Visit From Across the Pond

My husband’s brother and his family from England have been visiting for a few days. It’s the first time that I remember having time to really connect with them and to get to know their two tweens. Although the time was packed with activities, we had time to enjoy casual, leisurely breakfasts and meals where we could sit outdoors overlooking the Chesapeake Bay. These were real treats for them.

It was also the first time that we’d had an opportunity to get to know our tween niece and nephew. And what fun that was! We watched them experience some of the “typical US” things, mainly food, that those of us who live in the US take for granted. On their first night with us, I served barbeque beef and corn on the cob fresh from the farmers market. My 11 year-old niece told me that she was a vegetarian. I think that’s pretty normal for girls that age to declare their vegetarianism. I did; my daughters did as well but mainly because I was still a vegetarian while they were young. But she was extremely polite and ate the bun and corn and didn’t complain. There was one meal where she tried a corn dog because she was fascinated by the name but she wasn’t impressed.

One of the foods that the kids enjoyed most was Oreos. They have them in the UK but both seemed to be obsessed with having Oreos and milk. In fact, they managed to polish off a whole package between them one evening after I had gone to bed. On their last day, we met my oldest daughter, her husband and son and we all had lunch at a Caribbean restaurant. The highlight of the meal was a trip to the ice cream store afterwards to get ice cream – Oreo chip of course!

My husband and I have neither one been great at keeping connected across the miles because we both tend to get so caught up in our busy lives. Now the miles separating our family spans across oceans and continents (we are talking England & Wales, Australia, Malaysia, Denmark and the US) so it’s even more difficult. Some of our friends are now spread to even more countries and a couple of the young people whom I mentored are traveling around the world. The only way to keep up with them is Facebook and Linkedin.

With this visit of my brother-in-law and his family, I’ve realized even more the value of the family connection. I know the onus will be on me to keep the lines of communication open and create more bonds. Technology helps keep that bond but you just can’t beat spending time together face-to-face. One new bond that was tentatively created during their trip was between my grandson and nephew. My grandson is already asking when he can go to England to visit.

We are now looking forward to the arrival of our goddaughter from England. She’s just turned 18 and she’s visited New York but only for a few days. On this trip she’ll be in the US for almost 3 months. Her experiences will be considerably different from those of our niece and nephew but everything will be new and exciting. I can’t wait to read her blog and follow her adventures.

Families are an important part of living – I encourage you to enjoy yours now!

“To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.”  Confucius

“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s give to you, as you are to them”
Desmond Tutu

Olympics - the ultimate test!

I’m completely in awe of every single one of the 10,000+ Olympic athletes competing in the 2012 Olympics.  I so admire every one of them! Not really being a fan of watching any sport on TV, I’ve not watched a whole lot of the competitions but I still admire their drive. I’m an adamant fan of the focus and drive of these athletes. The amount of time and determination that they’ve spent in preparing for their competition is beyond my comprehension.

My all-time favorite sport to watch is the Formula 1 Grand Prix but that’s because my favorite driver, Michael Schumacher, is such a perfectionist. I had the pleasure of watching him in person at a Grand Prix race in Barcelona and have to say that I’m convinced that he practices perfection in everything that he does! Not only has he won many Formula 1 races, he knows the cars he drives inside and out and continually advises with the engineers to make the car run better and better. (Anyone who disagrees with me will have a fight on their hands.)

I have to admit that I’m one of those people whose brain and interests skips from topic to topic. Sometimes this happens on a minute-to-minute basis – just ask my husband about some of our conversations. I’d love to be as focused as these Olympic competitors, but my brain just doesn’t work that way. My brain is constantly wondering “what if” or “why” or “why not” and then it hops on to a totally different topic and those questions just repeat themselves.  I’d really love to have only one focus such as an Olympic competitive sport if only for a short time – but it just will never happen. In fact, most mornings, I have to kick my bum out the door to work out, whether at the gym or on our cross island trail or this summer at the pool. Other days, I get so wrapped up in various projects that working out really is my most hated chore. I just am not into any “one” exercise or sport and it was only when I was working out with a trainer that I felt motivated.

My point is that these athletes have shown us that whatever you want to accomplish can be done, through determination and initiative, along with a passion for your goal. These Olympic winners, and their competitors, all have things in common that we can learn from.  They are absolutely clear about what their goal is, or goals as some of them have come away with several gold medals. They also have a total belief and trust that they will win and they are confident that they are the best.  Even if they don’t come first, they take positive action to try and better their time or performance in the next race.

The last couple of weeks of Olympics has shown us that the competitions are all about holding nothing back. It’s also about motivation. It isn’t always easy day in and day out to find that motivation. This is one key that we can learn from the Olympic greats. We can apply motivation and drive to our own lives and our own goals. Our goals don’t just automatically happen on their own; we have to take the steps necessary to get there, day-by-day.

 
“Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”

Arnold H. Glasow

 “Try not. Do or do not. There is no try” Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back