Friday Quote Day

Plant seeds of expectation in your mind;

cultivate thoughts that anticipate achievement.

Believe in yourself as being capable

of overcoming all obstacles and weaknesses.
~ Norman Vincent Peale

Today's quote seems so very appropriate as those of us in the Appalachians of the eastern U.S. begin digging and planting our gardens.

I started seedlings indoors in February, and when it dries out just a little bit more they're ready to pop into the ground. My husband has enjoyed watching me take care of my little baby plants; he says he takes great delight in my delight at watching their little green leaves sprout from the dirt.

Those little plants don't think about it. It is both a gift and a curse that humans have the ability to think and plan and achieve. If we didn't, we'd just go about our business, growing from infancy to infirmity with nary a thought of whether we're doing it 'right.'

We would, as Nike has so famously said, Just. Do. It.

Which is, I suppose, a pretty good way to approach a knitting project. A couple thousand yards of wool looks endless as you contemplate a future sweater. But to get from here to there, you have to methodically cast on and work the fiber one stitch at a time.

And it is, of course, an excellent way to approach a fitness routine. As Crash Davis said in Bull Durham, "Don't think, Meat. You'll only hurt the ball club."

[If you haven't seen Bull Durham, I highly recommend it. And since the MLB season is set to open next week, this is a perfect time to watch it.]

If we could get our heads and minds out of our approaches to working out, it would be so much simpler. We wouldn't have to fight with ourselves over whether to … we just would. There would be no thought of aching muscles or fatigue. We'd just get on with it, get it over with and move on to the next to-do on our mental lists.

Clearly, I'm not there yet. I have to gear up, mentally, for a run or a walk or a workout. My best mind-over-matter trick is that it won't be over until it starts. [This works with knitting, as well. I don't get to wear that handknit sweater if I don't cast on.]

For many people, the motivation to work out is that they will, eventually, look and feel better. [I think the two go hand-in-hand.] For me, workouts don't lead to weight loss, so I'm not looking or feeling better. I have to jump a higher hurdle to get started.

But if I don't get started, I won't get done.