Myth Busting

As I approach my birthday next week I have been thinking a lot about the wisdom I have gained in the past few years.  I know they say you grow wiser with age, but it isn't until you get older that you really realize the truth in that statement.  Part of it is the development of logic skills, because when you really think things through a lot of times you will "myth bust" things you have always accepted at face value.

For example, growing up my mom would always tell me that I never "took to the pacifier."  Her story of proof was that "the first time I gave you a pacifier, you walked right over to the trash can and threw it out!"  This was always accepted at face value that I simply didn't like pacifiers...then, as I aged and became a mom myself suddenly a new light was shone on this subject.  If I could WALK to the trash to throw it out, I was far beyond the age of introducing.  My guess is I had a little too much attitude one day, my mom saw a nuk nearby, shoved it in to "plug it" (LOL) and I marched over to the trash and threw it away in protest.

The moral of the story is that we always need to think things through - not just accept things as fact without exploring all of the outcomes.  My eyes were also opened to this after reading an article on "not being mean to your toddler" (sorry, I don't remember the source!) and the author made a good point that our little explorers are not trying to irk us (usually), but instead make mistakes or messes because they are trying to be all grown up.  I can't tell you how much those words of wisdom have helped me through the 2's with my son.  So many times I had the instinct to yell or get upset, but instead I looked at the surroundings and give him the benefit of the doubt (sometimes easier said than done).

Lastly, I encourage people to try things that they may have written off in the past as unsuccessful because they may not have gotten the full picture.  For example, I thought I hated running due to my experiences growing up in gym class.  Once or twice a year they would throw you on the track and make you run a mile and gauge your entire fitness on that marker.  I was pretty athletic in general (playing soccer, volleyball, and basketball), but did not have much endurance for running.  Therefore I made it around the track one or two times before getting a splitting pain in my side and gasping for air, heart racing.  My best friend (aka "Gigglez") challenged me recently to shed the baby weight (per my request for suggestions) by running with her in a half marathon.  Never in my life had I ever desired to run for pleasure, much less a half marathon.  However, as a result of a scare of post partum high blood pressure with my daughter I was willing to try anything....  Lo and behold, after starting to train (the right way) I am finding that I'm increasingly enjoying it.  There is a certain healthy "rush" that runners get after running and my blood pressure has never looked better.  I still have six months to go, but things are looking up (I ran 5k the other day and lived to tell about it)!  I will update with progress on the training and any barriers or tips I come up with along the way.  =)