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| Photo: A bunch of seals sleep on a rock as ocean waves crash behind them |
As you may have gathered from my last TToT, I've been fighting the crud for several weeks now. John mentioned recently that I have now been sick longer than we were in Italy. There really ought to be a rule against that, I think. However, I am getting better, and I have discovered that coughing really works the abdominal muscles.
You have probably heard that laughter is the best medicine. It also helps trigger coughing fits, which in turn, results in the equivalent of 100 crunches per episode. No need to feel sorry for me, though; I'm developing my own P90X-like workout routine.
So, if you, too, are ready to tone up, read on! Listen to your body; you may want to start with gentle laughter before trying the full-blown coughing fit method. (*Disclaimer--always consult your doctor before starting an exercise routine. Proceed at your own risk!)
1. As indicated in the title of this post, I'm thankful for my new-found dedication to an abs workout. It's like something just comes over me, and I think, "I'm going to do 100 more crunches right now!" I might just need to make a meme for Pinterest. Anyone interested in a 30-day challenge?
2. Speaking of memes, I'm thankful to have seen this one on a friend's Facebook page this week:
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| White words on a black background read: "when women reach a certain age they start to collect dogs this is know as the "many paws" " |
3. I'm also thankful for funny gifs. I declined an invitation from the choir director to sing with the choir on Sunday. "I don't think I'll be any use to the choir (unless the hymn needs seal-like barking.)" This was her response:
via GIPHY
(A gif of a seal clapping its flippers together)
4. When she saw me at church, she held her arms out wide, and then clapped them together, just like that seal. I've been here less than a year, and already have inside jokes! I'm thankful when people are comfortable enough around me to joke around. (And let's not forget the added benefit of the laugh=cough=exercise formula!)
5. Tonight, as we did last Friday night and on other occasions, John and I are headed to Dry Bar Comedy, a comedy club that specializes in clean comedy. We will arrive early to get good seats. Before this month, that meant center section, a few rows back. Now, that means back corner to allow for an easy exit in case of a coughing fit. Prior to last week's show, I thought I might be able to avoid coughing by laughing by saying, "Ha, Ha, Ha," but that only made me really laugh=cough=abs workout!
I'm thankful for clean comedians, like Jeff Allen, who we saw at an earlier performance.
6. This laugh=cough=abs workout routine, though helped by funny things on the internet, comedy shows, funny friends, etc., does not require any of that, at least if you are me. Perhaps when I grow up I'll be a great comedian, but right now, I just do funny things inadvertently. Here's video of John trying to get a good selfie of us in Pompeii. He wanted our faces to not be shaded, but I just couldn't seem to open my eyes with the sun in my face!
As far as the workout routine goes, if you've made it this far and still have more reps in you, just repeat 1-6. I'm going to end my TToT with more serious thankfuls:
7. I'm thankful for my mom. No matter how old I am, she is always thinking of me and wanting me to be well.
8. I'm thankful for prayer. My mom put my name on the prayer roll without me knowing. The day after she did, she called to see how I was doing. Of course, I had had a good night's sleep and was feeling MUCH better than before. Some might believe it was merely coincidence, but I believe prayer is a powerful force.
9. I'm thankful for my kids, and I'm thankful that it's easy to stay in touch.
10. As always, I'm thankful for John. He's been infinitely patient with how much time I'm spending on this new workout routine. I'm weaning off slowly, and hope to be back to running races with John soon!
What are you thankful for this week? We welcome new (and old) Ten Things of Thankful participants! Come join the party--no abs workout required!
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Goodness, i hope you do get well soon! Yes, i've had those cruds that have a lingering cough that just doesn't seem to quit, so i know what you mean.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting!
I really am feeling better every day, so I imagine it's just a matter of time before I'm cough-free. In the meantime, I'm just working on my seal-bod! :-)
DeleteI'm thankful for your awesome sense of humor!! Laughter is the best medicine😆
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the post. Given the choice between just feeling icky or feeling icky and being able to laugh about it, I'll take the latter! :-)
DeleteI laughed at some of these. You truly have a great sense of humor. Great list. Hope you get well soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks; I'm glad you found them funny! :-)
DeleteGood that your cold was delayed until you returned from your trip. ("And now we enter the chapel of the most delicate and fragile sculptures to survive the ages. Please walk softly to avoid...")
ReplyDeleteVery good perspective on the 'workout' that accompanies a cold.
Your photos are excellent and your captions so succinct.
Funny you should say that--I recently heard that a statue of one of the apostles at the Rome Temple visitor's center broke (and has since been fixed) when a child pulled on the marble staff the statue was holding! My cough definitely would have resulted in damage!
DeleteI could just imagine those flapping arms in the hallway at church and the cough it might have initiated.
ReplyDeleteThat selfie is hilarious! It kind of reminds me of some photos that were taken of me standing facing the sun when I was a kid.
I understand that a photographer wants to avoid shadows on subjects' faces, but I just couldn't open my eyes!
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