Training Pays Off

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It was a good day, I wasn't too late to school and it wasn't even raining too hard when I got out of class.  I got to spend the afternoon with my boyfriend things were great. When I went to catch the bus back to my apartment I had close to perfect timing, only had to wait 2 minutes until the next bus. I even got a seat on the usually crowded bus.

It appears that when I put my cell phone into my pocket on the bus I hadn't put it in all the way and it fell out of my pocket as I got out of my seat to get off the bus.  Out of habit I  checked my pockets to make sure I hadn't left anything behind when I got off the bus and low and behold my cell was driving off with the bus I had just gotten off! I did the first thing I could think of; I chased the bus.  All I have to say is thank god I did all that running last year because I don't think that I would have been able to chase the bus at that speed had I not.

It was lucky for me there was traffic light a little ways down the street, because the bus got stuck at the next light and the girl who had been sitting next to me on the bus noticed the phone and had brought it up to the driver. I flagged him down and he pulled over to let the girl give me back my phone.  The rest of the way home I couldn't stop thinking about what would have happened had I not been able to get it back so quickly.  I will never get out of my seat from a bus without first checking to make sure I still have my phone ever again. What are the odds I could get that lucky twice.

Israel Under Fire

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I have been living in Israel for the past two years and when I talk to friends back home they ask if I'm afraid to be here. The answer has always been no, I feel just as safe if not more that I did back home in my Midwestern suburban city.  Earlier this afternoon my mom told me that she has people asking her if she intends to fly me home; that got me thinking would I go?

I don't think I would. I feel that this is where I belong, we can't always be running away from conflict.  What really brought it home was the bus bombing in Tel Aviv this afternoon.  Until now it has all been happening down south, there were a few rockets in Tel Aviv but when it happens in a place so close and so unexpected it really puts things in prospective. What does that say about us if we're always running away?  We have to be able to put our faith in something and put a foot down.  I have never been a political person and I don't want to get into these debates, but at some point we  have to say enough.

Today just about half an hour ago a cease fire was declared by Egypt between Gaza and Israel but since then I have been listening to the radio and hearing announcement and announcement about code reds all over the southern part of the country. What really gets me is that if we do anything to stand up then it will be shown in the media as US breaking the cease fire when all we're doing is defending ourselves.

I am putting my faith in the state of Israel and the IDF because I know that we will pull through. The Iron Dome may not be blocking everything, but it has been doing a pretty good when you look at how many rockets have been shot into Israeli boarders since last week.

Living With Less Stress


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In today's world too many people are trying to take on too many things. We all think that adding to our plates one or two things here and there doesn't really make that big a difference, but over time it all adds up.  What we need to learn is ways to manage our stress to live healthier happier lives.

   Learn to say no Saying yes to every opportunity that gets thrown your way is an express train to stressing out. Adding more on to your already full plate does more harm that good. While you shouldn't always say no, learning when its okay or necessary to can save you from stressing out.

   Taking Breaks I have worked with many different kinds of people and while not everyone works the same way, I have seen that people who take more breaks are less stressed out.  Some people don't like to take breaks because they feel it is taking away from the time that they could be working, but it never hurts to take a 20-30 minute break every once in a while. NPR ran a very interesting article back in May on this topic, if you don't believe me you can read about it and listen to their podcast.

   Exercise  Nearly anyone in the health profession when asked "what can I do to relieve stress from my life?" will say that exercising regularly will help to relieve stress. While I do not claim to be a health expert, I can attest from taking up running that when I run things that have been bothering me just seem to melt away. I suggest you check out this post about Running to Relieve Stress 

   Meditation While meditating is not the easiest thing to get into there are many who swear by it.  You can find many guided meditations online if you are just starting out.  Yoga has also been proven to help reduce stress, but if you are one to get frustrated when things are difficult yoga may not be for you.

   Eating Properly If you are eating too much fast food, or starving yourself to get through the work day, stop.  This goes along with the taking breaks point. If you don't know when to stop then you have a serious addiction to working, we all need to eat so if there is a pressing email that needs to be answered or a phone call that needs to be made, move it to the top of your to do list and do it when you get back from having a proper meal.

   Sleep Last and certainly not least is sleep.  Sleep is written about everywhere online, in studies, in books... you name it.  But the bottom line is if you don't sleep properly (for the right amount of time) your body stresses out naturally.  I'm not telling you to sleep for 9 hours a night, there is no real exact number; some people only need 15 minutes every few hours, some need 7 hours, some need 9 everyone is different. Run a few experiments to see what works best for you but what ever you do don't starve yourself of sleep, its just not worth it.

Try some of these tips out and feel free to share about your experiences in the comment section below or even share some tips.  I'm not saying to try them all out, but pick one that you feel speaks to you and if it work stick with it and if not try something else.

New Beginnings Again

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I find myself back at the beginning again. I am truly sorry that I have not been writing more often lately but life has a funny way of speeding up without you noticing it.  About two weeks ago I came back from my vacation in the US and found myself moving in to a new apartment with new roommates, in a new city and starting a new school year.  Its safe to say that these past two weeks have been quite an adventure.

I have never been a city person. Last year my apartment was on a one-way street that got maybe five cars an hour... now I'm living in an apartment building just off the highway over one of the busiest highway junctions in the country.  Sleeping has not been easy and in this new place I have not been able to find a running route yet (or time to get out there).  I'm sure that the more nights I spend here in this new place the less I'll hear the noise of the traffic, like when you have a loud air conditioner and it runs for a while you just stop hearing it.

Classes have not been too interesting, at least I have found two that are able to hold my attention for the whole lecture. Then there are others that I really just cannot focus during the lessons, just hoping I will be able to pass them the first time it would be such a shame to take them again.

That's my quick life update. More to come later when I get settled properly.