Tag: family

Finding Friends 😊

by Rick Roop

Everyone likes to have friends a lot of friends, and everyone likes company.

Friendly relationships helps us to feel loved, liked, and often creates happy thoughts within ourselves. Helps us to assemble around others, to blend in with the group, and do so most emphatically.

As an example, we gather around sports teams, hobbies, musical performance, concerts, and fitness groups just to name a few. There are many more to be mentioned but these shall suffice.

Friends

We like to be around individuals who strengthen and encourage ourselves. We tend to search out persons who accommodate our same likeness those that share and confirm our same standards. Relaxed relationships that support our desired feelings. The company of conviction from friendly conversation.

Have you ever noticed that most sports teams have a following fan base who all wear matching clothing signifying who they are cheering for. Some fans wear just a t-shirt. Some fans may wear a t-shirt plus decorative matching pants. Some go all out with a complete makeover. Where is the person behind that extravagant costume?

Some schools of choice specialize in different categories of education. Students can decide to specialize in medicine, law, engineering, veterinary, and vocational skills just to name a few.

Brilliant minds seem to think alike and excel when matched together with similarities. Ideas about new technologies new treatment are found when students and professors share their united thoughts with each other. Diseases have been cured lives saved lessons learned by aspiring staff scientists and doctors.

If we desire weight loss and fitness, it’s helpful to have the same affinity for friends who also share the same enthusiasm for weight loss and fitness. Sports fans teachers and health professionals assemble all of the same characteristics when it relates to winning. We all need good friends.

Opportunity is available to find weight loss and fitness walking running groups in your area on Facebook, instagram, and Strava.

Runner’s market from Knoxville, Tn is great. Bike shops have group rides or group running walking available every week. Able to accommodate the beginner to the novice. People just like me and you are there waiting for you to come and hangout.

One of my favorite places to go is the Barley Run Club in Cumberland Gap, Tn meeting on Monday & Thursday @ 6:30 in front of Angelo’s.

Please join in I will be so glad to see you!

Inanimate unanimous 👍

by Rick Roop

I can remember many birthday gifts that were purchased for me by my mom and dad. A figure eight race track, a scooter, fancy bicycle, model airplane ✈️ and lots more.

Model airplane
Race Track
Scooter

Growing older and trying to imagine where those objects might be now is a task that’s very hard to do.

Maybe those gifts are in the closet behind some clothes at my house, or possibly my mom’s storage barn outside. The toys that I have played with as a child are resting inside of my siblings attic at their home? I have often thought where are they now? where have they 🎁 gone?

Clutter

At the time, the persuasive imagines seemed to be very important and highly sought after. The picture of my gift framed inside my head seamed to be real, they often inspired my efforts.

Seeing

No one or no thing could replace it’s ranking on my list of things to do. Somehow I must accomplish the goal that was set before me. The vision was all consuming, and no resting no ending until the day was done. I would lie in bed at night just dreaming how perfect it would be to receive my prized possession. No longer would the prize be a fantasy or imagination, it would now be a reality in my precious collection.

I was on my best behavior vying for the chance to get acceptance from mom and dad. Putting on a show to get the gift 😁 Somewhat like an actor on the stage 🎭 a singer 🎵 in the auditorium, the first note played by a famous musician. I could mess up or be successful. I could play flat or play sharp slip up or sound great. It could be very scary or rewarding! However, it’s a chance I was willingly to take.

The Stage

I can remember washing dishes to take away chores from my mom. Kitchen duties seemed like a nominal effort considering the payback that I was going to get. Cutting grass was not to bad seeing that my dad had to work a lot of hours. The time spent on a lawn mower was considered a great investment.

I can remember how hard I had worked, and the hours I had invested in the search for the gift. 🎁 It seemed very important a valiant goal to achieve, and I knew that it was worth the work. It was worthwhile 👍

However, the thought of not knowing where those gifts are now as a grown adult is sort of disappointing. No longer are they very close or nearby but now they are forgotten. If they were so important and beneficial why are they lost now?

Then I had the fondness impression. A very inspirational moment! The best part about gift giving was not about the inanimate object. It was about the love that my parents had shown to me. That would lead me to a path more fulfilling and rewarding than the inanimate object. The thoughts of my parents would also prepare me for the upcoming road called life.

In my summation, these gifts do not have life nor do they provide substance. They cannot help me out when I fall. Cannot not lift me up when I am down. Do not give me inspiration or peace when I am in the valley. Nor do they comfort me 😌

Our culture wants us to believe that the inanimate is all that we need. Much needed energy is placed on the chasing of the inanimate, and as a result we are left with an artificial replacement 🤖

Lifelong purpose and a reason to exist is what we need the most. Real life and happiness comes from deep within ourselves and not from something inanimate 🧸

The same can be said about weight loss and fitness, it’s about the strength that we find in ourselves that helps us to eat right and stay healthy.

Success is not with the inanimate. Complete restoration is within!

Quitter’s day 2025 what it means 🤔

by Rick Roop
Quitters Day

We all have the idea of sharing a smile, giving a gift, word of encouragement, maybe a telephone call or friendly visit. It’s the start of a new idea, deep thought, or a refining connection. Trying to be a good person to establish a new direction perhaps fresh exploration, and new reflections. Starting the plan and not completing the work did not mean that you failed with goodwill intent. It was the thought that counts! You were successful by planting the seeds of beneficial inspiration. Eventually you garnered enough thought to complete the generous gesture, and helped someone have a really nice day.

Quitters day is a term given by some as the second Friday in January. They say that’s when most people give up on New Year’s Day resolutions. Some designate this date as determining failure for those who have not yet accomplished their New Year’s Day goals. Some give dire prediction for those who do not complete the course or defining resolution.

However, everyone who has lived has remaining goals that have not been completed. All of us have dreams of finalizing our hopes of success. Maybe it’s college education, musical 🎤 aspirations, learning the piano guitar or violin, travel, financial gain. It’s human to dream about the future and human to complete the process.

Completion starts with a thoughtful meaning that’s deep within ourselves. Beginning means small and fresh. New sprouts emerge like seeds in a flower pot. A new born taking the first breath. The sun opening behind unveiling clouds. Dreams of meaning like these cannot be extinguished by someone who gives a completion date called quitters day.

I started cycling at the senior age of fifty four years old. I spent many years passively wondering about the subject of weight loss and fitness. Just think of all the years that I could have been riding running or swimming.

What could have been is a thought that I could entertain. However, I was motivated by my father’s memory while walking past his bicycle.

I proceeded with a thought that I could ride his bicycle as a memorial to my dad’s life. While riding my dad’s bicycle that day, I was overwhelmed with the sense that my dad was right there with me. My dad was pointing to the direction that I needed to ride. He said that I could ride at the park in Harrogate in a circle till I got a good workout in. That day marked a turning point in my life directing further purpose and meaning for weight loss fitness.

My dad was such a hard working caring individual who often put others and his family ahead of himself. I knew that he was a protector bread winner and leader for a lot of people friends and family. I spent a lot of time with my dad walking playing racquetball talking about his father sisters and brothers, and many friends.

It was the memorial spirit that was lying dormant for all of those years that gave me energy to get on the bicycle 🚴 and to attempt weight loss and fitness.

It is the spark of imagination that will lead you to greater aspirations in life. It is the influential thoughts of purposeful dreams that come from real relationships. Not a date called quitters day!