Reaching for the Stars!

I remember back in the 80s, Kasey Kasem’s tagline at the end of the Top 40 was always, “Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.” Which is sort of sappy, but actually has a grain of immense wisdom.

In this particular journey we’re undertaking, to find our inner strength and wisdom and to change our lives for the better, we really are reaching for the stars. We are striving for the ultimate goal of not only physical health, but also mental and spiritual self-love and contentment, for a complete package of strength, health and happiness in our whole selves. Maybe we don’t phrase it that way when we’re trying to get through those last ten crunches — I must, I must, I must achieve self-actualization isn’t a terribly common exercise mantra — but really, that’s what we’re after. We want to be strong, healthy, and happy. And that is a pretty damned stellar goal, if you ask me.

But to address the other half of the statement, we can only do that if we are completely grounded. We must have our feet on the ground; we must be consistently addressing the basics of good health – proper nutrition, healthy levels of activity, and regular self-care – in order to achieve that goal. If we don’t have the foundation, we have nothing but castles in the air, and I have to say, lovely as they are, they don’t meet any building code I’m aware of. They’re notorious for a lack of stability. They aren’t going to get us there…

We have to be focused, we have to be mindful, we have to be steadily aware of what we are trying to do and why. We have to, in short, be well-grounded in reality and in common sense. For example, I can probably fit that chocolate brownie into my day’s calories. But logically, is it really part of my plan? Is it really in keeping with what I’m trying to do? When I am completely honest with myself and looking at things in the cold light of day, was that brownie the right choice?

Likewise, I can probably snake by with 20 minutes on the treadmill, still make my daily steps, and feel like I’ve hit my goal. But honestly…if I never broke a sweat, and if I quit before I was fully worked out – did I actually do what I should have? I could have done more, and there was no reason not to other than minutes on a timer. I wasn’t in a hurry, I wasn’t hurting, I wasn’t exhausted…I just knew I had reached the bare minimum and “could” quit. (I didn’t do this, it’s just an example, I promise! Well…I didn’t do it recently.)

So common sense, reality, and complete honesty are pretty important to the process. We are striving for some immensely lofty ideals, and it is noble and enlightened and self-aware to do so. But it’s incredibly important not to become so focused on end results in the process that we forget to watch where we’re going, so to speak. I’m not saying stress over every 10-calorie bite. I’m saying be mindful. Think about what you’re doing, and why, and make it a conscious, rational decision.

Eventually, maybe the day will come when it’s second nature. I know people for whom it is, and I know they worked long and hard to make that happen. But until that day comes – until we no longer turn to the Krispy Kreme or Frito-Lay when we are taking “time off” – vigilance is important. Not stress…not self-abuse for slipping up…just conscious, mindful thought. Is what I am putting in my body something that needs to be there? And if not, why am I doing it? Is it my child’s birthday? If so, then I will eat that slice of cake, albeit small, and I will not feel guilty. That’s an important occasion. But…is it just a birthday party for someone I barely know? Then cake is not really called for. It’s okay, and it’s probably the rational thing to do, to decline. I can still enjoy myself.

In other words, simply having a good excuse to slip up is not in itself a reason to slip up, and conscious, rational thought is required to stop ourselves from doing so. Yes, it’s a gorgeous day outside and the ice-cream guy is right there…and it sure would be fun to stroll through the park eating an ice cream cone. And one is definitely not going to kill me. But…is it what I want to do? Really?

And maybe the answer is yes. Maybe it’s the first beautiful day in six months and it really is worth it to have that gorgeous spiritual moment of peace and freedom. But maybe it’s not. Maybe we’ve had a whole summer of beautiful days…and maybe we’ve had six or seven ice cream cones this month. Maybe it’s not as special a moment as it might seem. It’s important to know the difference, and to put that knowledge to work for us.

Life will always hand us reasons to slip up. There will be days when nothing goes right. There will be nights when the kids are at Grandma’s and the spouse wants to go out. There will be times when things are hard, and horrible and stressful. Sometimes, the reasons will be big enough to make it the right thing to do. But if we do it every single time we have an excuse…then we aren’t going anywhere except right back where we started.

I’m talking to myself here as much as anyone, yeah, because I’ve had a couple of weeks of doing just that, taking every excuse to be stupidly self-destructive. But today, in the clear light of morning, I can see that it’s not very rational or sensible to do so, and it’s the very antithesis of self-care to do so.

So today, as I put that very first Gold Star on the calendar for May (yay! yesterday was very, very good!) I am focusing on reaching for the stars, by keeping my feet firmly on the ground. And since it is Thursday, I’ll wrap it all up by saying I am really, truly thankful for days when I am able to achieve this kind of clarity. It isn’t every day, and sometimes it isn’t even most days, but when it comes, it is such a relief.

I hope you all have a stellar day, with your feet firmly on the ground and the stars shining from your eyes.