LENTEN REFLECTIONS #1
For me, Ash Wednesday begins with lots of questions. What will I give up? Chocolate? Coffee? Perhaps a whole food group…maybe dairy…are milk products good or bad this year? OR, should I DO something, “almsgiving”, right? Or prayer?
Yes, I’ll start with prayer.
And so, my Lenten Blog Journey begins today with a prayer for the host of Jeopardy!, Alex Trebek, who hours ago announced he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Here’s my history with Jeopardy! and the reason Alex Trebek made a difference in my childhood.
During the ’80s when 7 o’clock rolled around, we were allowed to turn on the TV for one FULL hour. During the first 30 minutes, the smooth, all-business voice of Jeopardy’s Alex Trebek sounded throughout our home. Categories of subjects I admittedly had very limited knowledge about were announced. But I didn’t care. I was ready to go up against my sisters and yell “What is!!!” FIRST! Heck, even if we couldn’t answer any questions it was still a small, coveted part of our day for us to sit together and commiserate on how little we knew about “Word Origins” or “Potent Potables”.
It was a real treat when one of the categories was of French origin. I was positive Alex Trebek spoke several languages as he pronounced every word with flair. He was quick and thorough and made that half hour fly by. I don’t think any of us even got up during commercials for fear we’d miss Final Jeopardy. Thanks Alex.
Now I’m sure you’re wondering about the second half hour. Well, to relieve our brain freeze during our intelligent Jeopardy! time, we relished solving Wheel of Fortune puzzles for a solid 30 minutes. Turned out, we excelled at the alphabet, especially vowels.
So today I pray for Mr. Trebek and everyone fighting the horrific, unfair battle that is Cancer.
FITNESS JOURNEY: Take a few minutes and be mindful with the meditation exercise below:
BE MINDFUL AND S-T-O-P.
Stand up and breathe. Feel your connection to the earth.
Tune in to your body. Lower your gaze. Scan your body and notice physical sensations or emotions. Discharge any unpleasant sensations, emotions or feelings on the out breath. Notice any pleasant ones and let them fill you up on the inhale.
Observe. Lift your eyes and take in your surroundings. Observe something in your environment that is pleasant and be grateful for it and its beauty.
Possibility. Ask yourself what is possible or what is new or what is a forward step.
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