school where I started my career in Education 20 years ago.  The school where my life was absolutely changed in the best ways by 4 kids and their families. 

One of my commitments as Principal was to communicate regularly with my staff through a weekly newsletter.  Every Friday I would reflect on what was happening in the world, my life, or our school and try to offer up some encouragement to get us through the next week.  My section of the newsletter was called Estes' Encouragements and I loved writing it each week - much like I loved writing on my blog!  I think those teachers could still use some encouragement and I could certainly use the space to process things so I'm getting back it!

somewhere in between

When I started this blog [many years ago] it was mostly just a place to document the more exciting things that I was doing.  Fast forward a few years and not much has changed.  I would still characterize myself as being somewhere in between.  I'm not quite where I want to be, not that I even know where that is, but I know I'm not there yet.

Today is a new day and a new year.  I've always liked new beginnings. It's a chance to start over and make the conscious decision to do things differently, to be different.  I experienced some of the very best times while I was blogging regularly and maybe that's an important part of this trip I'm on.  So, even though I don't know where I'm headed or even how I'm going to get there, I thought it might be helpful to revive the old blog.

Everything but the kitchen sink

This post really doesn't have anything to do with a kitchen sink.  I just saw this camping version of a kitchen sink today and found it funny for some reason!

Anyway, I've recently been reminded how much I enjoyed blogging and having my deep thoughts, fun times, and memorable moments adequately documented.  So, here's a quick recap of where I've been...

I have officially completed my Master's of Educational Administration Degree from Lamar University.  This isn't something I ever saw myself doing but I'm really glad that I took the opportunity to do it!  With my new degree came a new job.  I am now an Assistant Principal at a middle school in West Fort Worth and so far, I'm really enjoying all of the new experiences and responsibilities.

I just spent the weekend in my favorite place in the world with some of my favorite people.  There is just something about Broken Bow, Oklahoma that makes my soul feel at rest.  I loved introducing some friends to the greatness of Broken Bow.  Like nature, these friends constantly point me to Jesus, so putting the two together made for a great weekend!

Just keep moving

I knew training for a Triathlon would be difficult, but I was not anticipating the ups and downs of the process.  One day you're breaking personal records and have no doubts that you'll be able to actually finish the triathlon.  Then, the next day you fall off your bike and can't run 100 yards without excruciating pain.  And, you certainly have all the doubts that you won't be able to finish the triathlon.

I guess if you think about it, it's a lot like life.  Some days you are having a great day and everything is going well, then all of a sudden you have a terrible day and nothing goes right.  Either way, you just keep going and trust that God's going to pull you through to the next good day.

I'm four weeks into my official training and four weeks away from the big race.  I'm feeling pretty good about the swim portion of the race and the running part of the race.  But, riding a bike for 10 miles has turned out to be a lot more difficult than I had anticipated.  Who knew?

I'm still excited about the race but there's definitely still some doubts hanging around.  Hopefully over the next four weeks I'll have more good workouts than "fall of your bike workouts" and be able to have a great race day.  Just gotta keep moving!

a disciplined life

Well, it's been quite a while since my last blog post and I thought I'd dust off the ol' blog and get back in action.

Like most people, I'm thankful for a New Year and excited about all the resolutions that are going to mark my 2015.  Rather than make a long list of resolutions that we all know I won't keep, I decided to focus my efforts on just one thing.  In 2015, I want to live a disciplined life.  Nothing like a broad resolution to keep the accountability level low!  But, here's how I would define a disciplined life for me...

Spiritually.  I want to have a disciplined spiritual life where I spend time with God and really grow in my relationship with him.  I want to memorize scripture so that when my mind is bored it will go to the words of the Bible.  My home group at church is taking on this task together as we work to memorize James 1.  So far, I've got through verse 6!

Physically.  Several years ago I decided I would become a runner and somehow it actually happened.  I can't even remember why I stopped running, but several times a year I try to begin again only to give up on the process.  So, this year, in the spirit of "go big or go home," I'm going to be a triathlete.  I have mentally committed to participating in the 2015 TriWaco Sprint Triathlon on July 26th.  A triathlon.  In July.  In Texas.  Can we please take a collective moment of silence for my sanity?  I haven't put any money down on it yet, but that is the goal.  I will swim 400 meters in the Brazos River, then bike 12 miles, then run a 5k!

Financially.  I'm working hard to be wise and disciplined with my money.  I have saved more money in the last month than I probably ever have in my life.  I'm trying to reduce the amount of "stuff" I have and instead live on only what I need.

Scholastically.  I am officially 6 months away from completing my Master's Degree in Educational Administration.  The work is manageable but there are a lot of pieces that all come together in August and at times I get overwhelmed.  I also an expert procrastinator, so I need to be disciplined to work hard and get tasks accomplished.

I plan to use my blog to document my progress in all phases of my disciplined life.  Here's to an exciting 2015!!

Heart wide open...and my eyes too!

I'm not sure where I've been for the last 8 months, but apparently, I haven't really felt like writing about it! Not much has changed with the health issues, but I'm still alive and kickin'. In fact, I'm still so alive that my mind keeps running 100mph even when I wish it would go to sleep.

Last night, I was so tired of tossing and turning that I decided to open up my iPad and do a little reading. On my way to the Kindle App I managed to take a quick peek at Facebook. A friend of mine from high school had posted something intriguing so I followed her Facebook to her Instagram and finally to her blog. After reading just a few minutes I was almost overwhelmed by her story and more profoundly by her purposeful pursuit of joy. She had over a thousand acknowledgements of daily "gifts" from God in her life. She was living with her heart wide open to what God was doing in her, around her, and through her.

I knew that this hashtag, #1000gifts, was in reference to the book, One Thousand Gifts, A Dare to LIVE FULLY Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp, because it was a book I had partialy read a couple years ago. But, it wasn't until I read my friend's story that I really "got it." I spent the next hour, at least, reading lots of random people's gifts and I felt the tug to start my own journey towards recognizing all the ways God is blessing me in my everyday life.

So, I'm choosing to live with my heart wide open to the goodness that God is giving me and to purposely pursue JOY! Let the gifts begin...

1. encouraged by an old friend's story and inspired by their joy, all via social media...thanks Katie @cardiganway #1000gifts #joydare

2. working for a school that embraces/encourages outside the box thinking & teaching #1000gifts 

3. loving the people I work with and their sweet families #1000gifts

4. being a part of an authentic, Jesus-loving home group at the village church #1000gifts

5. wireless printers - AMAZING! #1000gifts

It's gonna take awhile to get to a 1000, but it's gonna be an amazing journey!