30 Days of [BLANK], actually now 29 Days of [BLANK]

Although I've been working a lot, I haven't had the energy to write in my blog. Most of the stories I think I have told before, or so it seems, and the most exciting thing rumbling the E.D. is the constant undercurrent of discussion relating to the socialization of medical care. Now, I am not going to get on my soap box and declare my position about this... if you've read my blog long enough I think I've talked about what needs to be fixed.

Instead, I am going to discuss my 30 Day Plan. I was reading "Pioneer Woman" which is a fabulous blog site. She posted a link which lead to a link, where I followed another link to a blog called "Room 704" in which the discussion was about how a habit can be formed by doing something repetitively for 30 days. The author challenged their readers to do something for 30 days.

So, since I know I will never make it to the gym every day for 30 days, given my schedule, I made the following plan: drink more water, drink less diet soda and eat a salad or greens every day. I was also thinking of renewing my Pledge to Be Veg for 30 days, but I knew I would already be cheating today since we had a Surf and Turf BBQ, the key words being Surf and Turf. Oh well, I can start tomorrow and carry over into the next month.

Now, I challenge you! What new habit are you going to form over the next 30 days?? Thirty days of: yoga? taking an hour to read a real book instead of watching tv? prayer or meditation? speaking to one person a day who you don't know? showing affection to your spouse or loved one in a way you don't normally do?

p.s. speaking of which, I can give an example of this from my own life. I came from a family that really didn't express emotions. Hugs, kisses, not really common. I always say I learned to hug in college because we just didn't do that in my family. Around the time I was about to start medical school, I read somewhere that you should always say, "I love you" to people you care about because you never know if it's the last time you're going to say it.

I can honestly say I wasn't brave enough at first. Express emotion to my mother? Are you kidding? Then one day I was leaving for a trip of some sort, and I was talking to her on the phone telling her I would call when I arrived. Just before I hung up, I said, "I love you, Mom, talk to you soon." Silence. I could tell she was stunned. After a short time when I sure she was going to mutter something quick and hang up, she said quietly, "Love you, too."

I started saying it after every conversation on the phone and just before leaving home after a visit. The hugs came much later, but now she's quick to say it if I haven't just before we hang up. It took a little longer with my uncle who was always the father in my life. I still am glad I was able to say it to him the last time we spoke which was a few weeks before he died. At least I said it, and he knew.

That's one habit, I am not going to break.